Cracking the Code on Aviation’s Broken Supply Chain

This article is also featured in the February 2026 edition of AviTrader MRO360°

When the founders of SkySelect first examined how airlines and MROs purchase aircraft parts, they were stunned. "It's like the 90s—paper, fax, phone calls, and emails," recalls Tulika Dayal, Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer at SkySelect. Here was an industry that had mastered the art of safely flying billions of passengers around the globe, yet its legacy procurement operations remained mired in manual processes that hadn't changed fundamentally in decades.

That observation became the genesis of SkySelect. Founded in 2017 in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Bain Capital Ventures, Lux Capital, and RockCreek, the company set out to build what the aviation industry desperately needed. SkySelect is not just another marketplace or listing service; it uses AI with scale and precision in MRO procurement and supply chain to enhance productivity, achieve savings, and improve supply chain visibility.

Eight years and over $6 billion in processed transactions later, SkySelect has proven that digitization isn't just possible in aviation procurement—it's transformative. And the timing couldn't be more critical: according to IATA and Oliver Wyman, supply chain bottlenecks cost the airline industry over $11 billion in 2025 alone.

From Visibility to Action

The aviation aftermarket has no shortage of platforms that show you where parts might be available. The problem? Visibility alone doesn't capture savings. It doesn't eliminate manual work. It doesn't reduce lead times or prevent delays. It simply moves the same phone calls and emails to a different screen. In fact, listing services can overwhelm users with data and cloud their decision-making.

"We're not a marketplace or listing service—that's critical to understand," explains Erkki Brakmann, CEO at SkySelect. "Our AI doesn't just connect buyers and suppliers; it analyzes requirements, evaluates options based on availability, location, condition, price, and interchangeability, and makes purchasing decisions in real-time across thousands of parts simultaneously. It monitors deliveries and flags potential risks. It captures the savings that visibility alone can't."

The distinction is more than philosophical—it shows up in the numbers. With a typical customer, SkySelect automates up to 70% of purchasing and captures up to 20% in price savings from day one. Customers report efficiency gains of up to 5x and a 20% improvement in on-time delivery.

"SkySelect is quintessential because they've taken a rigorous and manual approach to parts purchasing and not only streamlined it into user-friendly software but coupled it with unrivaled high-touch customer service. SkySelect is saving us time, money, and capturing previously unforeseen opportunities." — Paulo Baracat, Sourcing & Procurement Director, TAP Air Portugal

The Rise of Agentic Procurement

"The industry doesn't just need software anymore; it needs a digital workforce," says Erkki Brakmann. This philosophy is reflected in their approach, which utilizes autonomous AI agents that not only support material buyers and Procurement & TechOps leaders but also actively perform tasks on their behalf.

SkySelect's AI agents cover the entire procurement workflow—part identification and interchangeability analysis, real-time sourcing across the market, purchase optimization based on the lowest Total Cost of Ownership, proactive order follow-up, and re-sourcing for delay management. The platform acts as an extension of the purchasing team, constantly scanning the market, matching demand with supply, and predicting shortages before they ground an aircraft.

"After the first week working with SkySelect, I could process 3-4 times as many part requirements as before. We've significantly boosted our productivity by automating low-dollar, high-volume part transactions and focusing our time and effort on high-value tasks. We are a small team in comparison to our fleet size of nearly 300 aircraft, so SkySelect's Procurement AI has been crucial to scaling our operations." — Nicole Mena, Buyer at JetBlue Airways.

An example of the scale of transformation is MRO myTECHNIC, a prominent regional MRO player. After implementing SkySelect, two buyers handled 1,761 part requests in just three days—up from a previous average of 15-35 parts per buyer per day. Output increased by more than 10x, leading to transformative gains in productivity and speed.  

"The shift to an AI-driven system has changed the way suppliers operate. They're now motivated by quicker processing times, knowing that a speedy response can help them secure the deal. We used to rely on a few regular vendors, but now AI provides us with instant access to the entire market." — Murat Eroğlu, Supply Chain Director at myTECHNIC.

Intelligence To Make Faster Decisions, Not Just Data

SkySelect's platform generates actionable intelligence across three critical dimensions: 

• supplier performance tracking that automatically adjusts delivery estimates based on historical reliability; 
• supply chain risk prediction that identifies potential delays and proactively offers solutions; 
• and market availability insights that inform inventory planning based on what's actually obtainable, not just what's theoretically in stock.

"When an airline in Europe needs a sensor and a supplier in Asia has it on the shelf, our AI connects them instantly," says SkySelect. "We're rewiring the industry's broken connections."

SkySelect's data model is built on a simple principle: your data works for you, not against you. Supplier pricing and customer purchasing patterns remain confidential—the platform generates network-wide intelligence from anonymized patterns, without exposing individual transactions. It's why over 3,000 suppliers actively participate rather than hold back.

"There are many more supply chain opportunities in the aviation market than you can see on a daily basis. The part you are searching for might be lying on someone's shelf, unused. SkySelect helps Magnetic MRO find hidden gems in the aviation market and deliver them with great cost savings and superb quality." — Natalja Lagno, Strategic Purchasing Manager, Magnetic MRO

Realizing Benefits Within Weeks

While extracting value from AI can be notoriously difficult—with MIT reporting a 95% stall rate for pilots—SkySelect has cracked the code on rapid time-to-value. Setup takes just 2-3 hours, with no lengthy IT integration required. There's no need to replace existing systems or clean and standardize data; the platform simply establishes data exchange and starts delivering results.

Azul saved 10% of their annual spend in the first year. JetBlue achieved 3-4x productivity within the first two weeks. Magnetic MRO is automating 79% of purchases. MTU Maintenance reduced sourcing time by 20% while receiving more competitive offers. The pattern is consistent: SkySelect delivers a strong 3-5x ROI from the second month, paying for itself almost immediately.

"Thanks to SkySelect, we've reduced the time spent sourcing parts while receiving competitive offers from suppliers, supporting our efforts to digitalize MTU Maintenance's processes." — Patrick Holzkamp, Director of Purchasing USM at MTU Maintenance.

The speed and data-driven insights from SkySelect have fundamentally changed how we approach aircraft material purchasing. We’re not just saving money for the airline; we’re gaining days of efficiency, which is vital in the airline industry. This represents a long-term strategic advantage."  —Erlend Rugeldal, Director Supply Chain at Widerøe.

The supply chain won't fix itself by hiring more people to send more emails. As the aviation industry navigates record demand alongside unprecedented supply chain pressures, SkySelect offers something increasingly rare: a solution that delivers measurable results from day one without a multi-year implementation. For procurement teams stretched thin and supply chains under strain, that's not just helpful—it's essential.

Q&A: Separating Hype from Reality

AviTrader sat down with SkySelect leadership to discuss why 2026 is the tipping point for AI in aviation.

AviTrader: The term "AI" is everywhere. What's the difference between the hype and what SkySelect actually does?

SkySelect: At SkySelect, we go beyond the hype and put AI into practice. For instance, we analyze over 100,000 part numbers every day. If we detect that a specific sensor is trending toward shortage, we can secure stock from a supplier before the airline is even aware of the issue. This isn't just hype; it's a demonstration of operational resilience, proven with more than 30 airlines and MROs worldwide.

AviTrader: How is AI changing the software landscape?

SkySelect: AI will enable hundreds of millions of developers to build software as if they had the capabilities of large teams. Easier software creation means more software, more apps. Enterprise customers who waited months for an ERP enhancement no longer have to wait. The question becomes how you enable an ecosystem that allows co-creation with customers and suppliers.

AviTrader: Is this replacing the human buyer?

SkySelect: Absolutely not. While we handle 80% of the administrative tasks that typically include data entry, tracking number retrieval, and comparing generic quotes, we ensure that the buyer remains involved in decision-making. This approach allows buyers to focus on strategic work (e.g., complex AOGs, contract negotiations, relationship-building), while the platform minimizes or eliminates administrative burdens. Essentially, we're the exoskeleton that enhances the capabilities of the human buyer.

AviTrader: What's the outlook for the rest of the year?

SkySelect: In the external market, we don't see pressure on MROs easing: older planes will continue to fly, and the supply of new parts will remain tight. At SkySelect, we believe this year's winners will further embrace technology and agentic AI across their operations. We anticipate an accelerated integration of AI within MRO procurement. We are excited to support airlines and MROs in capturing the benefits in 2026 and beyond.