July 17 (Reuters) - GE Aerospace raised its 2025 profit forecast on Thursday, buoyed by strong demand for aftermarket maintenance services as airlines hold on to older jets longer due to persistent aircraft delivery delays.

Shares of the jet-engine maker rose 1.7% in premarket trading.

Production delays at Boeing and Airbus are pushing back aircraft deliveries, forcing airlines to operate older jets for longer periods to meet rising travel demand.

This trend has benefited companies such as GE Aerospace, which usually offer engines at lower upfront costs and generate the bulk of their profit through long-term, high-margin contracts for spare parts and maintenance.

GE expects annual adjusted profit per share in the range of $5.60 to $5.80, compared with its prior expectations of $5.10 to $5.45.

Its commercial engine division generates more than 70% of its revenue from parts and services.

Second-quarter profit at its commercial engines and services segment jumped 33% to $2.23 billion, while revenue rose 30% to $7.99 billion.

GE retains a firm grip on the jet engine market through CFM International, its longstanding joint venture with France's Safran SA.

GE's profit for the quarter through June was $2.39 billion, or $1.87 per share, compared with $1.45 billion, or $1.20 per share, a year ago.

However, supply-chain constraints continue to hamper production, resulting in a decline in engine deliveries over the past year.

Airbus had warned airlines of delivery delays that could extend up to three years, citing bottlenecks over engines and some structural parts as a key factor, Reuters reported in May.

Sweeping tariffs imposed under U.S. President Donald Trump are adding pressure to the aerospace supply chain, driving up costs for suppliers amid uncertainty over who will bear the financial burden.

GE's adjusted revenue for the first quarter ended June 30 rose 23% to $10.15 billion.

It also raised its 2028 forecast for operating profit from about $10 billion to about $11.5 billion.