| | AUGUST 201919CIOReviewdisruption, but airlines can be better prepared for when these events happen in the future. When the unknown strikes, re-planning an entire fleet schedule quickly becomes a task which is too large to manage manually. New Solutions Now Provide Aircraft Planning from Head to Tail Traditional tail planning software hasn't always kept pace with this increasing growth and complexity. To avoid revenue lost through inefficient or delayed actions, airline operators need to look at new solutions which focus on the three key areas to take full advantage of the booming commercial industry.1. Route Efficiency With aircraft capable of flying more routes than ever before, airlines and passengers are looking for more efficient air travel on both short and long-range routes. Armed with an optimized tail planning solution, airlines can automatically determine which aircraft is best suited to fly a route by looking at the range and fuel efficiency of that aircraft for example, using a newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft on a route or vice versa-because of operation or maintenance needs. Airlines must also be able to analyze data to consider other aircraft types if required for example, comparing the cost of ground servicing an aircraft during a stopover.2. Fleet Utilization Tail assignment per route becomes significantly less of an operational management issue for the airline if all the individual and cumulative fleet constraints are reconciled by a single solution. The complexity of fleet commonality also becomes less of an issue as the solution should account for many more of the individual restrictions and requirements from each aircraft than a manual planner. This makes it easier to satisfy restrictions and create a plan that is viable for all aircraft, without having a negative impact on the payload or making adjustments to the fleet. 3. Maintenance Planning Maintenance planning must also be optimized by finding the best time slot for the airline, maintenance crew, and aircraft. Factors such as hanger capacity, personnel availability, and specific maintenance requirements of each aircraft must be considered and used to optimize the maintenance schedule with the flight schedule. Maintenance and flight planning have different priorities maintenance means inactive aircraft while flight planners want as many planes in the air as possible.A Competitive Edge in a Booming IndustryWith passenger and airline growth showing no signs of slowing down, modernizing the allocation and optimization of aircraft within a complex fleet will only increase in importance. To meet this challenge, these new solutions have been developed to ensure the multiple elements of airline planning run smoothly together, and provide planners with instant readjustments when faced with disruption. In the competitive world of commercial air travel, effective tail planning can provide airlines with an edge as they keep passengers happy and protect their bottom line. Failure to plan can leave airlines trailing in the wake of more organized carriers keeping up with the booming commercial aviation market. Effective tail planning can provide airlines with an edge as they keep passengers happy and protect their bottom line
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