DETECTION HIDDEN FLEET INEFFICIENCIES
While optimization usually focuses on production, fleet efficiency is also influenced by mid-term fleet planning factors. Optimizing them can be an unexpected source of extra cash.
The co-ordination of maintenance, fleet mutations, operational reserve and production changes is complex. Where all these plannings do not connect seamlessly, there is non-productive idle fleet time.
Since profitability reporting usually follows the production –costs for idle fleet times mostly end up being allocated to flights- such inefficiencies remain hidden.
- FLEET PLANNING SCAN: Detection of inefficiencies in your mid-term fleet planning.
- EFFECTIVE OPERATIONAL RESERVE: Proper trade-offs between benefits of operational reserves and other redundancy options to assess the optimal number of spare aircraft.
- OPTIMAL MAINTENANCE GROUND TIMES: Company specific assessment of optimal maintenance down-times.
- ORGANIZED FLEET PLANNING: Recommendations to synchronize planning of lease contracts, production, maintenance, crew training, etc.
THE PROJECT STEPS
The project to resolve hidden fleet inefficiencies consists of six steps:
3- PUNCTUALITY ANALYSIS
4- PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS
5- REVIEW OF PROCESS ALTERNATIVES
6- PROCESS RECOMMENDATIONS
Our approach always closely involves company professionals, to verify steps and to cross-check the implications of improvement options.
Thru time of the project is 4-6 weeks, depending on airline size and availability of company
information.
back to top
MID TERM FLEET PLANNING
A keen mid-term fleet planning is a crucial element in fleet utilization. Different
departments generally prefer full control of their own planning, but bulk allocation of fleet
to department is costly. That is because the plannings of maintenance, fleet deliveries,
expirations of lease contracts or crew training programs mostly are very irregular. Thus each
department will have slacks in their planning and these slacks are not always complementary.
MAINTENANCE GROUND TIMES
Ground times are needed to keep the aircraft in the air. Yet, efficiency of maintenance
ground times can vary.
Management usually steers the maintenance department to reduce costs as much as possible to guarantee safety. However, a maximally cost-efficient maintenance department is not always in the interest of the company. Fleet down-time is rarely part of the equation. Further, most checks are subject to uncertainty; the needed ground time depends on what is found.
A maintenance department that wants to avoid delay codes stays on the safe side with its predictions.
Recognizing these factors and including them in a broader trade-off can save substantial costs without repercussions for safety or punctuality.
OPERATIONAL RESERVE AIRCRAFT
Closely linked to the above issues is the question 'how much spare capacity is needed for a
reliable operation'? In an AOG situation, replacement can be the only option.
An extra aircraft is not always an operational reserve. Too often it is deployed for extra flights, training or maintenance. Even if it is not used for other purposes, it is not always ready for immediate service.
So it is important to identify exactly what is expected from spare aircraft and to make a proper trade-off of their costs with their effects.
With well-planned buffers, the need for operational reserve aircraft reduces tremendously. Our Schedule Robustness Planning provides clear insight in the OTP benefits of spare aircraft and buffers and compares these benefits with the costs involved.
OUR SERVICES FOR:
