Regional aircraft are built to last decades. The airframes are designed for 30, 40, sometimes 50 years of service. The support ecosystem around them is not designed on the same timeline. Parts become scarce, approvals slow, and the manufacturer's attention moves to newer models. The aircraft is still airworthy. The system that keeps it flying is not.
Jan Václavík sees that gap from the operator's seat. He is managing director of Aeroservis, a Czech company based at Brno-Tuřany Airport that provides maintenance, engineering, and certification work for regional aircraft. The associated airline, VAN AIR Europe, operates the Let L-410, a type with about 1,200 built and roughly 93 still in service with militaries worldwide in 2026. The airframes are holding up. The parts are not.
