Ending 2025 with a strong fourth quarter after achieving record sales across its aerospace markets, especially in commercial transport, Astronics Corporation expects 2026 to be “another very strong year with double-digit growth.”
The East Aurora, New York-based company, whose portfolio includes inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) system hardware, aircraft power, lighting, interiors and structures, as well as test solutions, is forecasting 2026 revenue to be roughly in the range of $950 million to $990 million — of which the midpoint would constitute a 13% increase over sales of $862.1 million in 2025 (itself surpassing management’s prior guidance).
During the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2025, Astronics saw revenue increase 15.1% year-over-year to a record $240.1 million; of this amount, aerospace segment sales alone grew 16.5% to $219.6 million, with the firm citing particular demand from airlines for cabin power, aircraft seat motion systems and lighting, as well as safety and system certification products and services.
Its backlog for the aerospace segment was $600.8 million at the end of 2025, an 11.8% increase over 2024.
“Our aerospace business had a strong fourth quarter with record sales that led to a 19% operating margin, surpassing our near-term margin target and a testament to its potential,” Astronics president and CEO Peter Gundermann said in a statement.
“In addition to higher volume, profitability benefitted from a favorable mix within our VVIP market as well as with some recovery related to pricing initiatives. We have very strong tailwinds supporting our aerospace business that we believe will continue to drive strong results in 2026 and beyond.”
In commercial aviation, specifically, Astronics provides content for the Airbus A220, A320, A350, Boeing 737, 787 and 777X, and is benefitting from airframers’ production rate boosts on certain programs.
But it is also seeing benefits from what Gundermann described on the firm’s 4Q and full-year earnings conference call as “a secular trend,” where people “have almost an insatiable desire to be connected and entertained” when they travel.
So, there’s pressure on the airlines in the aftermarket to keep up with passenger desires when they step on board a commercial airplane.
Astronics meets this need by providing the market with a cadre of IFEC hardware solutions, including servers, wireless access points, and modem managers (including dual-modem MODMANs that support multi-orbit inflight connectivity), as well as in-seat power systems including AC, USB-A and- C outlets, and wireless charging.
“Half of our business is basically inflight entertainment and connectivity, and we continue to see strong tailwinds, both on the OE (original equipment) production rate side and the aftermarket side,” Gundermann said, adding that the firm also benefits from the short lifecycles in aviation.
“Even though products may be functional, perfectly fine, just as intended, it becomes technically obsolete and needs to be updated, so we’re in a constant position where we get the opportunity to try to replace ourselves, really, with newer products that keep up with consumer electronics.”
Going forward, he said, there’s pressure in industry “for new wireless protocols for charging in airplanes,” which is “a target-rich environment” for Astronics given its “pretty comprehensive product line that addresses all those product areas.”
Astronics’ financial results include Bühler Motor Aviation, which it acquired on 13 October 2025.
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Featured image credited to istock.com/stellalevi
