Identifying strategic maintenance capacity for accidental damage occurrence in aircraft operations

Journal Article (2019)
Author(s)

Prasobh Narayanan (Student TU Delft)

WJC Verhagen (TU Delft - Air Transport & Operations)

Viswanath Dhanisetty (TU Delft - Air Transport & Operations)

Research Group
Air Transport & Operations
Copyright
© 2019 Prasobh Narayanan, W.J.C. Verhagen, V.S.V. Dhanisetty
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1080/23270012.2019.1570364
More Info
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Publication Year
2019
Language
English
Copyright
© 2019 Prasobh Narayanan, W.J.C. Verhagen, V.S.V. Dhanisetty
Related content
Research Group
Air Transport & Operations
Issue number
1
Volume number
6
Pages (from-to)
30-48
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Abstract

Airline operators face accidental damages on their fleet of aircraft as part of operational practice. Individual occurrences are hard to predict; consequently, the approach towards repairing accidental damage is reactive in aircraft maintenance practice. However, by aggregating occurrence data and predicting future occurrence rates, it is possible to predict future long-term (strategic) demand for maintenance capacity. In this paper, a novel approach for integration of reliability modelling and inventory control is presented. Here, the concept of a base stock policy has been translated to the maintenance slot capacity problem to determine long-term cost-optimal capacity. Demand has been modelled using a superposed Non-homogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP). A case study has been performed on damage data from a fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. The results prove the feasibility of adopting an integrated approach towards strategic capacity identification, using real-life data to predict future damage occurrence and associated maintenance slot requirements.