Airliner World Magazine talks to Scott Symington, Chief Commercial Officer at AJW Group about the post-Covid recovery of the aviation industry and investigates what the Group is doing to continue positioning itself as a leader in the market.  
 
Focussing first on business agility, Symington notes that Covid-19 has forced businesses to become more agile to survive – and the aviation industry is no exception.  

“As airlines and other stakeholders worked to recover financial losses, they began re-evaluating their operations to improve efficiency and effectiveness. A key trend emerging from this is the shift towards more cost-effective and fuel-efficient aircraft. Airlines are increasingly incorporating modern, environmentally friendly aircraft like the A350 into their fleets to reduce operational costs and lower their carbon footprints,” he states. 

A greater focus on digital transformation has also emerged as part of the quest for efficiency. Symington explains that digital innovation is very much a part of AJW’s core growth strategy. “We’re working to create value for the business and our customers by integrating and embedding digital solutions into our processes to drive transformation through innovation while reflecting industry trends,” he shares. 

He states further that there is a growing demand for AJW’s contracted services, particularly within large-scale Power-by-the-Hour (PBH) agreements. This trend stems from operators' need for flexibility, agility, and customisation to meet specific customer requirements.   

The article then delves into AJW’s inventory investments, which include an increased A350 and B787 inventory, and heavy investment in A330 and B777 inventory via teardowns, as narrowbody availability is low.  

“As AJW is investing in the needs of our customers, it is important to hold inventory that will best serve them. Acquiring the latest generation of aircraft ensures access to a larger market demand that will align the inventory with modern technology standards and secure long-term servicing viability with our global customer base, while at the same time ensuring continued business growth and success,” comments Symington.  

AJW is expanding its capabilities at AJW Technique Europe and the Group driving positive change within the industry through its recent partnership with Lilium, a market leader in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology. 

“By serving as the exclusive parts distributor for Lilium's eVTOL jets, we're not only supporting groundbreaking technology but also championing sustainability within aviation,” says Symington.  

Next, Airliner World asks Symington about AJW Group’s commitment to remain customer focused.  What has the Group put in place to ensure its customers continue to receive excellent service in an ever-shifting market?  

“AJW’s commitment to customer service excellence is deeply rooted in advancing technology and we collaborate closely with our customers to create digital tools tailored to their unique needs,” the Chief Commercial Officer shares. “This approach has led to the development of several industry-leading technologies, like our Inventory Forecasting and Planning Models, dynamic live dashboards, and our parts tracking tool,”  

“For our flight hour contracted customers, our Inventory Forecasting and Planning Model is game-changing,” he continues. “This customisable tool uses predictive algorithms to analyse historical and forecasted component usage, along with real-time inventory data. It helps us anticipate when a part might need to come off-wing, so we can pre-position stock in the right global location, ensuring timely delivery of parts where they’re needed most.” 

Turning the discussion to the MRO market in Europe – a vital crossroads for international air traffic – the CCO shares that AJW is opening a European warehouse to provide seamless support to its customers in the region, and to mitigate post-Brexit regulations related to imports and exports. 

“Compared to other regions, the European MRO market is more mature than the Asia-Pacific's growing sector and more central to global traffic than North America,” muses Symington. However, he concludes, “the continent must now adapt to maintain its competitive edge as other regions continue to expand and develop their capabilities.”