Being prepared to react swiftly to unplanned maintenance events is vital for aircraft operators. Bernie Baldwin reports on some of the industry’s solutions.
AOG – three letters anybody in the air transport business does not want to hear in relation to one of their aeroplanes. An aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situation means money being spent to fix it and money being lost by the aircraft not generating revenue.
Such situations happen all over the world, sometimes in rather remote locations. Support from MROs and airlines’ own maintenance departments often comes in the shape of an in-house AOG response team, comprising people with the right skills plus parts, tools and so on. Putting such teams together is a skill in itself.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has service teams for both engine- and airframe-related AOGs. Oliver Winter, head of customer management, Mobile Engine Services at LHT explains how this occurs in his area.
“Lufthansa Technik’s Mobile Engine Services (MES) consists of a global network of engine repair stations in Frankfurt (Germany), Hamburg (Germany), Montréal (Canada), Tulsa (USA), Dublin (Ireland) and Shenzhen (China),” he begins. “At each of these stations, we have highly skilled and experienced engine mechanics. In addition to the so-called inSTATION services – our term for smart repair solutions in specialised shops – which they perform at the aforementioned locations, these colleagues are also available to be deployed in all world regions in so-called inFIELD AOG support services – our term for on-wing and on-site engine support directly at the customer’s premises or any other location.
“Besides qualified staff, each MES station possesses a wide range of tooling, stored in mobile shipping boxes and ready to be sent to any location where it is needed,” Winter continues. “Any material needed for a repair is sent to the AOG site directly from our global warehouse network. This combination of staff, tooling and material enables us to support our customers with surgical repair services at any location and with shortest notice times.”
Patrick Schulz, who is responsible for Airline Support Teams (ASTs) in LHT’s Airframe Related Components (ARC) department, says that his segment deploys ASTs to support customers in case of an AOG related to components in an aircraft’s engine periphery (thrust reversers, nacelles, ducts and so on). “These quick-response teams usually consist of highly skilled and cross-qualified mechanics as well as standardised tool carts for different repair use cases. All material required for an AST deployment is handled through Lufthansa Technik’s global warehouse network – as described above for engine services,” he confirms.
For Erik Blaauwbroek, head of continued airworthiness at SAMCO Aircraft Maintenance, the skill and competence of the staff allocated to a response team is key to setting up a successful team. “Resolving AOG situations in the field requires a different mindset when compared to a heavy maintenance workshop,” he reasons. “The composition of our AOG response team is fluid, as the request of the customer determines which skill and competence is required, in addition to any certifying capacity. We accommodate geographic demand through our maintenance hubs in Lagos, Copenhagen and Maastricht, but also in relation to local certification requirements. The management of these projects is centralised through our back office in Maastricht.
“Specialised tooling for sheet metal repairs and composite repairs is available within the maintenance hubs in ‘ready to ship’ containers,” Blaauwbroek adds. “We manage an Airbus A220 GSE/tooling pool in Maastricht on behalf of Airbus, which is added value for our AOG response time as tooling availability is warrantied. AOG support for system troubleshooting is normally handled within the line maintenance organisation, as these AOG situations are usually resolved within minimal timeframes.
“Typically, AOG response teams are called upon in cases of structural damage, unscheduled engine changes and so on. For large repairs, there may be a need for adequate facilities and approvals which may take more time to organise,” he comments.
Although not sending maintenance personnel like LHT and Samco, AJW Group is very much a specialist in getting parts and material to AOGs in rapid time. The company operates a dedicated 24/7/365 AOG response team allowing immediate access to its extensive Airbus and Boeing inventory, reports Andrew Colbran, director of customer service.
“That inventory is strategically located around the world, allowing parts to be delivered quickly and seamlessly via a global network of logistical partners,” he notes. “AJW is a partner of choice to more than 1,000 airlines globally and has operational hubs and local offices across Africa, Asia Pacific, China, CIS, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North America. We know the impact the grounding of an aircraft can have for an operator. Whether included as part of a contractual agreement, or as a one-off time-critical request, our AOG team will ensure a grounded aircraft is back in the air with minimal delay.
“To ensure best service to our customers, our AOG response team is managed by a dedicated team of multilingual specialist staff who manage requirements for AOG or Critical requirements in a ‘follow-the-sun’ support model. Dedicated email addresses and telephone numbers are transferred to teams around the globe, from Europe to North America and Asia before returning to Europe to ensure a team of specialists is always available to find solutions.”
To enhance its services, earlier this year AJW launched a “responsive, interactive, and mobile customer portal”. which allows customers to access orders, view status on the go and extract any related documents. Colbran says this enables 24/7/365 interaction with support teams, regardless of location, with no transaction delay, full data, and process integration.
In its business aviation division, Rolls-Royce has an aftermarket service known as CorporateCare, which covers AOG situations. “Our business aviation unit includes its own services organisation, purposely set up to assist the special needs of business aviation clients, which differ from those in commercial aviation,” states Andy Robinson, Rolls-Royce’s SVP customers & services, business aviation.
“We have set up the world’s most extensive global service network of Authorised Service Centres (ASCs) and more than 70 On-Wing care technicians around the world in 16 locations. Our commitment to resolve any AOG within 24 hours for our CorporateCare Enhanced customers means that our goal is to have an On-Wing Services team identified and ready within four hours of the call and to be on site in under 12 hours. So, from receiving an AOG alert to having a team on site with tools and parts should take no more than 16 hours, no matter where the aircraft is positioned.”
The teams and equipment are co-ordinated by a central Rolls-Royce Business Aviation Availability Centre located near Berlin, Germany. “All engine health monitoring (EHM) data is assessed there, using advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence. From here we can deploy teams of service engineers, logistics specialists, planners, and operations specialists to ensure the smooth operation of the worldwide fleet. All elements of this response team must work together to ensure a fast response time and to reduce AOG downtime wherever our customers are in the world,” Robinson emphasises.
“We have a huge supply chain of more than half a million spare parts and components all around the world. Parts are ready to go within hours of being identified, the SVP remarks. “Meanwhile we’re also working on a new engine health monitoring system which should help us predict and recognise maintenance issues, this will allow us to proactively change a part and therefore avoid an AOG.”
While on many occasions, these companies have a response team at a spares centre, sometimes it is a case of getting the nearest team to an AOG rapidly while parts are transported from elsewhere.
“Each of the LHT stations listed above has multiple AOG inFIELD crews available, trained for CFM56-5A/B, CFM56-7, V2500 and PW1000G engine types,” says Winter. “Usually each MES station serves its nearest world region – so our station in Shenzhen performs inFIELD events in the APAC region. However, we are also able to deploy our crews intercontinentally whenever needed. Our in-house logistics partner Lufthansa Technik Logistics Services (LTLS) supports us by sending tooling and material by air and land freight to the respective AOG event location.”
Winter adds that digitalisation is an integral part of the company’s efforts to make services the most time- and cost-efficient. “Additionally, digital transfer of event-related data is a standard with our Mobile Engine Services,” he reports.
As for the Airframe Related Components teams, Schulz adds that his department’s ASTs are deployed from Hamburg and Shenzhen.
AJW Group’s logistics department works round the clock to ensure prompt deliveries of AOG and critical parts anywhere in the world. “We have immediate access to our inventory of 450,000-line items of Airbus and Boeing parts, which is valued at almost $500m, at all of our global stock locations,” Colbran confirms.
“We operate a comprehensive 24/7/365 export freight and logistics service with partners FedEx, B&H Worldwide, GB Malpensa, DB Schenker, Expeditors and DHL Express,” he adds. “We handle over 4,200 inbound and outbound shipments weekly comprising spares sales, acquisitions, consignments and loans; repair vendor and customer management; AOG and critical deliveries; and a small number of tailored logistics projects for individual airlines.”
Samco’s Blaauwbroek observes that in most cases, part of the spares logistics is usually arranged by the OEM and the airline suffering the AOG. “For structural repairs, obviously there is OEM structural material required which cannot be procured elsewhere,” he notes. “Generic material such as consumables and expendables are mostly supplied by the MRO when the airline cannot support the repair. Our maintenance hubs are stocked with routine material that can support the repair project. Local buyers help to replenish stock levels.”
Business aviation, according to R-R’s Robinson, has a distinct advantage over scheduled airlines for the traveller since business jets can fly to more locations worldwide. “In the United States, for example, there are only 500 airports served by airlines – but about 5,000 can be reached by a business jet. While convenient for the traveller, it can mean that there isn’t much more than a runway and an air traffic control tower. So, what happens if a customer requires help at such a remote location?
“While Rolls-Royce has an extensive service network there isn’t always an on-site technician where an aircraft goes AOG, but the next on-wing care specialist is always in striking distance, as the teams are strategically based around the globe,” he comments, adding that all such activities are coordinated by the company’s 24/7 Business Aircraft Availability Centre (BAAC) including transportation of personnel.
“Getting our on-wing care specialists to an AOG location isn’t a standard task, it must be adjusted to the respective requirements. Typically, the team would drive or take a commercial flight to resolve an AOG – whatever it takes!” he declares.
A similar approach is taken at Samco. “We use scheduled flights and road transport, but on occasion we charter from a local FBO when the time to completion of a repair or assessment thereof is critical for the airline,” Blaauwbroek confirms.
At Lufthansa Technik, Schulz says that “most of the time, the Airframe Related Components department’s ASTs are dispatched using regular scheduled flights, but in certain cases special transport solutions – such as chartered business jets – can be a feasible option as well”.
LHT’s Mobile Engine Services, meanwhile, are designed to serve customers in extremely time-critical situations, where every minute of unplanned ground time means that the customer is losing a considerable amount of money, Winter proclaims. “A short commencement time is therefore essential, so we always send our teams, their tooling and all required material in the most time- and cost-efficient way. Both scheduled flights or even special aircraft charters come into play here.”
Keeping an AOG as short as possible thus requires heavy use of IT applications, from communications, inventory planning and stocking, to the logistical challenges associated with the transportation of people and parts; all supporting the most important element – a team.
Author: Bernie Baldwin
Published: 28th September 2021
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