Why one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets needs spare parts, exchanges and repairs? APRAM Aerospace is expanding its activities in Central Asia. Following a series of negotiations culminating in the company’s participation in the MRO Central Asia 2026 conference in Tashkent, APRAM has established further concrete business partnerships in the region, covering the supply of spare parts as well as Exchange and Repair services.
For the Czech distributor specialising in narrow-body fleets, this is a logical step. Central Asian airlines predominantly operate Airbus A320 Family and Boeing 737 aircraft—the very types for which APRAM Aerospace maintains inventory and has accumulated many years of experience.
“This success is no coincidence. It is the result of market changes that have been shaping the region over the past two decades and have now made it one of the most dynamic aviation markets in the world,” says Alena Šimečková, CEO of APRAM Aerospace.
The following analysis explains why Central Asia represents a structural opportunity for the aviation aftermarket—and what is driving the demand for parts, exchanges and repairs across the region.
The World’s Fastest-Growing Aviation Region
According to aviation analytics company OAG, air transport capacity in Central Asia has increased by almost 500% over the past twenty years. This corresponds to average annual growth of approximately 7.7%, placing the region among the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world.
In 2025, Central Asia handled approximately 60 million passengers, with passenger numbers increasing at roughly two and a half times the rate of the region’s economic growth.
This expansion is being driven by a combination of factors: population growth, rapid tourism development, market liberalisation and the rise of the low-cost segment. The share of low-cost carriers in regional capacity rose from just 4.6% in 2015—at the time the lowest figure anywhere in the world—to 21% in 2025.
The opening of markets through open-skies policies at secondary airports is attracting new operators and international airlines while creating a denser network of connections.
Uzbekistan provides a clear example. Over eight years, the number of airlines serving the country increased from 15 to 44, while the number of foreign carriers rose from 14 to 36. In 2024, Uzbek airports handled a record 13.5 million passengers, an increase of 30% year on year.
Neighbouring Kazakhstan carried almost 15 million airline passengers in 2024, while its airports handled nearly 30 million travellers.
A Wave of Orders: A Fleet Set to Double
Rising demand is being reflected in airline order books. Kazakhstan plans to expand its national fleet from approximately 104 aircraft to 221 by 2030—more than doubling its current size.
The region is focusing primarily on narrow-body, single-aisle aircraft. Kazakhstan’s leading airline group operates a fleet with an average age of approximately six years, consisting almost entirely of A320 Family aircraft. At the beginning of 2026, the group finalised its largest-ever direct order: 25 A320neo Family aircraft, with options that could increase the total to as many as 50.
Uzbekistan’s national carrier operates 24 narrow-body aircraft—a combination of A320s, A320neos and long-range A321LRs—and has firm orders for additional A321neo aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.
Meanwhile, a Tajik airline has announced its first-ever Boeing aircraft order, including 737-8 MAX aircraft.
Together, these represent investments worth billions of dollars and will bring dozens of additional narrow-body aircraft into the region over the coming years.
For the aftermarket, the key point is that new aircraft are not necessarily replacing older ones—they are being added alongside them. Due to delayed deliveries from both major aircraft manufacturers, earlier generations of narrow-body aircraft, including the A320neo and Boeing 737NG, are remaining in active service longer than originally anticipated.
The coexistence of ageing and newly delivered fleets is expanding the installed base of aircraft requiring parts, components, exchanges and repairs.
Maintenance Capacity Is Catching Up—But Still Lags Behind
This is where the core opportunity lies. Central Asia remains heavily dependent on foreign partners for maintenance, repair and overhaul services.
Heavy and base maintenance has historically been outsourced to providers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and the region continues to lag behind international standards in terms of available base-maintenance capacity.
Local operators are investing. A leading Uzbek MRO centre is constructing new wide-body hangars in Tashkent, has introduced predictive-maintenance software and is seeking US FAA certification in addition to its existing European EASA Part-145 approval.
A major Kazakh technical centre is also planning to open two new hangars by 2027.
Nevertheless, the region is likely to remain a net importer of components, exchange units and serviceable used material, or USM, for years to come. This is precisely the narrow-body aircraft segment served by APRAM Aerospace.
The global context reinforces this demand. According to Oliver Wyman’s forecast, worldwide MRO spending was expected to reach USD 119 billion in 2025—12% above the previous peak recorded in 2019—and to continue growing towards USD 156 billion by 2035.
At the same time, the share of narrow-body aircraft in the global fleet is expected to rise from 62% today to 68%.
Pressure on manufacturers’ delivery schedules, supply-chain constraints and the ageing of the operational fleet are structural factors prompting operators to turn increasingly to exchanges, repairs and used serviceable material.
Two Markets Rather Than One
From a commercial perspective, it is important that Central Asia is developing around two separate centres. Kazakhstan, with its airports in Astana and Almaty, and Uzbekistan, centred on Tashkent, are competing with one another as regional hubs. Each country is investing in its own aviation and maintenance infrastructure.
Demand is therefore not concentrated in a single location but geographically distributed across the region.
Tashkent currently has an advantage in MRO, thanks to its long-term partnership with a respected European maintenance provider, its new hangars and the scope of its EASA Part-145 approvals.
Kazakhstan, by contrast, leads in terms of regulatory maturity. Its level of compliance with ICAO safety standards is approximately 82%, significantly above the global average, and the European Union has removed all flight restrictions previously imposed on Kazakh airlines.
The country is modernising its oversight system in cooperation with European and British authorities, moving towards compliance with Western certification standards.
Infrastructure investments are providing a physical foundation for this growth. Construction has begun on an entirely new international airport in Tashkent, designed to handle 20 million passengers annually.
In Almaty, the airport operator has opened a new USD 200 million international terminal and launched a long-term modernisation programme that also includes a new maintenance hangar.
In Astana, a USD 1.1 billion investment agreement has been signed covering a second runway and additional terminals.
What Sets the Region Apart: Long-Range Narrow-Bodies and a Shortage of Technicians
Central Asia has several characteristics that distinguish it from other emerging markets.
One is its commitment to long-range narrow-body aircraft. A leading regional airline deploys A321LR aircraft in a premium configuration on thin long-haul routes that would otherwise require a wide-body aircraft.
This model of operating narrow-body aircraft on long-distance routes has direct implications for spare-parts planning, rotating components and technical support.
The second—and perhaps most serious—factor is the shortage of qualified personnel.
According to forecasts from aircraft manufacturers and specialist institutions, the aviation industry will require hundreds of thousands of new maintenance technicians worldwide over the next decade.
An acute shortage of certified technicians and engineers is one of the main obstacles to developing domestic heavy-maintenance capacity in Central Asia. Paradoxically, this extends the region’s dependence on imported parts and services.
For distributors and providers of Exchange and Repair services, this means the opportunity window is likely to remain open for longer than fleet growth alone would suggest.
The region also lies at the crossroads between East and West and is positioning itself as a cargo hub. The growth of e-commerce is increasing demand for air freight and passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversions, adding another dimension to the aftermarket.
The investment case for a spare-parts distributor specialising in narrow-body aircraft is strong and structurally resilient in Central Asia.
The region is building a large, young fleet consisting almost entirely of A320 and 737 aircraft on top of a maintenance base that is only beginning to develop sufficient capacity for scheduled heavy checks and component repairs.
Four forces are combining: rapid fleet growth, the ageing of earlier-generation narrow-body aircraft, global supply-chain constraints pushing operators towards exchanges and repairs, and underdeveloped local supply chains.
This is precisely the environment in which a distributor with ASA-100 and ISO 9001 certification and a specialisation in narrow-body components can succeed.
APRAM Aerospace’s expansion into Central Asia—including supplies provided under Exchange and Repair arrangements—is not a response to one-off demand. It represents entry into a market whose growth momentum is likely to continue for many years.
“Central Asia reminds us of the Middle East ten years ago: enormous potential, rapidly growing demand and still relatively few qualified partners on the supply side. The difference is that today we are ready, and we are present from the beginning,” says Alena Šimečková, CEO of APRAM Aerospace.
About APRAM Aerospace
Business focus: Distribution of aircraft spare parts, AOG support, Exchange and Repair services
Specialisation: Narrow-body fleets—Airbus A320 Family and Boeing 737
Certifications and memberships: ISO 9001, ASA Member
Geographical coverage: Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia
Website: apram.cz
APRAM Aerospace s.r.o. | Mošnov, Czech Republic