Mature Widebody Engines Unlikely to Recover to Pre-Covid Levels

Our intelligence reveals that, overall, new generation engine values remain strong, whilst the mature engine market is unlikely to recover to pre-pandemic levels.  

What’s happened to widebody engine values?  

New generation widebody engines 

• The Covid-related lag in the recovery of the widebody market is still apparent in engine values. 

• Monthly flights per fitted engine type on the GEnx-1B were at 27,670 in January 2019, increasing to 36,951 by January 2023.  

• Popular engine types are showing the most growth, whereas engines with smaller fleets are lagging.  

• Base values for the popular Trent XWB-84 (used on the Airbus A350were at US$21.45m in 2019 and have now increased by 11.5% to US$23.89m in 2023.  

• Trent XWB values are notably strong. A full-life engine will cost over $30 million, lease rates around $200k per-month. 

• The secondary market for these engines is negligible, and the OEM’s tight control of the aftermarket will drive up values. 

Mature widebody engines  

• We anticipate that this market will not recover to pre-pandemic levels, but we will see greater value stability as long-haul markets open. 

• Monthly flights per fitted engine type on the Trent 700 (used on the Airbus A330ceo) were at 19,783 in July 2020, increasing to 31,411 in March 2023. Pre-Covid flight numbers were at 56,917 in March 2019.   

• We are observing some market value strength in the 747 and 767 engine markets. The GE90-115BL was valued at US$20.98m in 2019, decreasing to US$13.92m in 2023. By comparison, the CF6-80C2B4F was at US$2.26m in 2019 and is now at US$1.6m in 2023. 

IBA has one of the largest teams of certified senior appraisers in the industry who partner with aviation and financial sector clients globally to give independent advice on wide-ranging, complex asset valuation requirements. 

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