Page 38 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 Online Magazine

COLUMN : GRAHAM GROSE
the industry—cited by 60 per cent constantly shifting labor and parts
of survey respondents. Improving availability becomes impossible to
operational availability and avoid- manage manually.
ing costly schedule delays is key to
driving greater efficiencies – and it A 10 per cent reduction
all begins in the maintenance plan- in maintenance costs can
ning process. double profits
Using real-time data to guide main-
US$1 profit for every US$10 tenance planning and resource
invested in maintenance allocation can enable operators to
A typical flight is not cheap to oper- maximize yield from the aircraft,
ate. Once an aircraft is fuelled up minimize ground time and make
(almost a third of overall operating the most efficient use of technician
expenses), salaries paid, owner- labor. Driving efficiencies through
ship costs and government fees automation could see airlines
deducted, airlines still need to allo- reduce maintenance costs by ten
cate for maintenance, before they percent, which would help them
can count their profit. In fact, 11 per- double their profits on each aircraft.
cent of the overall cost of operating There is a way to reduce mainte-
an aircraft goes purely towards nance expenditure while keeping
Vice President and Industry maintenance. This number is over the fuel tank full, the taxman happy
Director, IFS, Aviation & 10 times the amount airlines earn and the staff paid.
Defence Business Unit in profit on each plane. It’s not dif-
ficult to see why operators want to Maintenance planning – in
Airline success quantified ensure they adequately budget for the Cloud
Airlines face a constant battle to win maintenance. The repercussions IFS has been working closely with
more passengers, reach new des- of a simple aircraft fault and delay world-leading airlines to develop
tinations and grow profits. But as can spread like wildfire across two solutions that make sense of
new, often lower-cost carriers enter fleets and timetables. Viewed from the numbers and translate them
the market and disruptive technolo- a simple spreadsheet or a generic into better operational availability
gies continue to break new ground, planning tool, the issue at hand across short and long-term mainte-
the best way for existing carriers to becomes one dimensional, with nance horizons. These SaaS-based
ensure competitiveness is not just maintenance planners having to maintenance planning solutions
to splash cash on luxury services prioritize resources and reschedule under the IFS Maintenix family—
or drive down fares – rather, look fleets on the spot – either resulting IFS Maintenix Fleet PlannerTM and
inward to improve operational effi- in loss of revenue, limited seat avail- IFS Maintenix Line PlannerTM—are
ciencies and cost-effectiveness. ability and almost always disruption scalable applications that can plug
to flight schedules. into any Maintenance & Engineering
You may roll your eyes and mumble system to enable more efficient,
‘you would say that, wouldn’t you’, 58 per cent of aircraft cost-effective aircraft mainte-
but hold on! A few simple figures entering service by 2027 nance planning. Cloud-based for
pinpoint where the challenges and will be complex quick deployment with a high level

opportunities lie. Drawing on recent These outdated maintenance of in-built automation, the solu-
industry research; here are some planning tools not only limit the tions are underpinned by IFS’ track
hard-hitting numbers that can make day-to-day operations, but also the record of helping customers reduce
or break airline competitiveness: strategic growth initiatives of air- their maintenance costs by as much
lines. Long-range fleet maintenance as 15 percent through optimized
60 per cent of commercial planners need to work out how to planning.
aviation players challenged support more aircraft, as well as
by operational availability how to support new fleet types. But Spreadsheets and legacy
A recent IFS study examining the with a new breed of increasingly planning tools? It’s a swift
major pain points in commercial complex aircraft entering service, goodbye!
aviation found operational availabil- aligning long-range maintenance
ity to be the greatest challenge in plans to fit new support models and

38 | November/December 2018 www.GBP.com.sg/AAA