What the Aviation Parts Shortage Means for Your Next Aircraft Annual in Michigan

Here is a situation that has become more common in our shop over the past year. An aircraft owner schedules an annual with a reasonable amount of lead time. The inspection goes well with a few squawks but nothing alarming. Then the parts order goes in and the real problem appears: the gasket that used to ship in three days is now on a six-week backorder. The aircraft that was supposed to be back in the air in ten days sits.

This is not a fluke. It is the new operating environment, and the operators who plan around it are the ones whose schedules stay intact.

Why Parts Availability Has Changed

The aviation supply chain is feeling pressure from multiple directions simultaneously. Raw material shortages, manufacturing capacity constraints, and geopolitical instability, particularly the conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz, have created ripple effects that reach from major airlines down to general aviation parts distributors. IATA has explicitly flagged global supply pressure as an escalating concern, and MRO facilities across the country are managing longer lead times and larger inventory buffers than they were two years ago.

The problem compounds on older airframes, where legacy parts have fewer supply chain options and longer lead times by default. But it is not limited to older aircraft. Even relatively common components on well-supported platforms are taking longer to arrive than operators are used to.

What This Looks Like on an Actual Annual

A standard annual inspection on a well-maintained aircraft should not surface dramatic surprises. But even a clean inspection may find items that require specific parts: a particular seal, a magneto component, an avionics module, an engine accessory. In a normal supply environment, those parts arrive quickly and the inspection closes on schedule.

In the current environment, the same list of minor squawks can extend a ten-day annual to three weeks or more, depending on what is on backorder. The aircraft owner who planned to be flying by the 15th is now calling clients to reschedule trips on the 28th.

Pre-purchase evaluations are seeing the same dynamic. A buyer who gets a pre-purchase inspection done without understanding what maintenance items are pending, and what parts availability looks like for that airframe, can face a much larger first-year cost than the purchase price suggested.

5 Things Operators Can Do Right Now

1. Schedule your annual earlier than you think you need to.

If your annual is due in November, schedule it in September. If it is due in April, schedule it in February. The extra buffer time is not wasted. It is insurance against the parts scenario. Operators who wait until the last month before their due date are the ones calling clients to reschedule trips.

2. Share your known squawks before the inspection starts.

A squawk list sent to your MRO a week before the annual lets them assess parts availability before the inspection is underway. If something is going to be on backorder, knowing that on day one is very different from knowing it on day eight after the aircraft is already partially disassembled.

3. Ask about upcoming ADs and service bulletins.

Airworthiness Directives and service bulletins that are coming due in the next 12 to 18 months are often addressable during a scheduled annual without significant additional time or cost. Addressing them reactively, when they become mandatory on a specific date, means scheduling a separate maintenance event and competing for parts that everyone else also needs by the same date.

4. Coordinate avionics work in the same visit.

If your aircraft needs avionics attention, such as ADS-B verification, a transponder check, a display replacement, or panel work, scheduling it alongside your annual eliminates a second maintenance visit. On-site avionics and maintenance coordination is one of the things that keeps downtime manageable at Michigan Aviation.

5. If you are considering an aircraft acquisition, get a thorough pre-purchase evaluation.

A pre-purchase inspection in the current environment should include a realistic assessment of what maintenance is pending, what parts availability looks like for that platform, and what the likely first-year maintenance spend is given the current supply chain. Understanding that before signing is dramatically cheaper than discovering it after.

What Good Communication Looks Like During an Annual

One of the complaints we hear most often from operators who have had bad maintenance experiences elsewhere is the same: they did not know what was happening until the end of the week. The aircraft was in the shop, the inspection was underway, and then came the call on Friday afternoon that something was on backorder and the aircraft was not going to be ready Monday as planned.

At Michigan Aviation, we communicate during the inspection, not after it is too late to adjust. When a parts situation is going to affect your schedule, you hear about it the same day we find out, not when the delay has already started.