September marked the strongest month of 2026 so far for aircraft parts searches on the Locatory.com marketplace. Activity increased 34.5 percent compared with August as airlines and maintenance organisations moved deeper into the autumn maintenance cycle.
The latest Top 50 Most Searched and Hardest to Find parts data points to a market that is becoming more difficult to characterise through a single shortage story. Standard hardware and seals rose to the top of both rankings, replacing the concentrated GE90 engine control pattern seen during the summer, while sourcing pressure remained visible across multiple aircraft systems and part categories.
That shift matters for procurement teams. A shortage centred on one engine programme can be monitored as a defined exposure. A market in which unrelated part numbers are simultaneously difficult to source is more complex to anticipate, particularly as maintenance activity increases.
The September part-number data therefore provides a useful indication of where demand and availability are heading as the aviation aftermarket enters the fourth quarter.
September demand reaches a 2026 high
Locatory.com recorded a 34.5 percent month-on-month increase in aircraft parts searches in September, making it the busiest search month of the year.
Standard hardware and seals represented 38.8 percent of classified parts in the Top 50 Most Searched ranking. Engine components followed with 30.6 percent.
The Hardest to Find ranking showed a similar pattern, although with a more fragmented supply picture. Standard hardware and seals represented 33.3 percent of classified parts, ahead of engine components at 22.2 percent. Cabin and safety equipment accounted for 15.6 percent, while electrical and avionics parts represented 13.3 percent.
Overall, September scarcity extended across hardware, engines, avionics, cabin and safety equipment, structural materials and chemicals.
The findings also show considerable continuity with August. Ten part numbers on the Hardest to Find list were repeated from the previous month, while five parts moved from August’s Most Searched data into September’s Hardest to Find ranking.
Hardware and seals become the dominant search category
Standard hardware and seals accounted for 38.8 percent of September’s Top 50 Most Searched parts, making the category the largest source of demand on the marketplace for a second consecutive month.
The parts themselves are largely everyday maintenance items used during inspections, repairs and component installation. Their prominence reflects the way rising maintenance activity can increase pressure not only on major components, but also on the smaller materials required to complete the work.
The September list included:
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Bolts: A32266, D5537002021000, BACB30PN14-32M and 83769H14-17
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Rivets: CR3522-5-03 and CR3524-6-03
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Nuts: S700N1518, 52U629, BACN11R3, BH01227-08L and 2600545
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Gaskets: 2330-0055 and 771884
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Other hardware and consumables: washer 208501-89, spring 975101-10, pin 30-2121003-00, bush D5754054220000, seal 2256M75P01 and pin rivet collar BACC30M6
The broader aftermarket is showing similar momentum. AAR reported a 31 percent year-over-year increase in Parts Supply sales and said it had seen no slowdown in parts bookings or maintenance demand.
Locatory.com’s search data adds another dimension to that picture: a substantial portion of current buyer activity is focused on the standard hardware and consumables needed to carry out maintenance work.
Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 fleets remain major demand drivers
The September Most Searched ranking also highlights the continued importance of narrowbody fleets. Airbus A320-family and Boeing 737 applications accounted for 16 of the 50 listings.
Airbus-related requirements included pin assembly 83647-14-1, wheel tire bolt A32266, CFM56-5B bolt 83769H16-14, pipe 744A1200-02, landing gear bearing 201587209 and inlet cowl assembly 642-1000-49.
The Boeing 737-related entries covered bearing DAS10-26B1-504, electrical solenoid assembly 63000933-1, hydraulic fuse 2-8041-1, transducer 1680-654, temperature sensor 3171784-9, Integrated Drive Generator 761574B, pressure regulator and shutoff valve 3214552-5, bleed air regulator valve 107492-6, igniter 518888-1 and diode pack 763226-14.
Several requirements also carried over from August, reinforcing the recurring nature of narrowbody maintenance demand. Ignition plug 305766-1, CFM56-5B bolt 83769H16-14 and Airbus A320-family landing gear bearing 201587209 all remained active in September after appearing in the previous month’s demand data.
CFM56-related requirements keep engine demand elevated
Engine components represented 30.6 percent of September’s Top 50 Most Searched parts, demonstrating that engine-related requirements remain a major component of narrowbody aftermarket activity.
The searches covered a range of systems and components, including ignition plugs 305766-1 and 518888-1, engine bolts 83769H16-14 and 2093M29P02, hydraulic fuse 2-8041-1, seals 167446-200, transducer 1680-654, temperature sensor 3171784-9, pump assembly 63508412-1, pressure regulator and shutoff valve 3214552-5, bleed air regulator valve 107492-6 and LPT stage 3 blade 50N203.
The pattern is consistent with the wider CFM56 aftermarket environment.
GE Aerospace reported that CFM56 retirements were running at only 1.5 percent to 2 percent in 2026, below earlier expectations. Around 2,400 shop visits are expected in both 2026 and 2027.
Fleet age is another factor sustaining this demand. Cirium data indicates that nearly 63 percent of in-service passenger narrowbodies are at least eight years old, while 29.3 percent are more than 15 years old.
That ageing installed base continues to generate demand for replacement material across the aircraft and engine ecosystem, rather than only for complete engine assemblies.
Hard-to-find parts show that shortages are no longer concentrated
The Hardest to Find ranking provides perhaps the clearest indication of how supply pressure has changed.
Standard hardware and seals represented 33.3 percent of the September list, followed by engine components at 22.2 percent. Cabin and safety parts accounted for 15.6 percent, while electrical and avionics represented 13.3 percent.
The constrained hardware category included bearings VTB11220P20, 1B7297, 3120010487927 and 3130010548610; screws 60-4156-1 and 2291-13; bolts 51U692 and 5306-01-231-7363; gaskets 5330011165466 and 613U59-0003-2; bushing AJ18C105DU; washer NAS1149C0690R; seal J8066; packing 5330-01-706-1023 and backup ring 8-218V709-90.
Hardware shortages are not new to the Locatory.com marketplace. Standard hardware represented 45 percent of the Hardest to Find list in February and 40 percent in March. Its share subsequently dropped to 12 percent in July and 16 percent in August, with shortages already visible across bolts, fasteners, bearings and seals.
Its return to 33.3 percent in September suggests that routine maintenance material is once again becoming a more prominent supply concern as the industry’s high-maintenance season progresses.
The latest list nevertheless extends considerably beyond hardware.
Other hard-to-find requirements included turbine rotor set 750574-3, engine mount bolt CSP282-29LA, body assembly main FCU 343813, starter motor 04-20148, voltage converter 41010-000, capacitor 935A333-3, lighting fixtures 2G44012 and 6210002342656, buckles 5340006233289 and FDC1575-2, as well as corrosion preventive compounds 8030001450111 and MIL-C-21067.
The GE90 shortage pattern disappears from the September ranking
One of the clearest changes compared with the preceding months was the disappearance of the GE90 engine control cluster from the Hardest to Find list.
The cluster had appeared for four consecutive months, but September’s ranking no longer included FADEC variants 105E70898G1, 105E70898G2 and 105E70898G3, HMU control assembly 1693M75P08, or temperature and pressure sensor 0154GF9.
The change illustrates the broader shift in the market. Rather than one highly visible engine-related shortage dominating the scarcity picture, September showed a wider range of constrained requirements spread across several maintenance categories.
Q4 procurement planning may need to focus on complete work packages
The September data suggests that procurement strategies for Q4 should look beyond headline shortages and pay greater attention to whether entire maintenance work packages can be completed.
Standard hardware and seals now sit at the top of both the demand and scarcity rankings. At the same time, engine components, avionics, cabin equipment and chemicals remain represented across the Hardest to Find list.
For procurement teams, the data points to several practical priorities:
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Bring forward sourcing for items showing recurring demand.
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Review exposure to frequently searched part numbers before aircraft induction.
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Avoid treating standard hardware as a low-priority procurement category simply because individual unit values are relatively low.
The repetition already visible in the data provides a potential early-warning mechanism. Ten Hardest to Find part numbers carried over from August, while five parts that appeared in August’s Most Searched data subsequently appeared on September’s Hardest to Find list.
For suppliers, the same trend creates an opportunity to anticipate requirements before they become urgent. September’s search activity shows where buyer attention is building, including demand for lower-value hardware and consumables that can nevertheless delay maintenance when unavailable.
Maintaining appropriate availability of these repeatedly requested items could therefore become increasingly important as Q4 maintenance activity intensifies.
