Airport Runway Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection System Market

Airport Runway Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection System Market Outlook (2022-2032)

The global airport runway FOD detection system market is set to surpass a valuation of US$ 95.4 million in 2022 and further shrink at a CAGR of 1.4% to reach US$ 110.1 million by the end of 2032.

Report Attributes	Details
Airport Runway FOD Detection System Market Size (2021A)	US$ 52.2 Million
Estimated Market Value (2022E)	US$ 95.4 Million
Forecasted Market Value (2032F)	US$ 110.1 Million
Global Market Growth Rate (2022-2032)	1.4% CAGR
Americas Market Share (2022)	~ 28.4%
Americas Market Value (US$ Mn), 2022	US$ 27.1 Million
Europe Market Share (%), 2022	~21%
Europe Market Value (US$ Mn), 2022	US$ 20.0 Million
China Market Share (%), 2022	~3.6%
China Market Value (US$ Mn)	US$ 3.4 Million
Top 3 country Market Share (%)	~43.7%
Key Companies Profiled	Xsight Systems Ltd. Moog Inc. Trex Aviation Systems The Stratech Group Limited Argosai Technology Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. Pavemetrics Systems Inc. Rheinmetall Italia S.p.A.

Sales Analysis of Airport Runway FOD Detection System Detection System (2017-2021) Vs. Market Forecast Outlook (2022-2032)

Between 2017 and 2021, the airport runway FOD detection system market witnessed unstable growth, majorly due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the travel industry. The airport FOD detection systems market had a market value of US$ 103.6 Mn in 2017, and then it witnessed a sharp decline during 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, post the easing of restrictions, the travel businesses witnessed some growth and it slowly started picking up pace.

As a result, the airport runway FOD detection systems reached a market value of US$ 52.2 Mn in 2021, Middle East and Africa regions have witnessed high potential growth in the airport runway FOD detection systems market. In 2021, the market grew at a Y-o-Y growth rate of 33.5%.

Increased investments by governments toward air defense infrastructure and the growth of the civilian aviation sector will positively impact the adoption of newer, real-time FOD detection systems through the forecasted period.

• Short Term (2022 Q2 to 2025): Increasing growth in the number of airline travelers will positively impact the growth of the airport runway FOD detection systems market.

• Medium Term (2025-2028): Implementation of technologies such as UAVs and AI will improve the accuracy of airport FOD detection systems and will help to minimize its declining market trend.
• Long Term (2028-2032): Improving the scanning efficiency so that FOD detection systems are able to identify even tiny objects will improve the sales of the device

Over the 2017-2021 historical period, the global airport runway FOD detection system market registered a CAGR of -15.7%, and according to the Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 1.4%  between 2022 and 2032.

Market share analysis of airport runway FOD detection system based on end use and region is provided in a nutshell in the above image. Under the end use segment, the civil sub-segment dominates with 56.9% market share in 2022.

What’s Driving Demand for Airport Runway FOD Detection System?

“Integration of Technology to Improve Efficiency and Accuracy”

In the early era, FOD detection and removal were done by humans manually, as a result, this became a time-consuming task and the accuracy of the output was questionable. To combat this issue, FOD detection systems designed with advanced technology started to get implemented. Moreover, FOD detection systems built with laser and radar technology are of high preference by airport authorities across the globe.

Major runway FOD detection system manufacturers are also providing hybrid FOD detection systems which come with an inbuilt camera and optical radar sensing technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) based FOD detection systems have advanced image processing abilities, pattern recognition abilities, robot vision, and deep learning technology that attracts customers and delivers a good experience to them.

These technological advancements in FOD detection systems will positively impact the growth rate of the market over the forecast period.

 “High Emphasis on Increasing Runway Capacity & Operational Efficiency Impacting Market”

The indirect costs such as flight cancellation and delay, leading to a loss of passengers, schedule disruptions due to the need to reposition crews and aircraft affects the airline business dearly. In 2021, 121,522 flights were cancelled. A similar pattern was observed in 2022’s first half when 3.2% flights got cancelled.

Direct costs such as engine repairing costs, fan blades, and other equipment of the aircraft are also very high. For instance, the engine repairing cost due to damage from FOD is a little over 20% of the price of a new aircraft engine.

Hence, to increase the runway capacity as well as operating efficiency through prior detection and removal of the FOD from the airport runway, the use of airports FOD has increased manifold. This will positively impact the growth of the global airport runway FOD detection systems market at a significant rate during the forecast period.

What Concerns Should Airport Runway FOD Detection System Manufacturers Avert?

“Necessity of Trained Operators/Engineers for Effective Operation of FOD Detection System”

A lack of trained professionals to operate specific airport runway FOD detection systems may result in safety hazards and cause flight delays. For operating airport runway FOD detection systems, trained professionals are required to deliver accurate output. The imbalance in demand-to-supply ratio of trained operators will negatively impact the market growth. The certifications and experience are a must for employment at certain airport runway FOD detection systems.

There are several training camps that provide licenses for these engineers, as the governing authorities are pushing the end-use companies to follow safety standards as a mandatory rule. Hence, prior practice and training are of utmost importance. Otherwise, there are chances of accidents and also there will be a significant increase in the operation time, which will impact the company’s income.

“High Cost of Repair and Maintenance of Airport Runway FOD Detection Systems”

Safety on airport runways has always been the top priority of airports. There are two types of airport runway FOD detection systems currently being used, i.e. stationary and mobile. The cost of a mobile FOD detection system is less than the cost of stationary radar-based FOD detection systems.

Moreover, for a small airport runway, the airport would incur approximately US$ 5-10 Mn to cover the whole runway area. In addition to this, post-purchase costs such as repair and maintenance costs will be very high owing to the usage of high-cost radar, camera, and other components.

Country-wise Insights

How Good is the Airport Runway FOD Detection System Market Operation in the U.S.?

According to the Fact.MR report, the United States accounted for about 76.5% of the market share of the American airport runway FOD detection systems market in 2021 and it is expected to continue being the leading regional market in this technology.

It is estimated that repairs due to FODs cost airlines in the US$ 26 per flight. It has been observed that globally that the cost incurred by the aviation industry due to FODs, both directly as well as indirectly is almost US$ 13 billion per year. The FAA in the U.S. requires airports with air carrier service to conduct self-inspections daily.

The FAA’s Advisory Circular (AC) "Airport Safety Self-Inspection" provides in detail the methods airports have to implement to check for FODs and remove them from runways, loading ramps, aprons, aircraft parking areas, and taxiways.

How does Turkey Performs in Airport Runway FOD Detection System Market?

MEA Is predicted to have the highest market share of 29.8% in 2022 in the airport runway FOD detection system market. Across the Middle East and Africa region, Turkey has the highest market share of 49.7% in 2022. The market in MEA and is predicted to capture almost 50% of the regional market share by the end of the forecast period.

In 2021, Turkey’s defense and aerospace industry sector accounted for a turnover of more than US$ 10 billion.

Military and political tensions in Turkey have created key opportunities for airport runway FOD detection system manufacturers to expand with great potential in the defense sector and gain contracts in the region.

Category-wise Insights

How are the Various Airport Runway FOD Detection System Hardwares and Softwares Performing in the Market?

Airport runway components can be broadly classified on the basis of hardware and services. Hardware are further divided into mobile and stationary variants, and services are divided into installation, training and certification and support & maintenance.

According to the Fact.MR report, hardware sales will represent a large market share of 59.4% in 2022 and will continue to grow throughout the forecast period. Of this, stationary systems is considered to remain highly sought-after and will occupy a nearly two-third of the market share of hardware components in 2022. This sub segment is predicted to account for US$ 36.9 Mn in 2022.

However, support and maintenance software services are expected to gain traction during the forecast period. Resumption of air travel post the Covid-19 pandemic has positively impacted the airline industry and as a result has positively impacted the airline runway FOD detection system market.

Which End-Use Segment and Region is Estimated to Accelerate Market Growth?

Airport runway FOD detection systems have applications both, in civil and as well as military air travel. The civil aviation industry remains the biggest contributor of market revenue to the industry and is predicted to account for 56.9% of the market share in 2022.

In the previous years, the number of airports globally have grown to 41,700 in 2021. This includes airfields, heliports, and strips, the majority of them accounting for civilian operations. This factor acts as the primary reason behind the growth of FOD detection systems, and this growth curve is expected to remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Competitive Landscape

Prominent manufacturers of the airport runway FOD detection systems industry worldwide including Xsight Systems Ltd., Moog Inc., Trex Aviation Systems, The Stratech Group Limited, Argosai Technology, Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., Pavemetrics Systems Inc., Rheinmetall Italia S.p.A. Corporation are putting emphasis on launching products that are technologically advanced and are grabbing marketing strategies such as acquisitions and collaborations with other market players to help improve production capacities, improve market penetration and gain a larger market share.

A multi-specialty engineering services firm Dyer & Butler completed runway maintenance operations and infrastructure improvements in the September of 2020. This was done at the Gatwick airport, and the work done included new FOD and Instrument Runway Visual Range system (IRVR) systems.

With several such projects occurring worldwide, the airport FOD detection system is expected to witness prominent growth over the years.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key manufacturers of airport runway FOD Detection System positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of Airport Runway FOD Detection System Industry Research

• By Component:

  • Hardware
    • Stationary
    • Mobile
  • Services
    • Installation
    • Support & Maintenance
    • Training & Certification

• By End Use:

  • Civil
  • Military

• By Region:

  • Americas
  • Europe
  • APAC
  • MEA