The environment is changing

Population growth: a bottomless market

According to current forecasts, the global population in 2050 will be around 25 percent higher than it is today. The focal point of this megatrend is centered on the economically thriving regions of Asia. At the same time, however, approximately 80 percent of the world’s population has currently never set foot on an airplane. These two trends combined offer enormous long-term growth potential for the entire aircraft industry. After all, the basic human need to travel and discover foreign people, countries and cultures existed long before the trend toward the globalization of the economy, communications and tourism.

Given these developments, the demand for aircraft will also increase in the long term, as will the demand for economical and at the same time sustainable solutions for environmentally friendly air travel. With its innovations in the field of lightweight construction, FACC has positioned itself as an agile partner to the aircraft industry, and has played a major role in the advancement of the industry. On top of this, the company’s global footprint ensures that FACC is able to act wherever there is demand.

Civil aviation as a core foundation

Even though FACC aims to broaden its market position and even tap into completely new lines of business, this in no way means that the company is departing from its core market – the production of lightweight systems for the aircraft industry. On the contrary, the company firmly believes in aviation as its core market.
The civil aviation segment is to be further strengthened in the coming years through efficiently produced, environmentally sound and disruptive innovations.

With these strategic goals, FACC aims to gain additional market shares, broaden its customer and product portfolio and expand its vertical integration. Entire subsystems such as primary structures or complete cabin concepts are to be developed and produced in-house. In addition, FACC is focusing on expanding its highly successful Aftermarket Services.

Urbanization: demand for innovative traffic and transport solutions

Another megatrend is the increasing urbanization across the globe. According to current estimates, 68 percent of the world’s population will be living in metropolitan agglomerations by 2050. Moreover, the number of megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants is growing relentlessly.

As a result of this trend towards urbanization, point-to-point air traffic is also growing, which in turn is driving demand for flexible passenger jets, for which FACC is continuously developing, testing, certifying and producing new cabin concepts. These also include in-flight health solutions, such as hygiene technologies that enable completely bacteria and virus-free air travel.

In many agglomerations, people today are suffering from heavy traffic and air pollution. With an electrically powered passenger drone co-developed with the Chinese start-up EHang, FACC has already taken on a pioneering role in the field of urban air mobility (UAM). In the near future, drones could make airspace amenable to passenger transport. Also logistics, the supply of medical devices and rescue operations are increasingly emerging as concrete areas of application for urban air mobility. A completely new market with a potential of USD 30 billion will therefore emerge in the UAM sector by the end of this decade. This market is currently still unoccupied, and FACC is already playing a clear role as a front-runner in this field. 

Additional potential through urban air mobility

Together with its partner EHang, FACC ranks among the global pioneers in the field of urban air mobility. The company has occupied this promising future market for eco-friendly urban and interurban mobility for several years.

By 2030, FACC aims to have increased the share of total sales generated by ­transport drones, air taxis and the like to 10 percent. As has been the case in its core business for many years, the company is also striving for the broadest possible ­product and customer portfolio in this area.

Climate change: full thrust for CO₂-neutral flights

Cutting emissions, the deployment of green technologies and biological materials as well as comprehensive environmental responsibility are increasingly becoming decisive factors in the aviation industry. FACC boasts the right technologies to be able to respond to this trend.

With its wide range of lightweight solutions, the Group has long been contributing to making air travel more environmentally friendly. And it will continue with its developments, working every day to make its products ever lighter and even more aerodynamic.

The future is green

FACC addresses the issues of sustainability and ­resource conservation throughout the entire ­development and life cycle of a product. In this ­context, the longevity of aircraft systems is at the top of the list, followed by the recyclability of ­materials used in line with a closed-loop economy. Experts at FACC have long been researching the materials and processes of the future in ­interdisciplinary research and development networks. In the near future, for instance, FACC plans to ­present an aircraft cabin made entirely of ­renewable raw materials, which could constitute a further important building block for the environmentally-friendly aviation of the future.

Globalization & ­digitalization: climbing to new heights!

Globalization and digitalization are leading to a massive increase in satellite communication, which also represents a source of great market potential for FACC. This is because the development of the necessary communication infrastructure in the orbit is increasingly likely to take place within the framework of private, commercial space programs in the future.

As a result, there will also be a high demand for economically manufactured modules for rockets and launch systems. Already today, FACC is actively applying to participate in research projects as the company aims to further develop its lightweight construction expertise in this direction and use its state-of-the-art facilities for the small and medium-scale series production of space technology in the coming years.

Space, a market of the future

Although scarcely noticed by the general public, space is currently developing into a highly ­
interesting market for FACC. This is because the growing demand for global communication solutions is also increasing the need for the corresponding infrastructure in the earth’s orbit.

With its lightweight solutions, FACC aims to ­establish itself as an acclaimed technology partner to the space industry and give additional impetus to its organic growth along the way.