This strategic assessment report provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s A&D thermoplastic composites market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. This is one of our best-selling reports from the shelf of aerospace composites reports which also includes the aerospace thermoplastics market, aerospace prepreg market, aerospace high-performance thermoplastics market, and aircraft cabin interior composites market. The report estimates the short- as well as long-term repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand for A&D thermoplastic composites market at the global, regional, as well as country level. Also, the report provides the possible loss that the industry will register by comparing pre-COVID and post-COVID scenarios. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate growth strategies.

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market: Highlights
Thermoplastic composite materials are considered excellent materials for current and future aircraft components. Years of R&D and continuous efforts assisted the industry stakeholders to replace not only various metallic parts but also thermoset composite parts. An expected recovery in commercial aircraft deliveries, increasing demand for the weight reduction to improve fuel economy and reduction in carbon emissions in the aerospace industry, increasing penetration of composites in modern aircraft programs, and low processing cost coupled with the advantage of recyclability of thermoplastic composites over thermoset composites are the growth drivers for thermoplastic composites in the aerospace industry.

The A&D thermoplastic composites market is highly dependent on the organic growth of aircraft industries. In 2020, the market witnessed a severe decline in the wake of the pandemic. The market is expected to witness a further decline in 2021, and then bounce back in 2022, followed by a sequential growth till 2026 and reaching an estimated US$ 465.4 million in 2026. The aerospace industry is among the worst-hit industries by the pandemic; however, its strong fundamentals, such as huge order backlogs, to rejuvenate the industry’s growth avenues in the coming years.

The market is highly impacted by new technological advancements, production rates of aircraft, FAA regulations, and other factors. Major players have been working hard for advancements in the existing thermoplastic materials. There has also been a development of a unidirectional carbon prepreg, which further allows weight savings through high fiber content and can be fabricated with an automated production process for high-volume production.

Stratview Research has firstly segmented the A&D thermoplastic composites market based on the aircraft type as commercial aircraft, general aviation, military aircraft, and others. Commercial aircraft is expected to remain the largest segment of the market over the next five years and is also expected to experience the fastest recovery during the same period. The key driving factor is expected recovery in commercial aircraft deliveries coupled with the increasing thermoplastic composites content per aircraft. Among different commercial aircraft types, short-haul aircraft are to experience the fastest recovery with recouping in the domestic air traffic across the globe.

Based on the resin type, the A&D thermoplastic composites market is segmented as PPS, PEEK, PEI, and others. PPS is estimated to maintain its huge dominance in the market. The key driving factor includes the high penetration of PPS composites in mass-volume airframe applications. Some notable advantages offered by PPS are good dimensional stability, excellent resistance to a wide variety of aggressive chemicals, and can be used to mold complex parts with very tight tolerances.

Based on the application type, the market is segmented as interior, airframe, and others. Airframe holds a giant share of the market with a good level of thermoplastic composite penetration in the application segment. Key application areas in airframe application are clips, cleats, leading edges, panels for the fuselage, shear webs, stringers, ribs, rudders, and elevators. There is also growing interest in thermoplastic composites in interiors with floor panels, brackets, profiles, and seat backs being key applications.

Based on the fiber type, the market is segmented as carbon fiber composites and glass fiber composites. Carbon fiber composite is estimated to maintain its huge dominance in the market in the foreseen future. Excellent weight reduction, high strength-to-weight ratio, high tensile and compressive strength, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and high fatigue resistance are some key advantages that drive the segments’ market. On the other hand, glass fiber composite holds a niche market with good prevalence in interior applications where it meets desired performance.

Based on the process type, the market is segmented as compression molding, injection molding, AFP/ATL, and others. Compression molding is expected to remain the dominant process type in the market during the forecast period. Compression molding offers faster part cycle time, reduced part wastage, and reduced defects which overall lead to lower cost, and by monitoring the temperature during the molding process, quality and process consistency also get improved.

In terms of regions, Europe is expected to remain the largest market over the next five years. Germany, France, the UK are the leading markets in the region. Airbus is the major consumer of thermoplastic composites. Major tier players have set up manufacturing plants with high proximity to the Airbus’ assembly plants to fulfill their emerging requirements for its next-generation aircraft programs. North America also holds a reasonable share in the A&D thermoplastic composites market. Boeing and Gulfstream Aerospace are the key OEMs, which are creating a healthy demand for thermoplastic composite parts in the region.

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, thermoplastic composite suppliers, tier players, aircraft OEMs, and airlines. The key thermoplastic composite material suppliers are TenCate (Now part of Toray), Solvay S.A., Teijin, and RTP Company. The key A&D thermoplastic composite component suppliers are ATC Manufacturing, AVANCO Group (XELIS), Cutting Dynamics Inc., Daher, Dutch Thermoplastic Components B.V., GKN Aerospace (Melrose Industries PLC), Premium AEROTEC GmbH, SEKISUI Aerospace, and Triumph Group.

Research Methodology
This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools. More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data. About 15 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all major regions and industry experts have been executed to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Report Features
This report provides market intelligence most comprehensively. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market.

The following are the key features of the report:

  • Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis
  • Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis
  • Market forecast analysis
  • Market segment forecast
  • Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.
  • Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities
  • Emerging trends
  • Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players
  • Key success factors
  • The A&D thermoplastic composites market is segmented into the following categories.


A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Aircraft Type

  • Commercial Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • General Aviation (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Resin Type

  • PPS Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • PEEK Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • PEI Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Other Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Application Type

  • Interior (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Airframe (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Fiber Type

  • Carbon Fiber Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Glass Fiber Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Process Type

  • Compression Molding (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Injection Molding (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • AFP/ATL (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
  • Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

A&D Thermoplastic Composites Market, By Region

  • North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
  • Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France, The UK, and RoE)
  • Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China, Japan, India, and RoAP)
  • Rest of the World (Sub-Region Analysis: Latin America, The Middle East, and Others)

Report Customization Options

  • With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respectable clients:


Company Profiling

  • Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to 3 players)
  • SWOT analysis of key players (up to 3 players)