A Study on Low Cost Carriers’ Strategies for Aircraft Maintenance Management

• Main Authors: Chih-Wei Li, 李志偉
• Other Authors: Iris, Yueh-Ling Hsu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09366326849383410794

碩士 === 開南大學 === 空運管理學系碩士班 === 95 === With the rising fuel price and competitivness in the air transport market, a number of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) are launched over the past few years. Like full service airlines, LCCs have to comply with the maintenance requirements of airworthiness regulation; however, full service airlines normally own their own Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), while LCCs are usually incapable of building their own in-house maintenance capabilities due to the limitation of fleet size and capital. As a result, LCCs are facing more and more maintenance challenges and problems than full service airlines. This study therefore aims to explore the maintnenace strategies for LCCs and the influence of these strategies on aviation maintenance especially interms of outsouricng. The findings are as follows: 1. Fleet technical management and light maintenance will be conducted by LCCs themselves. Once fleet size become larger, LCCs will build up part of heavy maintenance. LCCs tend to outsource the engine repair/overhaul and supplies of spare parts to MRO. 2. Contract price, quality, reliability and turn-around time for maintenance outsourcing are major factors in selecting MRO. 3. Hour price model is adopted in engine, parts repair/overhaul contracts. Package price model is suitable for heavy maintenance and supplies of spare parts contracts. 4. Although LCCs outsource most of their maintenance tasks to save maintenance cost, they lose the opportunities of obtaining and accumulating technical knowledge in maintenance at the same time, which might jeopardize LCCs’ performance in maintenance management. 5. In order to achieve the standards of flight safety requirement without affecting operational flight schedule, LCCs should pay much more attention to deal with outsourcing contract and maintenance quality audit.