DUBAI: Abu Dhabi aerospace engineering firm Sanad Aerotech said on Monday it is benefiting from global aircraft engine shortages, reporting a growing backlog and rapid expansion into new platforms as airlines scramble for maintenance capacity and spare engines.

Global engine makers, including Pratt & Whitney and CFM, have been hit by parts shortages and manufacturing challenges since the pandemic, leaving airlines with grounded aircraft and increasing reliance on third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers such as Sanad to manage shop visits and supply-chain bottlenecks.

Despite booming demand for planes, a severe shortage of next-generation fuel-efficient engines has flipped market economics. In some cases, the engines are now worth more than the aircraft they power when offered as spares.

"The shortage issue has been more of an opportunity for us," CEO Mansoor Janahi told Reuters, adding that Sanad, which specializes in MRO services, had added 16 new airline customers this year.

The company, backed by Abu Dhabi's $330 billion sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, said its backlog had grown by 5 billion AED ($1.36 billion) to over 38 billion dirhams ($10.35 billion) as of the end of June, driven by demand from airlines facing ongoing supply-chain constraints.

Sanad currently services engines including the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 and IAE's V2500, along with General Electric's GEnx and CFM International's LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B models used on Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The company plans to expand further with a new tailor-made facility in the city of Al Ain that will handle Pratt & Whitney's GTF1100, GTF1500 and GTF1900 engines. ($1 = 3.6729 UAE dirham) (Reporting by Ahmed Elimam Editing by Frances Kerry)