Aviation Weather Radar Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The aviation weather radar market is projected to record a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period.

Key Highlights

• The need for the protection of aircraft from harsh weather conditions is one of the main drivers for the market. Over the years, there have been many instances where unpredicted weather conditions have either led to disturbances in aircraft movements or, in some cases, have damaged the aircraft as a whole. Such incidents made the airports procure weather radars to ensure safety in aircraft operations.
• Each aircraft has a radar antenna located in the nose (radome) of the aircraft. Signals from the antenna are processed by a computer and presented on a screen to be viewed by the pilots. Additionally, the growth in the number of aircraft orders may drive the demand in the market during the coming years.

Key Market Trends

Commercial Aviation Segment Held the Highest Market Share in 2019

Based on segmentation by application, the commercial aviation segment had the largest market share. Compared to the general aviation and military aviation segments, aircraft movements are higher in commercial aviation, necessitating a higher procurement of weather radars to enhance the operational efficiency of airports. The construction of new airports is also generating demand for new airport weather radars. For instance, for a faster and more accurate weather forecast, new weather radars were installed at the new Beijing Daxing International Airport that opened in 2019. The airport announced that in addition to the existing millimeter-wave cloud radar, two other boundary wind profiler radar systems and a low-tropospheric wind profiler radar system will be installed in the next two years at the airport. Airlines are now emphasizing on expanding their routes to long distances and to multiple countries. In this regard, there is a growing need for continuous and real-time updates of the climatic conditions of those routes. In addition, the growth in passenger traffic is forcing airlines to procure new aircraft, thereby, increasing the number of commercial aircraft orders. Airbus and Boeing, two of the largest aircraft OEMs, delivered 863 and 380 aircraft, respectively, in 2019. Though the overall deliveries of the commercial aircraft fell sharply in 2019, due to the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, the numbers are expected to increase during the forecast period, as the aircraft OEMs try to make up for the losses incurred in 2019 by delivering more aircraft during the forecast period.

Asia-Pacific to Record the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period

In terms of geography, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The region is fast-growing, in terms of aviation activity. In commercial aviation, China and India are projected to displace the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, to become the largest and third-largest aviation markets, respectively, during the forecast period. The fleet procurement plans of the airlines in these countries are also driving the growth of the procurement of commercial aviation radars, both from airports and airlines. For instance, in October 2019, Indigo, a low-cost carrier from India placed an order for 300 Airbus aircraft, worth an estimated USD 33 billion. Such orders for aircraft may drive the demand for aviation weather radars. In addition, the governments of several countries in the region are introducing several reforms aimed at boosting the growth of general aviation. For instance, in China, the State Council issued policies over the last few years to stimulate the market by opening the airspace below 3,000 m, with the trial cities including Shenyang, Guangzhou, and Changchun. Such initiatives can stimulate the general aviation aircraft movements in the country, necessitating the installation of more weather radars. In addition, many militaries in the region are procuring aircraft on a large scale, thus, generating demand for aviation weather radars. On account of all these factors, the region is expected to grow at a faster pace compared to other regions during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

Honeywell International Inc., Collins Aerospace (United Technologies Corporation), L3Harris Technologies Inc., Leonardo SpA, Garmin Ltd, and Telephonics are some of the prominent players in the market. The number of companies producing weather radars for aviation applications is less, which makes the market concentrated. Companies are extending their product capabilities to attract different aircraft manufacturers. For instance, in October 2019, Honeywell introduced its all new IntuVue RDR-7000 Weather Radar System, developed from its own IntuVue RDR-4000 Weather Radar System that is used in larger commercial and military aircraft. The company announced that it had expanded the capabilities of the new RADAR to include additional smaller platforms, like regional and business jets, as well as helicopters. Such developments are expected to increase the market prospects for the players in the years to come.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support