Maintenance - a casualty in tough times

A factor that causes little concern among air passengers, poor maintenance is a serious threat to air safety globally. JetLite CEO Garry Kingshott’s frank comments about the poor condition of predecessor Air Sahara’s aircraft fleet, with only ten of their 17 B737s and two of their seven Bombardier regional jets flight-worthy at the time of the take-over by Jet Airways, may have shocked most air passengers.
It was actually evident from Air Sahara’s poor on-time performance and, even more so, from its pathetic financial condition. It was sinking in a sea of red ink and, for FY 2006-07, had made a loss of Rs 690 crore. Accumulated losses may be many times that figure. Thus, aircraft maintenance may not have been its highest priority.
Despite the current global airline industry boom, competition is intense and airlines are compelled to minimise costs and to maximise output. In India, with seat capacity considerably ahead of the demand, all airlines practice severe cost-cutting to survive. When the next global economic downturn hits them, their condition could be precarious. Faced with having to cut costs to the bone and to maximise aircraft utilisation, a surprising number of airlines world-wide may cut corners on aircraft maintenance, even at the risk of compromising safety.
An airline with a consistently poor on-time performance may have a shortage of aircraft or, more likely, is skimping on maintenance. Also, if the aircraft’s external appearance is shabby, or there are signs of corrosion, their internal condition is unlikely to be good. Additionally, older-generation aircraft may require three times the number of maintenance man-hours per flight-hour, and about as many times the spares. Apart from the number of hours flown by an aircraft, the number of flight cycles takes its toll, as do heat and humidity. Ironically, an adequately-maintained old aircraft can wreck an airline’s profitability — an incentive to cut corners.
19/10/07 Hormuz P Mama/Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: General Aviation Oct 2007, Safety Oct 2007