AAR acquires Aircraft Reconfig Technologies

AAR announced the completion of its acquisition of Aircraft Reconfig Technologies (ART) from ZIM Aircraft Cabin Solutions. ART is an engineering company specialising in passenger aircraft reconfiguration for global airlines. On December 17, 2025, AAR announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ART for US$35 million in an all-cash transaction, subject to customary adjustments. “This acquisition adds FAA Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) to AAR’s Engineering Services capabilities, which will enable AAR to issue supplemental type certificates (STCs) and Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) without reliance on third parties,” said Tom Hoferer, AAR’s Senior Vice President of Repair & Engineering. “Having an ODA enhances our aircraft cabin interior design, manufacturing, and certification offerings, and we are excited to welcome ART to the AAR team.” AAR and Woodward sign multi-year commercial distribution agreement AAR has signed a multi-year commercial distribution agreement with Woodward, a world leader in the design and manufacture of aerospace and industrial controls. Under the agreement, AAR will serve as the preferred distributor of Woodward high-demand consumable parts, including fuel filters, gaskets, and seals, for the CFM LEAP*, GEnx, and CF34 engines, direct to commercial airlines. These parts are critical to ensuring optimal engine performance and reliability and represent some of the highest-demand components in commercial aviation today. This agreement expands an existing relationship: AAR has distributed Woodward parts to the defence market, and this agreement extends that proven channel into commercial aviation. For customers, that means direct access to Woodward components through AAR’s global warehouse network, with faster delivery and reliable support, including in Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situations. “Customers depend on commercial engine consumables to keep these engines running reliably, and getting those parts quickly is critical,” said Jacob Roush, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Woodward. “AAR’s global reach and proven distribution track record make them the right partner to put Woodward parts where airlines need them, when they need them.” “This new agreement recognises AAR’s success in distributing Woodward parts to the defense market and Woodward’s confidence in our ability to deliver the same results to the commercial aviation market. We are excited to expand our parts offerings for these critical high-growth engines,” said Frank Landrio, AAR’s Senior Vice President of Distribution. AAR launches Airvoyant AI-driven procurement platform AAR announced the launch of Airvoyant, an AI-powered aviation procurement solution that connects buyers directly to suppliers, searches available inventory, requests and consolidates quotes, and guides users to a streamlined, one-click purchasing decision. Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the platform directly integrates with Aeroxchange’s extensive ecosystem of more than 5,000 suppliers. Built for airlines and MROs, the Airvoyant platform automates the traditionally manual parts sourcing process and integrates with Trax and other enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, embedding intelligent procurement directly into customers’ existing operational workflows. The platform’s AI Agent workforce analyses inbound supplier quotes and generates purchase recommendations based on historical procurement data, including prior transactions, pricing patterns, and supplier performance. By surfacing insights not readily accessible through manual review, the Airvoyant platform lays the foundation for autonomous ordering. Additional AI agents focused on demand consolidation, vendor optimisation, and automated negotiation are expected to launch later this year, expanding Airvoyant’s intelligent procurement capabilities. Delta Air Lines and Air Canada are collaborating with Airvoyant as subject matter experts, providing early feedback and real-world perspective to help shape the evolution of the platform. Air Europa, Allegiant, Atlas Air, JetBlue, Thai Airways, and Virgin Atlantic are serving as launch partners and advisors, experiencing how Airvoyant can transform their MRO parts procurement. Built natively on AWS, Airvoyant benefits from a highly resilient cloud architecture, enabling real-time processing, seamless integration with enterprise systems, and continuous learning capabilities across its AI agents. This approach ensures customers can adopt advanced automation with confidence, backed by industry-leading security and compliance standards. Today, most aircraft parts procurement relies on fragmented systems, email-driven RFQs, and manual quote comparison. Airvoyant overcomes this complexity with a unified, AI-driven system that optimises sourcing decisions, improves visibility into lead times, strengthens supply chain planning, and unlocks measurable savings on parts spend. Customers will also benefit from a direct integration with Aeroxchange, enabling the agent-driven platform to instantly access a broad, trusted network of vendors. The connectivity of solutions accelerates sourcing, expands supplier reach, and enhances decision-making across the procurement lifecycle, bringing greater speed, efficiency, and intelligence to airlines and MROs. Following Trax and Aerostrat, Airvoyant becomes the third company in AAR’s growing aviation software portfolio, reinforcing AAR’s long-term commitment to developing the next generation of software for airline and MRO operations. “AAR continues to invest in our transformative software platforms to bring increased efficiency to all corners of the aviation industry,” said John M. Holmes, AAR’s Chairman, President and CEO. “Airvoyant represents the first scalable solution to deliver agentic AI to airlines and MROs. These AI tools will reshape how customers source and procure parts, plan maintenance, and optimize operations.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]