Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Advances in Operations Research

Volume 2016, Article ID 2576825, 12 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2576825

Research Article
Aircraft Scheduled Airframe Maintenance and
Downtime Integrated Cost Model

Remzi SaltoLlu, Nazmia Humaira, and Gökhan Enalhan

Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, ITU, Maslak Campus, Maslak,
34469 İstanbul, Turkey

Correspondence should be addressed to Nazmia Humaira; [email protected]

Received 30 October 2015; Revised 21 January 2016; Accepted 24 January 2016

Academic Editor: Shey-Huei Sheu

Copyright © 2016 Remzi Saltoğlu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Aviation industry has grown rapidly since the first scheduled commercial aviation started one hundred years ago. There is a fast
growth in the number of passengers, routes, and frequencies, with high revenues and low margins, which make this industry one of
the most challenging businesses in the world. Every operator aims to undertake the minimum operating cost and gain profit as much
as possible. One of the significant elements of operator’s operating cost is the maintenance cost. During maintenance scheduling,
operator calculates the maintenance cost that it needs to budget. Previous works show that this calculation includes only costs that
are directly related to the maintenance process such as cost of labor, material, and equipment. In some cases, overhead cost is also
included. Some of previous works also discuss the existence of another cost throughout aircraft downtime, which is defined as
cost of revenue loss. Nevertheless, there is not any standard model that shows how to define and calculate downtime cost. For that
reason, the purpose of this paper is to introduce a new model and analysis technique that can be used to calculate aircraft downtime
cost due to maintenance.

1. Aircraft Maintenance Program Aircraft maintenance programs can be performed either

by the aircraft operator or by the Maintenance, Repair, and
1.1. Introduction. All machines, even the simplest ones, Overhaul (MRO) organizations. In both cases, they need
require maintenance after some defined periods of operation. to follow the specific procedures released by the aircraft,
Aircraft, which consists of different systems and structures, engine, and component manufacturers. Kinnison as cited in
also has specific maintenance tasks that need to be performed Eurocontrol [4] stated that Maintenance Planning Document
to support its operation. As Gupta et al. [1] stated, the (MPD) of Airbus or Maintenance Planning Data (MPD)
main objective of aircraft maintenance program is to deliver of Boeing are examples of documents that are released by
aircraft that is safe, airworthy, and punctual. Bazargan [2] aircraft manufacturers for maintenance program preparation.
also asserted that the objective of maintenance to yield safe Eurocontrol described that these documents contain usually
and airworthy aircraft makes it the foundation of successful what, how, and when the minimum mandatory maintenance
aircraft management. Hurst [3] stated that attaining the tasks need to be performed. Using these documents, oper-
highest availability is the main objective of aircraft main- ators and MRO organizations can plan the maintenance
tenance programs. Therefore, it is clear that maintenance programs accordingly.
programs have a very important role in the aviation industry. Due to the fact that aircraft systems and structures require
Maintenance programs help operators to reach important maintenance in different periods, the maintenance program
objectives such as safety, airworthiness, and high availability. is divided into categories according to their defined inter-
Authorities require the operators to maintain their aircraft vals. Following [4] Aircraft maintenance tasks are classified
because it deals with the safety of many people. Furthermore, with increasing complexity (from simple to difficult) into
proper maintenance yields high aircraft punctuality, longer line/transit, A, B, C, and D maintenance as shown in Table 1.
operating hours, and thus higher revenue for aircraft opera- Eurocontrol [4] described that even though current
tors. maintenance programs are planned according to the
2 Advances in Operations Research
Table 1: Typical maintenance checks, adapted from Eurocontrol [4].

Check Location Description Duration

Line At gate Daily (before the first flight or when in transit). Visual ∼1 hour
inspection; fluid levels; tires and brakes; emergency equipment
A At gate Routine light maintenance; engine inspection ∼10 hours

B At gate Similar to A check but with different tasks (may occur between ∼10 hours to ∼1 day
consecutive A checks)
C Hangar Structural inspection of airframe, opening access panels; routine ∼3 days to ∼1 week
and nonroutine maintenance; run-in tests
Major structural inspection of the airframe after paint removal;
D Hangar engines, landing gear, and flaps removed; instruments, ∼1 month
electronic and electrical equipment removed; interior fittings
removed; hydraulic and pneumatic components removed

Table 2: Typical maintenance check intervals for different aircraft types, adapted from Eurocontrol [4]. Multiple sources, including Aircraft
Technology Engineering & Maintenance, Aircraft Commerce and Boeing AERO.

Aircraft A check B check C check D check

B737-300 275 FH 825 FH 18 MO 48 MO
B737-400 275 FH 825 FH 18 MO 48 MO
B737-500 275 FH 825 FH 18 MO 48 MO
B737-800 500 FH n/a 4000–6000 FH 96–144 MO
B757-200 500–600 FH n/a 18 MO/6000 FH/3000 FC 72 MO
B767-300ER 600 FH n/a 18 MO/6000 FH 72 MO
B747-400 600 FH n/a 18 MO/7500 FH 72 MO
A319 600 FH n/a 18–20 MO/6000 FH/3000 FC 72 MO
A320 600 FH n/a 18–20 MO/6000 FH/3000 FC 72 MO
A321 600 FH n/a 18–20 MO/6000 FH/3000 FC 72 MO
ATR42-300 300–500 FH n/a 3000–4000 FH 96 MO
ATR72-200 300–500 FH n/a 3000–4000 FH 96 MO

Maintenance Steering Group (MSG) 3-task oriented check depends on MO. Hence, it can be concluded that FH,
principle, the letter check classification is still preferred in FC, and MO determine the period of the maintenance checks.
the aviation industry. However, in practice, it stated that Eurocontrol [4] described that between the three of them, the
depending on MRO organizations and aircraft types, the one that occurs first determines the need for maintenance
mandatory tasks and labor numbers will vary. of the aircraft. As examples, they stated that for an aircraft
that is used for long-haul flights, the check will be mostly
1.2. Scheduled Airframe Maintenance Checks. Besides line determined by flight hours, ignoring the flight cycles and
maintenance, airframe maintenance tasks are categorized calendar months, while for an aircraft that operates frequently
into letter checks, which are labeled as A, B, C, and D. for short haul flights, the flight cycles will mostly determine
As Sriram and Haghani [5] asserted, maintenance programs its maintenance checks. On the other hand, if the aircraft
consist of a sequence of checks with increasing complexity. is not used frequently, the number of calendar months will
Clarke et al., as cited in [6], stated that FAA requires four determine its maintenance checks, ignoring its flight hours
significant types of maintenance checks, A check, B check, and flight cycles [4].
C check, and D check, which vary in the areas maintained,
duration, and the rate of occurrence. On that account, letter 2. Aircraft Maintenance Cost
check maintenances vary depending on the types of the
tasks to be performed and the duration needed to complete 2.1. Maintenance Cost in Literature. IATA’s MCTF FY2013 [8]
the tasks. In addition to the duration and type of the presented that 48 airlines reported for direct maintenance
task, the frequency or interval of these letter checks also cost of $13.1 billion and 34 airlines reported maintenance
varies. Eurocontrol [4] showed the typical intervals of letter overhead of $2.6 billion. In their report, it is also asserted
maintenance checks of twelve aircrafts as given in Table 2. that per flight hour (FH) the average maintenance cost is
In view of the information provided in Table 2, it can $1,167 per flight cycle (FC) it is $3,021 and per aircraft
be seen that the rate of occurrence of A and B checks are is $3.1 million. In addition to IATA’s MCTF FY13 data,
determined by the number of flight hours (FH), while the Eurocontrol [4] also presented data on the subject of direct
interval of C check depends on FH, flight cycle (FC), and maintenance cost together with maintenance overhead cost
calendar months (MO). On the other hand, the interval of D as unit maintenance cost as shown in Table 3.
Advances in Operations Research 3

Table 3: Maintenance costs (including burden) per block hour in where 𝐶𝑠 is cost of spare parts, 𝐶𝑚 is cost of material, 𝐶𝑝 is
2008, all costs are Euros per block hour and include burden, adapted
cost of personnel, 𝐶te is cost of tools and support equipment,
from Eurocontrol [4].
𝐶𝑓 is cost of facilities, and 𝐶𝑑 is cost of technical data.
Unit maintenance costs
Aircraft
Low Base High 3. Scheduled Airframe Maintenance
B737-300 690 740 900 Cost Elements
B737-400 710 760 930
When aircraft operator outsources its base maintenance
B737-500 570 620 770
requirements to a third party MRO organization, the cost
B737-800 500 540 670 breaks down mainly into labor and material elements. They
B757-200 840 900 1090 are labor rate (LBR), MPD tasks labor (MTL), engineering
B767-300ER 930 970 1280 order labor (EOL), nonroutine labor (NRL), cosmetic items
B747-400 1440 1500 1930 labor (CIL), MPD tasks material (MTM), engineering order
A319 580 630 800 material (EOM), nonroutine material (NRM), and cosmetic
A320 570 620 770 items material (CIM). Each element has a source from the
A321 660 720 910 maintenance program. But since a substantial portion of the
ATR42-300 350 370 380 elements are uncertain, the type and age of the aircraft and the
ATR72-200 430 460 460 point of time in the maintenance history affect the magnitude
of both labor and material costs at each base maintenance
event (check).
The values displayed by Eurocontrol in Table 3 show Labor rate (LBR) is the dollar value per each man-
direct maintenance costs per block hour for twelve different hour that a maintenance organization charges for its services
aircrafts. However, those values are already the mixture on the aircraft. This rate changes in accordance with cost
of line, base, component, and engine maintenance cost. base, for example, according to the geographical location of
Therefore, it is not possible to derive for example, the aircraft’s the maintenance facility. However, location is not the only
base maintenance unit cost only. On the other hand, IATA factor of this rate change. Market conditions, special service
[8] presents the evolution of direct maintenance cost of 26 requirements, and seasonal factors also affect the labor rate.
airlines with different fleets of different aircraft types. IATA Base maintenance service contracts incorporate this rate for a
presented the maintenance cost per flight hour of different fixed price and also for nonroutine and additional services. It
segment. Therefore it is possible to observe the evolution is common that labor rate may differ within an organization,
of line, base, engine, and component maintenance cost. through fixed price services and different skill sets.
However, the maintenance cost for a specific aircraft type is MPD tasks labor (MTL) represents the labor requirement
not stated. of maintenance program tasks. Since MTL defines routine
works, the planners could determine this parameter in
2.2. Maintenance Cost Elements. Aircraft maintenance cost advance. This element will be the same for each aircraft going
varies depending on many elements. Eurocontrol [4] stated under the exact same scope of work in a base maintenance
that age is a very crucial element in determining maintenance event. However, changes will appear amongst different main-
cost for an aircraft and its engines. At the early age of the tenance service providers, which are explained by the term
aircraft, its maintenance cost is predictable; however, as it gets MRO efficiency factor (MEF).
older, its maintenance cost increases since aging systems and MRO efficiency factor (MEF) is a factor, which represents
structures require extra maintenances. In addition to aircraft’s the ratio of the average man-hour required by a MRO to
age, Papakostas et al. [9] stated that elements that affect the complete a maintenance task and the man-hour for that task
maintenance cost are equipment and facility costs, supplies given in manufacturer’s Maintenance Planning Document
and logistics costs, labor cost, and overhead. Therefore, it is (MPD). For a MRO with high ranking in terms of delivery
clear that each maintenance check has different cost depend- performance, the MEF value is expected to be low. Therefore,
ing on aircraft’s age and the required equipment, material, it is acceptable to see MRO organizations, with lower MEF
and labor. For example, a C check has longer duration and value, have higher LBR. In other words, MRO organizations
more complex tasks than an A check and will require more with lower LBR are supposed to have higher MEF, which
equipment, materials, and labors/man-hours to complete all increases all labor related cost elements. MEF is a value above
the tasks. Obviously, these requirements result in higher cost 1, where 1 can only be reached in ideal conditions. Personnel
for performing C check, compared to A check. training and experience, tool and material availability, and
Dupuy et al. [10] stated that direct maintenance cost, hangar conditions are some factors that affect MEF. MEF
which is composed of cost of maintenance crews, materials, value decreases as MRO has higher investment (in mainte-
and parts repair and replacement, accounts for 11% of the total nance environment) and experiences on a specific task or
operating cost of an aircraft. Kumar et al. [11] stated that direct aircraft type.
maintenance cost (CMT) consists of cost of maintenance MPD tasks material (MTM) is another deterministic
resources, which is given by: element. The routine works and associated material require-
ments are predefined for each task, which is grouped into
CMT = 𝐶𝑠 + 𝐶𝑚 + 𝐶𝑝 + 𝐶te + 𝐶𝑓 + 𝐶𝑑 , (1) a scheduled maintenance check per interval limitations.
4 Advances in Operations Research

Therefore, MTL and MTM cost elements are not probabilis- 4. Downtime in Literature
tic. Two other deterministic elements are EOL (engineering
order labor) and EOM (engineering order material). These Dupuy et al. [10] asserted that maintenance cost is not
are the labor amount and material cost arising from Engi- the only cost that aircraft operator has to support at the
neering Order requirements. MTL, MTM, EOL, and EOM time maintenance is performed. They noted that operator is
can be observed to increase on an aging aircraft. However, also subject to indirect maintenance cost. One element of
these parameters can still be determined during the check- indirect maintenance cost is covered in [4, 8] as overhead
planning phase. cost. Overhead cost does not contribute directly to the
Nevertheless, not all the cost elements have deterministic maintenance program but it does contribute to the overall
character. Nonroutine related labor and material cost ele- cost that the operator undertakes during maintenance. In
ments tend to change with type, age, and operation condition addition to overhead cost, there is another element of indirect
of aircraft. General assumptions could be made; however, the maintenance cost that appears due to aircraft downtime.
most accurate cost of these elements could only be calculated Hurst [3] asserted that it is important to control the rate of
after the performance of the check. aircraft downing event since it makes an aircraft unavailable
Taking into account all the elements given above, the cost to fly. The cost element related to downtime is described
of a scheduled airframe maintenance check can be calculated as downtime cost. It appears to be due to the fact that
by the following equation: aircraft stays on the ground and ceases to operate throughout
maintenance.
MTC Kumar et al. [11] asserted that downtime should be con-
sidered only when the system is expected to be in operation.
= LBR They discussed that scheduled and preventive maintenance
(2) are usually performed when the system is not required to
∗ (MEF ∗ (MTL + EOL + NFL ∗ (NRL + CIL))) be operational. Therefore, they noted that this period does
not have any impact on the revenue generating capacity of
+ MTM + EOM + NFM ∗ (NRM + CIM) ,
the aircraft. Following [11], the cost of lost revenue due to
downtime is expressed as follows:
where all the material-related variables such as MTM,
EOM, NRM (nonroutine material), and CIM (cosmetic CLR = (DMT + DST) ∗ IHR = DT ∗ IHR, (5)
items material) are already given in dollars. Furthermore,
to identify the probabilistic character of nonroutine related where CLR is cost of loss of revenue, DMT is the duration of
labor and material costs, the terms NFL, which corresponds maintenance task, DST is the duration of support task, IHR
to nonroutine labor factor, and NFM, which corresponds is the income hourly rate, and DT is the total downtime.
to nonroutine material factor, are used. These factors are On the other hand, Saranga [12] stated that whenever a
expected to increase on old aircrafts and should also differ system stops to operate, whether it is scheduled or unsched-
for each aircraft and check type. uled, the cost of lost revenue (CLR) is an unexceptional
Turn-around time (TAT), which does not appear in the and an unavoidable cost. In his research, he described that
equation above, is the most crucial element. TAT does not downtime cost is a very complex component, which relies
contribute to direct maintenance cost but it contributes to the on the season type, business environment, unscheduled
downtime cost of the aircraft. Assuming that the sum of the or scheduled type of downtime, and some other factors.
elapsed time of critical maintenance tasks is lower than TAT, Both downtime cost caused by scheduled and unscheduled
then TAT can be calculated by the following equation: maintenance are costly. Furthermore, Saranga discussed that
an unscheduled downtime for a commercial airline during
MTL + EOL + NFL ∗ (NRL + CIL) high season will require some auxiliary actions that increase
TAT = MEF ∗ , (3) downtime cost, which is classified as cost of compensation.
MLC
Following [12], the cost of downtime due to scheduled
where MRO labor capacity (MLC) is the maintenance facil- maintenance is calculated by the following equation:
ity’s daily labor production capacity, which depends on the CDTp = CLR ∗ DT, (6)
number of the assigned technicians to the aircraft and the
daily working hours (shift pattern). where CDTp is cost of downtime for planned maintenance,
In some cases, when there are substantial nonroutine CLR is cost of lost revenue, and DT is downtime in hours.
works, TAT becomes the sum of the total critical tasks Subsequently, cost of downtime due to unscheduled
(routine and nonroutine) of the scheduled maintenance maintenance is expressed as follows [12]:
check. In addition, logistic factors such as long durations of
material procurement of nonroutine tasks could also increase CDTu = CDTp + ICD, (7)
TAT. In this study, TAT of a scheduled maintenance check
where CDTu is cost of downtime for unscheduled mainte-
will be incorporated in the maintenance cost with the term
nance and ICD is indirect cost of downtime, which is given
downtime (DT):
by [12]:
TAT = DT. (4) ICD = CC + CGW + CLD, (8)
Advances in Operations Research 5

where CC is cost of compensation, CGW is cost of goodwill, $2,000,000

and CLD is cost of logistic delay.
Comparing the formulation given by [11, 12], it can be $1,500,000
seen that the formulation set by [11] takes into account
downtime cost as a cost that occurs only when the system $1,000,000
is expected to be operational. This cost is defined as cost
of lost revenue and does not include the potential auxiliary $500,000
cost. However, [12] proposed downtime cost formulations
both for scheduled and for unscheduled maintenance. For $0
unscheduled maintenance, in addition to the cost of revenue Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
loss, there are auxiliary costs added to downtime cost.
Another model is proposed by Bazargan [2], who presented a Figure 1: Scheduled operator ABC revenue per A/C.
mathematical model for aircraft dispatching strategy in order
to have minimum total maintenance cost and an increase Aircraft seasonal utilization (B737NG)
450.0
in aircraft availability for Cessna 172 aircrafts used for flight High season
training. Nevertheless, since these aircrafts are not used 400.0 Low season

Flight hours per aircraft

Low season
commercially, only direct maintenance cost was taken into
account in the analysis. 350.0
Taking into account all the information given, this paper 300.0
agrees with [12] on the subject of downtime cost, which
appears both during scheduled and unscheduled mainte- 250.0
nance. By calculating downtime cost for scheduled main-
200.0
tenance, maintenance cost optimization can be achieved.
However, in any of previous studies [8, 11, 12] the seasonal 150.0
characteristic of scheduled downtime cost has not been taken Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
into account. As our main argument, we introduce downtime
cost with its monetary value and add its seasonal character, Figure 2: Aircraft seasonal demand, adapted from Muchiri and Smit
[7].
which is still a virtual parameter. In this sense, an experiment
based model validation is not possible. However, the rest of
the model, which works together with the downtime cost,
could be checked with real life cases, through the review resulting plot shows similar seasonal characteristics with the
of MRO cost and airline spending in particular scheduled aircraft seasonal demand plot given by Muchiri and Smit
maintenance events. [7] as shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, aircraft demand is
at peak between April and October; therefore this interval
5. Downtime as a Cost is classified as high season. On the other hand, between
November and March, the demand is low; consequently the
As direct maintenance cost is not cheap, so is downtime interval is classified as low season. This aircraft seasonal
cost. Therefore, before preparing a maintenance schedule, demand plot explains why the revenue of operator ABC is
operators need to calculate direct and indirect maintenance high throughout summer and lower throughout winter.
cost together with downtime cost in order to make a decision The direct maintenance cost that appears to the operator
with the lowest possible total maintenance cost. Due to the during maintenance is a cost, which is offered by the MRO
seasonality of commercial aviation business, there may exist organization as maintenance service provider. As the revenue
a certain period where downtime cost is higher than direct of scheduled operator varies seasonally, the revenue of MRO
maintenance cost. On the other hand, another period may organization is also expected to fluctuate according to the
have lower downtime cost compared to direct maintenance season or the time of the year. In order to observe this effect,
cost. the average monthly revenue from base maintenance of MRO
Before developing a model of downtime cost that includes XYZ is analyzed and the result is plotted as shown in Figure 3.
seasonal characteristics, a set of operation and revenue In view of the information given in Figures 1 and 3, it can
data of a scheduled operator (operator ABC) and a MRO be seen that the plot of operator’s revenue in Figure 1 is more
organization (MRO XYZ), both based in Istanbul, Turkey, are or less the mirror image of the plot of MRO organization’s
analyzed. Given the nature of business, neither MROs nor revenue in Figure 3. Throughout high season, the revenue
airlines allow disclosure of such financially sensitive data in of operator is high, while the revenue of MRO organization
their relevant competitive markets. For this confidentiality is low. Figure 2 explains this trend in which during that
reason, normalization is utilized. In the operation of the period, the demand of aircraft is high and therefore instead of
scheduled operator ABC, two types of seasons are taken into having maintenance performed on their aircrafts, operators
account. They are winter season, which lasts from November prefer to fly them to meet the demand. For that reason,
to March, and summer season, which lasts from April to the demand for maintenance service is low. On the other
October. The average monthly revenue generated by each hand, throughout low season, the demand of aircraft is low;
aircraft (B737-800) is plotted in Figure 1. As expected, the thus as a consequence, the revenue of operator is also low.
6 Advances in Operations Research

$2,500,000
Start

$2,000,000
Maintenance
schedule
$1,500,000

$1,000,000 A/C in No No
operation? downtime
cost
$500,000
Yes
$0
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Spare A/C Yes A/C
available? ownership
cost
Figure 3: MRO XYZ revenue from base maintenance in 2014.
No

On that account, operators prefer to perform the required Type of

operation
maintenance during this period so that their aircraft will be Scheduled ACMI
at the required reliability level before high season arrives. As operator operator
a result, the demand for maintenance is high and that reflects data data
on the increase in the revenue of MRO organization.
From these figures, operators can actually see that, during
high season, there is a possibility of having better commercial Yes Subcharter No
terms of agreement, including maintenance price and rates available?
from MRO organization, seeing that the demand of mainte- Seasonal
nance at that time is low. However, operators need to calculate Seasonal subcharter opportunity
cost + A/C cost + A/C
the downtime cost and analyze its variation for different time ownership cost ownership
periods. As it has been mentioned before, there may exist a cost
period where downtime cost is lower than direct maintenance
cost. For each period, operator may sum downtime cost with
the offered maintenance cost to have the total maintenance End
cost.
Figure 4: Downtime cost’s flow chart.

6. Downtime Cost Modeling for

Scheduled Maintenance operation) or not. If during that period the aircraft is not
6.1. Downtime Cost Flow Chart. When signing maintenance in operation, then there is no downtime cost. But if the
contracts with maintenance service providers, aircraft oper- aircraft is in operation, then operator needs to see if any spare
ators use various methods to quantify their downtime cost. aircraft is available or not. In the case where spare aircraft
One of these methods refers to the cost of lease as the daily is available, downtime cost consists of aircraft ownership
cost that appears once lease agreement is taken into account. cost only. Otherwise, the type of operation of the operator
Another method is based on subcharter cost that would rise will be analyzed, whether it is a scheduled operator or an
when the flights of the grounded aircraft will be outsourced ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operator.
to a charter airline with a subcharter agreement. In another Subsequently, the operator needs to see the possibility of sub-
method, the loss of opportunity is also examined. In some chartering another aircraft throughout maintenance. Given
previous work [11, 12] it is called cost of revenue loss. In that subchartering is chosen, then downtime cost will consist
this case, the potential revenue could be estimated on a of subcharter cost and aircraft ownership cost. However, in
seasonal basis, with two basic models: charter/ACMI and the event that subchartering is not accepted as a solution,
scheduled operators. To be able to calculate downtime cost downtime cost will consist of opportunity cost and aircraft
properly before preparing a maintenance plan, the existence ownership cost. The type of operation, scheduled or ACMI,
of a standard model for downtime cost calculation is thereby will determine the value of opportunity cost.
required. Such calculation should be precise, be in dollar
values, and reflect the seasonal effects, in order to be useful 6.2. Aircraft Ownership Cost. Whether aircraft flies or not,
during the decision making of maintenance schedule. its monthly lease cost is inevitable. Aircraft lease cost varies
The flow chart given in Figure 4 shows the steps required depending on aircraft’s type, age, and configuration [13]. It
to calculate aircraft downtime cost. At the beginning, oper- will also vary depending on the market condition, the lessee
ator needs to determine the period where maintenance is fleet size, and aircraft’s financial status. For the same aircraft
scheduled. Then, operator needs to see whether during that type, the lease rate is cheaper for older aircraft. However,
period there are flights assigned to the aircraft (aircraft in it is clear that older aircrafts have higher maintenance cost
Advances in Operations Research 7

compared to the newer ones. They are more prone to Aircraft subcharter service providers are usually ACMI
supplementary maintenance tasks since their airframe and operators. ACMI’s subcharter cost includes the aircraft lease,
components are older. crew, maintenance, and insurance costs. The costs that are
The aircraft’s total lease cost during downtime (ALC) can not included are the operating costs such as fuel, navigation,
be calculated by the following equation: ground handling, and taxes.
In the same way that the aircraft downtime cost is,
ALC = DLC ∗ DT. (9) subcharter cost is also complex. It depends on the business
environment, market, and season condition. Figure 2 may
Recall that DT corresponds to downtime number of days and
give an insight into the variation of subcharter price accord-
DLC corresponds to daily lease cost, which is given by
ing to the season. When the traffic or demand for aircraft is
MLR high, subcharter service provider may charge high subcharter
DLC = . (10) price. On the other hand, when the demand for aircraft is
NDM
low, it may charge lower subcharter price. Subcharter prices
In the case where operator does not lease the aircraft but also vary according to the operation location, operational
owns it, instead of lease cost, ownership cost will be applied. requirements, aircraft capacity and configuration, sectors,
Heiter [14] from Boeing showed one example of ownership monthly confirmed block hours, and duration of the contract.
cost calculation per trip for 787 Dreamliner with 13.5 block Subcharter cost during downtime (SAC) can be calcu-
hours of available daily utilization and 12.44 block hours lated by the following equation:
of daily designed mission. Nevertheless, there is no exact
information on how the cost per month for 787 Dreamliner is SAC = SAD ∗ DT, (13)
obtained. But it is assumed that the monthly ownership cost
is obtained from the multiplication of the aircraft’s current where SAD is given by
market value (CMV) with 1.009%. On that account, the MSR BH ∗ SCR
ownership cost during downtime (OWC) can be calculated SAD = = . (14)
by the following equation: NDM NDM
Recall that BH and SCR correspond to monthly block hour
OWC = OWD ∗ DT, (11) and subcharter rate, respectively.
where OWD is given by
6.4. Opportunity Cost. Another element of downtime cost
MOC CMV ∗ 0.01009 is the cost of revenue loss as mentioned in [11, 12]. This
OWD = = . (12)
NDM NDM could also be defined as the cost of opportunity loss as
airplane being grounded instead of flying [10]. Such element
6.3. Subcharter Cost. In case aircraft availability does not is applicable for both scheduled and ACMI operators. The
meet the regular demand, both scheduled and ACMI oper- basic salaries of the crew are constant and independent from
ators may subcharter aircraft from another operator to fulfill the flight schedule. Direct costs such as fuel and navigation
the demand. One of the reasons why aircraft is not available charges and the flight compensations and hotel costs will arise
to meet the demand is due to maintenance. There exist only when the flight takes place. Therefore, it is reasonable
two possible ways of sustaining the operations, while the to choose operator’s average profit, which is the profit that
aircraft is on the ground. First, operators may modify the operator would be able to generate if the aircraft does not
schedule of the remaining aircraft and put the schedule of cease to operate, as one element of downtime cost.
the aircraft under maintenance to another aircraft. Operators The opportunity cost per flight (OPF) can be calculated
may not need to modify the existing schedule if they do by the following equation:
have a spare aircraft on ground. However, most operators
keep spare aircraft only in very rare and specific operation OPF = ACP ∗ LF ∗ NPP. (15)
contracts and such application is not commonly seen in
Recall that ACP, LF, and NPP correspond to aircraft capacity,
the industry. Second, if a spare aircraft is not available and
load factor, and net profit per passenger, respectively.
schedule modification is also not possible, in order to keep
In the case where operators do not have their own data
fulfilling the demand, operators may subcharter aircraft from
of net profit per passenger per flight, they can use the value
another operator. Within this context, when an airline has to
proposed by IATA [15]. They stated that, in 2013, airlines
subcharter a portion of its operations to another airline, the
obtained a net profit of $3.38 per passenger, while in 2014
cost which occurred due to this service could be defined as
airlines received $6.02 per passenger. IATA predicted that, in
another element of downtime cost.
2015, airlines will earn $7.08 net profit per passenger. There-
It will be noted that scheduled operators should provide
fore, the opportunity cost per flight can be also calculated by
service according to their predefined schedules. It is generally
the following equation:
not an option to cancel any given flight except during
bad weather conditions. Therefore, it becomes a must to OPF = ACP ∗ LF ∗ $7.08, (16)
use either subcharter services or a spare aircraft to cover
the unscheduled unavailability, which is a direct cost of where the term NPP in this case is replaced by IATA’s net
downtime. profit per passenger value in 2015.
8 Advances in Operations Research

The opportunity cost calculation will vary according to 6.5. Downtime Cost Model. As the profit level of an airline
the type of operation of the operators. In this study, two types increases, either by the operation type or by seasonal effect,
of operators are considered. They are scheduled operators the overall impact of downtime increases. In this study,
and ACMI or charter operators. Scheduled operators are two types of downtime cost are proposed. The first one
operators with previously defined flight schedules such as is downtime cost with subcharter option (DTCs) and the
legacy carriers and low cost carriers. The business model second one is downtime cost with no subcharter option
of scheduled airlines originates in regular frequency and (DTCn). It is important to note that opportunity cost will
published schedules and price [16]. An airline, which is appear only if operator decides not to take subcharter option
providing scheduled passenger service, is expected to gen- to substitute the aircraft that is down for maintenance. In the
erate more revenue per flight hour when compared to a case where operator chooses to subcharter an aircraft to keep
charter service provider. The current charging mechanisms the operation, instead of opportunity cost, subcharter cost
allow airlines to apply varying fee per seat on scheduled will appear. On that account, downtime cost of an operator
services, thus allowing them to adapt to market conditions in with subchartering an aircraft as an option is given by
the competitive market. In the context of maintenance and
downtime costs, summer seasons are more valuable in the DTCs = AOC + SAC, (19)
sense of flying.
On the other hand, ACMI operators provide aircraft where AOC corresponds to aircraft ownership cost, which
charter services both for commercial and private purposes. represents either aircraft lease cost (ALC) or ownership cost
Kim and Barnhart [17] asserted that the market type that is (OWC).
served by charter operators for a given origin and destination Subsequently, downtime cost of an operator with no
has exact demand, which varies only by day in a week. In view subcharter option is given by
of this information, it is clear that the type of ACMI operator
that is meant in this study is the operator that provides service DTCn = AOC + OPC. (20)
for commercial purposes, for example, for a travel group.
This is comparable with the service provided by scheduled
Recall that OPC can be either OPCs or OPCc, which
operators.
correspond to the total opportunity cost of scheduled and
Since their operation type is different, it is obvious
charter operator, respectively.
that their profit calculation is also different. A scheduled
Taking into account the seasonal characteristics of each
service provider is expected to generate a range of profit
element, aircraft ownership cost (AOC) is assumed to be
between $10.000 and $20.000 during low and high seasons,
constant. However, subcharter (SAC) and opportunity cost
respectively, while a typical ACMI operator’s profit for a
(OPC) can be higher in the course of high season than in
narrow body airplane could be estimated as $5000 during the
the course of low season as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This
low season and $10.000 during the high season. These profit
is crucial, where in addition to the duration of downtime,
values depend on several factors such as geographical region,
the accuracy of the downtime period becomes significantly
aircraft configuration, and service level.
important. In the region where Turkey is located, the high
For a scheduled operator with fixed amount of flight fre-
season for aircraft passenger traffic takes place throughout
quency, the total opportunity cost (OPCs) can be calculated
summer. On the contrary, there is relatively less demand
by summing the opportunity cost of all the scheduled flights
for flights during winter. There are exceptions to the high
that normally exist during the period where maintenance is
and low seasons, as there are temporary peaks of demands
planned. The equation is given by
during religious holiday periods of Ramadan, Christmas, and
𝑆 Haj. Since the dates of these religious holidays vary every
OPCs = ∑OPF𝑠, (17) year, downtime cost forecasting of charter/ACMI operator
𝑠=1 becomes very challenging. On the other hand, scheduled
operators can perform better predictions on their downtime
where OPF𝑠 corresponds to the opportunity cost per flight of cost since their flight schedules are already established in
a scheduled flight 𝑠 and 𝑆 is the number of scheduled flights. advance.
For ACMI operator with no fixed schedule, the total Finally, the total maintenance cost with subcharter option
opportunity cost (OPCc) can be calculated by summing the is given by the following equation:
opportunity cost of all possible charter flights that usually
exist during the period where maintenance is planned. The TMCs = MTC + DTCs. (21)
equation is given by
Following that, the total maintenance cost with no sub-
𝐶
charter option can be calculated by
OPCc = ∑OPF𝑐, (18)
𝑐=1
TMCn = MTC + DTCn. (22)
where OPF𝑐 corresponds to the opportunity cost per flight
of a possible charter flight 𝑐 and 𝐶 is the number of charter Recall that DTCn corresponds to downtime cost of an
flights. operator with no subcharter option.
Advances in Operations Research 9

7. Case Study Table 4: Case study for MEF 2.

This case study examines the total maintenance cost, which Acronym Seasonal Winter Summer
includes maintenance cost (MTC) and downtime cost (DTC), ACP No 180 180
of an A320 aircraft during one light C check, for example, ALC Yes $175,000.00 $141,666.67
C1, in the first base check cycle [18]. The case study uses AOC Yes $175,000.00 $141,666.67
real data coming from a MRO, an airline and IATA [15]. BH Yes 250 300
A scheduled operator operates the aircraft, which seats 180 CIL No 315 315
passengers in a high-density layout [19]. Belobaba et al. [20]
CIM No $3,150 $3,150
discussed the daily utilization block hour of an A320 aircraft,
DLC No $8,333.33 $8,333.33
which varies from 9.6 block hour (BH) to 12.9 block hour
in seven different US airlines. In this case, the average of 11 DT Yes 21 17
block hour daily utilization is chosen, which approximately DTCs Yes $560,000.00 $617,666.67
corresponds to five scheduled flights each day. The elements DTCn Yes $255,287.20 $228,325.87
of MTC and downtime (DT), such as CIL, EOL, and MTL, are EOL No 150 150
obtained by adjusting properly the values existing in Aircraft EOM No $7,500 $7,500
Commerce [18]. MTL corresponds to the average of Routine LBR Yes $50.00 $40.00
MH (man-hour) divided by two; CIL corresponds to half of LF Yes 60% 80%
the addition of Other MH with the average of Interior MH MEF No 2 2
and average of Strip and repaint. EOL corresponds to the MLC Yes 160 200
average of ADs, SBs, and EOs MH divided by two. Division
MLR No $250,000 $250,000
by two is done assuming that the MEF considered in [18]
is two. For example, in [18] for light C checks, the Routine MSR Yes $550,000 $840,000
MH ranges from 1250 to 2200. In our case study, its average, MTC Yes $251,212.50 $216,037.50
which is equal to 1725, is divided by two so that 862.5 MH is MTL No 862.5 862.5
obtained as MTL. Later, in the calculation of DT and MTC, MTM No $43,125 $43,125
the MTL, CIL, and EOL parameters will be multiplied by the NDM No 30 30
defined MEF value. As an example, in Table 4, the chosen NFL No 100% 100%
MEF value is 2. The other parameters, such as MTM, CIM, NFM No 100% 100%
and EOM, are obtained by multiplying MTL, CIL, and EOL NPP No $7.08 $7.08
by 50 dollars, respectively. The NFL and NFM percentages are NRL No 431.25 431.25
100%, taking into account the worst case where all nonroutine
NRM No $21,563 $21,563
tasks must be performed. The labor rate (LBR) values of $50
OPC Yes $80,287 $86,659
in winter and $40 in summer are obtained from real LBR
values of MRO XYZ. The MRO labor capacity (MLC) of OPF Yes $765 $1,020
160 MH/day in winter and 200 MH/day in summer is also SAC Yes $385,000 $476,000
procured from MRO XYZ. The seasonal load factor (LF) SAD Yes $18,333 $28,000
and monthly block hour (BH) values are obtained by taking SCR Yes $2,200 $2,800
the average values throughout a year of scheduled operator TMCs Yes $811,212.50 $833,704.17
ABC. Besides that, scheduled operator ABC also provided TMCn Yes $506,499.70 $444,363.37
information regarding the seasonal subcharter rate per block
hour (SCR). The monthly lease rate (MLR) is taken from
Aircraft Value News [13]. The net profit per passenger (NPP) from $60 to $40, respectively. As we have mentioned before,
is the airline profit value per passenger in 2015 proposed by MEF value is lower for MRO with higher ranking in terms
IATA [15]. of delivery performance. As a consequence, the LBR value
The data is tabulated in Table 4 and then the calculations of the corresponding MRO will be high. The results of the
with MEF equal to 2 are performed. DT is calculated using calculation are tabulated in Table 5.
(3). MTC is calculated using (2). DLC and ALC are calculated Taking into account the results given in Table 5, three
using (10) and (9), respectively. OPC and OPF are calculated important points are observed. The first one is that load factor
using (17) and (16), respectively. MSR, SAD, and SAC are (LF) and net profit per passenger (NPP) play important roles
calculated using (14) and (13), respectively. Afterwards, DTC in determining the opportunity cost of the operator. In this
for leased aircraft with subcharter option and no subcharter case study, for opportunity cost calculation, NPP given by
option are calculated with (19) and (20), respectively. Finally, IATA [15] is a constant value at $7.08 both throughout winter
the total maintenance cost (TMC) for subcharter and no sub- and summer. While in fact, as load factor varies according to
charter option is calculated using (21) and (22), respectively. the season, net profit value per passenger will vary as well.
In order to see how maintenance cost and downtime Hence, OPC is sensitive to the variation of NPP and LF. To
cost vary from one MRO to another, the same calculations observe TMCn variation in summer with different values of
are repeated for another three MROs with different MEF LF and NPP, a sensitivity analysis is carried out as shown in
and LBR values. MEF varies from 1.8 to 2.1 and LBR varies Table 6.
10 Advances in Operations Research

Table 5: Case study for different MRO.

The total maintenance cost (TMC) will be calculated. Inter-
Season Variable MRO1 MRO2 MRO3 MRO4 estingly, the result is that MRO1 yields the lowest TMC in
LBR $60 $55 $50 $40 winter both for subcharter ($771,949) and no subcharter
MEF 1.8 1.9 2 2.1 ($496,257) option. In summer, the lowest TMC for subcharter
DT 19 20 21 23
($794,454) and no subcharter ($446,362) option is provided
by MRO1 and MRO4 , respectively.
AOC $158,333 $166,667 $175,000 $191,667
Thirdly, subcharter and no subcharter option types of
SAC $348,333 $366,667 $385,000 $421,667
DTC and TMC are examined. As we have discussed before,
Winter OPC $72,641 $76,464 $80,287 $87,934 no subcharter option means that operator would prefer to
DTCs $506,667 $533,333 $560,000 $613,333 bear opportunity cost than subcharter cost. In this case, from
DTCn $230,974 $243,131 $255,287 $279,600 Table 4 we can see that DTC and TMC for subcharter option
MTC $265,283 $259,127 $251,213 $223,073 are much higher compared to no subcharter option. This may
TMCs $771,949 $792,460 $811,213 $836,406 be related to the NPP and LF that we have chosen during
TMCn $496,257 $502,258 $506,500 $502,673 opportunity cost calculation. Nevertheless, from the sensi-
LBR $55 $50 $45 $35 tivity analysis tabulated in Table 6, it can be seen that even
MEF 1.8 1.9 2 2.1
when the operator has 100% load factor with net profit per
passenger of $11, no subcharter option ($526,004) is still much
DT 15 16 17 18
more economic than subcharter option ($833,704). Assuming
AOC $125,000 $133,333 $141,667 $150,000
that these values are acceptable, this case study shows that
SAC $420,000 $448,000 $476,000 $504,000 subchartering during maintenance is not feasible. However,
Summer OPC $76,464 $81,562 $86,659 $91,757 for a scheduled operator, which already has their flights
DTCs $545,000 $581,333 $617,667 $654,000 scheduled and published in advance, sometimes cancelling
DTCn $201,464 $214,895 $228,326 $241,757 a flight would not be possible and therefore subchartering
MTC $249,454 $242,419 $233,625 $204,606 is unavoidable. On top of that, from the table, it can be
TMCs $794,454 $823,752 $851,292 $858,606 deduced that subchartering during summer ($833,704.17) is
TMCn $450,918 $457,314 $461,951 $446,362 more expensive than in winter ($811,212.50).
As a conclusion, by comparing the total maintenance cost
of four different MRO in winter and summer for subcharter
Table 6: Sensitivity analysis of TMCn in summer with different LF
and NPP values.
and no subcharter option, no subcharter option yields the
lowest total maintenance cost both throughout winter and
Sensitivity analysis of TMCn summer. During winter, it is MRO1 with low MEF and
$444,363 $8 $9 $10 $11 high LBR value, which shows the lowest cost with $496,257.
50% $418,904 $426,554 $434,204 $441,854 While in summer, MRO4 with high MEF and low LBR
55% $425,024 $433,439 $441,854 $450,269 shows the lowest cost with $446,362. Thus, this case study
60% $431,144 $440,324 $449,504 $458,684 provides the evidence that, in many cases, the cheapest
65% $437,264 $447,209 $457,154 $467,099 maintenance pricing is not the most economical solution
and the traditional maintenance scheduling practices do not
70% $443,384 $454,094 $464,804 $475,514
yield the best overall cost performance. In this respect, this
75% $449,504 $460,979 $472,454 $483,929
study validates the new method to investigate further the new
80% $455,624 $467,864 $480,104 $492,344 aspects of maintenance scheduling.
85% $461,744 $474,749 $487,754 $500,759
90% $467,864 $481,634 $495,404 $509,174
8. Conclusion
95% $473,984 $488,519 $503,054 $517,589
100% $480,104 $495,404 $510,704 $526,004 At the first stage, this study discussed the maintenance
cost that the operator has to bear during maintenance. The
maintenance cost elements of aircraft’s scheduled checks have
Secondly, as MEF decreases, MTC increases. This is been described. Although some of these elements have deter-
because low MEF value corresponds directly to high LBR. ministic characteristic, nonroutine elements contain prob-
For that reason, MRO4 , which has the highest MEF and the abilistic characteristics, which are affected by the variation
lowest LBR value, gives the lowest MTC both in winter and of aircraft type, age, and operation. TAT term for scheduled
summer. Unfortunately, this does not mean that MRO4 yields maintenance is defined, which is later referred to as DT
the lowest downtime cost (DTC) at the same time. From (downtime) in cost calculation. Besides the existence of direct
the table, we can see that in reverse, as MEF increases, this maintenance cost, which includes the costs of maintenance
time DTC increases. Hence, MRO1 with the lowest MEF and crews, equipment, and materials, there is another inevitable
highest LBR value gives the lowest downtime cost for winter cost, namely, downtime cost. There are few papers referring to
and summer. This is due to the fact that higher MEF means downtime as a cost driver during scheduled maintenance and
higher performance delivery, which corresponds directly to even in some of those downtime cost is neglected claiming
lower turn-around time or downtime (DT). Nonetheless, the that downtime is a natural fact of maintenance; therefore it
analysis could not stop only in MTC and DTC calculations. is not considered as a part of the analytical decision making
Advances in Operations Research 11

process. As our main argument, we introduce downtime cost aircraft’s demand according to the season and geographical
with its monetary value and add its seasonal characteristic, region. These uncertainties will affect not only subcharter
which is still a virtual parameter. To model the accurate cost and opportunity cost, but also the maintenance cost
downtime cost is not straightforward, but it can be measured offered by MRO. One such improvement can be done by using
at each case by taking into account all associated costs of stochastic modeling of the overall maintenance cost including
delayed or cancelled flights to an operator. In that case, the downtime and nonroutine elements of the maintenance
main objective of this study is to develop a new model and cost.
analysis technique on downtime cost calculation.
Our model’s structure is based on a deeper insight on
actual data coming from a MRO and a startup airline.
Abbreviation
Because of confidentiality reasons, the corresponding data ACP: Aircraft capacity
are presented with normalization. Other papers on this topic ALC: Aircraft lease cost during downtime
such as [11, 12] also do not actually present any model data AOC: Aircraft ownership cost
for validation. We are unfortunately limited by this inherent BH: Block hour per month
nature of MRO and airline business. However, in our paper, 𝐶: Index for chartered flight
we provided some insight on the model’s validity by utilizing CIL: Cosmetic items labor
Figures 1 and 3. Figure 1 shows average monthly revenue, CIM: Cosmetic items material
which includes seasonal characteristics of a startup operator CMV: Current market value
based in Istanbul, Turkey. The graph contains real business DLC: Daily lease cost
data of the corresponding airline. Furthermore, Figure 3 gives DT: Downtime number of days
average monthly revenue from base maintenance of a MRO DTC: Downtime cost
based in Istanbul, Turkey. However, due to confidentiality DTCs: Downtime cost with subcharter option
reasons, in both graphs, normalization is utilized. DTCn: Downtime cost with no subcharter option
Downtime cost models for scheduled operators and EOL: Engineering order labor
ACMI operators have been developed. Each model consists EOM: Engineering order material
of aircraft ownership cost and either subcharter cost or LBR: Labor rate
opportunity cost. These models give simple expressions for LF: Load factor
two different possible scenarios. The first scenario is that, MEF: MRO efficiency factor
during downtime, operators may choose to use subcharter MLC: MRO labor capacity
service and pay for subcharter cost. While in the second MLR: Monthly lease rate
scenario, instead of paying for subcharter cost, they may MOC: Monthly ownership cost
choose to bear the opportunity cost. This means losing the MSR: Monthly subcharter rate
profit that they might be able to gain if they would fly MTC: Maintenance cost
during downtime. By using and understanding the actual MTL: MPD tasks labor
data coming from MRO and airline, our model is inherently MTM: MPD tasks material
compliant with the business nature. In addition to that, a NDM: Number of days in one month
case study in which actual numbers coming from a MRO, an NFL: Nonroutine labor factor
airline and IATA is given. NFM: Nonroutine material factor
Performing downtime cost calculation for different main- NPP: Net profit per passenger
tenance period is necessary. This calculation will assist NRL: Nonroutine labor
operators to have better bargaining position with MRO NRM: Nonroutine material
organizations in terms of maintenance prices and rates. By OPC: Total opportunity cost
comparing the total cost for various scenarios, operators OPCc: Total opportunity cost for ACMI operator
will be able to decide not only which scenario suits them OPCs: Total opportunity cost for scheduled operator
the best but also which scenario has the lowest total cost. OPF: Opportunity cost per flight
This model will help operators not only to determine the OWC: Ownership cost during downtime
best time to schedule maintenance but also to reduce the OWD: Daily ownership cost
total maintenance cost and accordingly, the aircraft’s total 𝑆: Index for scheduled flight
operating cost. SAC: Subcharter cost during downtime
SAD: Daily subcharter cost
9. Future Work SCR: Subcharter rate
TAT: Turn-around time
This study is the beginning of the detailed analysis of TMCs: Total maintenance cost with subcharter option
downtime cost calculation during maintenance scheduling. TMCn: Total maintenance cost with no subcharter option.
Two models, one for subcharter option and the other one
for no subcharter option, are introduced. However, these
models need to be improved further to be able to catch
Conflict of Interests
the uncertain characteristics, not only due to nonroutine The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
originated maintenance costs but also due to variation in regarding the publication of this paper.
12 Advances in Operations Research

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