Industry Overview
Global air traffic control equipment market size is anticipated to reach USD 4,000 million by 2020, growing at 4.2% up to 2020. Increasing air traffic coupled with development of new airports with advanced facilities is expected to drive demand growth over the next six years.
Increasing price sensitivity among customers with introduction of low fare airlines is driving the global demand. Airlines also opt for programs in which they offer cheap fares for a limited period. Time saved through air travel is also expected to boost industry growth. For instance, business executives prefer saving travel time when going for meetings and conferences. Increasing disposable income in developing economies leads to rising preference for air travel. Rise in wireless connectivity and availability of air travel bookings online has made the method very simple, which significantly contributes to air traffic control equipment market growth.
Increasing construction of new airports owing to increasing traffic and enhanced connectivity is expected to fuel air traffic control equipment market growth. Replacement of control systems in existing airports with updated equipment to increase the efficiency of the overall system is also expected to favor demand. Most controllers guide the aircraft using radar-based display screens and communicate through radio signals to the aircraft. New technologies such as IP-based communication system and infrastructure deployed in new airports are expected to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the overall system. In addition, increasing government initiatives for overall infrastructure development is also leading to construction of new airports majorly in countries such as India and China.
High investment and maintenance cost is expected to hinder Air Traffic Control industry growth over the forecast period. It is difficult to modify and maintain available software in order to meet increasing industry demand. However, it is expected to gradually reduce owing to increasing automation. In addition, implementation of updated technologies has resulted in increasing demand for skilled professional.
Product Overview
Communication equipment was the leading air traffic control equipment market product segment and was valued over USD 1,000 million in 2013. It is expected to witness significant gains, with forecast of USD 1,500 million at a CAGR of 4% from 2014 to 2020. Advancement in digital data communication on account of ubiquitous use of air traffic control systems is expected to drive demand. Navigation equipment was valued at USD 950 million in 2013, and is expected to reach USD 1,000.0 million by 2020, growing at an estimated CAGR of over 3% from 2014 to 2020.
Application Overview
Commercial aircrafts accounted for over 38% of the industry share in 2014, with gains estimated at over 4 % from 2014 to 2020. Low breakdown tolerance levels have forced the key players to emphasize on advancing reliability of ATC equipment market.
Military aircrafts hold the second largest share in the industry, growing at a CAGR of over 3% over the forecast period. In 2013, the share of private aircrafts segment was over 25%, growing at a CAGR of over 4% over the forecast period.
Regional Overview
Europe air traffic control equipment market was valued over USD 1,000.0 million in 2013. It is expected to reach 1,200 million by 2020 at a CAGR of 3% from 2014 to 2020. Incorporation of efficient collision avoidance system in this region is likely to be major focus area for defying increased air traffic. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region, growing at a CAGR of 6% over the next coming years. Growing air traffic volume has led to increasing demand for technologically advanced communications equipment.
North America air traffic control equipment market accounted for more than 30% of the total industry share in 2013. This is primarily due to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) join hands with aviation industry and.
Competitive Market Share
The global air traffic control equipment market share is fairly consolidated, with the top four companies accounting for more than 50% of the total demand in 2013.
Thales Group accounted for over 15% of the overall demand in 2013. The company provides Air Traffic Management (ATM) solutions that are capable of supporting Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) and Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) concepts. The company also engages in mergers and acquisitions as part of its growth strategy. For instance, it acquired Omnisys and the IT activities of Egis Avia in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Rest of the companies includes Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Company among others.
