Civil and military aviation boosts the titanium market.

Titanium alloys are essential components in the fuselage, landing gear and hydraulics of modern aircraft. The Airbus A380 for instance, uses 77 tons of the metal in its construction. As Airbus and Boeing’s backlogs for large aircraft have been swelling for the past six years and China is significantly expanding its commercial aviation fleet, titanium prices are rising. In order to secure supplies and mitigate the effects of global production shortfalls, both plane makers have entered into long-term agreements with titanium suppliers. Airbus recently signed a GB 550M contract with RTI International Metals. Investors Chronicle