Page 64 - World Airnews Magazine February Edition 2021

NEWS

RUNWAY TO RECOVERY

Future proofing for commercial aviation in 2021

by Graham Grose, vice president and industry director IFS.

Leveraging AI and ML learning
capabilities to model and
Commercial aviation has prepare for different scenarios
faced major challenges in 2020 will be vital to help accurate
due to the near shut-down of assessment and timely decision
making, which I discuss at
international travel in March greater depth later.
2020. Commercial operators The decision will depend
and MROs have had to park greatly on how long it takes for
almost entire fleets of aircraft international travel to resume,
and maintain them over a international travel corridors
nine-month period to ensure and the distribution of a vaccine.
they are flight ready -when the Flexibility will be essential
time comes. for airlines coming out of this.
But as vaccines are rolled Demand will be harder to
out, the future is looking more predict as attitudes to flying
hopeful for the industry and have changed - airlines must be
controlling the financial impact prepared to mobilise aircraft
of the pandemic will be an aim quickly when restrictions are
for many commercial carriers lifted.
and MROs in the recovery Tracking and executing on
phase. Flexibility and future all the parts and work orders
proofing will, therefore, be key associated with an aircraft
themes for the industry outlook return to service will be crucial.
for 2021. The key will be flexible software
that can respond quickly to
IF AND WHEN TO RETURN changes in demand.
FLEETS TO SERVICE – AGIL- As with the process of storing
ITY AND FLEXIBILITY KEY and maintaining fleets, the
Airlines had to park huge return to service will need
percentages of their fleets of meticulous planning - I see the
aircraft in March and many success of airlines in 2021 being
have only returned service to a closely tied to their ability to
fraction of their pre-pandemic handle the return to service.
capacity since then - in April it
was reported that almost two FROM PASSENGERS TO
thirds of global fleets were CARGO AND BACK AGAIN?
parked. ‘PREIGHTERS’ ARE HERE
After aircraft have remained TO STAY
dormant for the majority of Passenger transport was almost
2020, the next challenge airlines brought to a standstill in March
will face is if, and when, they and many airlines are yet to
should return the majority of return to their previous flying
the fleet to full service again. capacity as international travel
Some airlines will be carefully continues to feel the effects of
assessing the value in bringing the pandemic.
older planes back to service and But some forward-looking
many airlines have even made airlines decided pivot their
the decision to retire aircraft focus during the height of the
early due to the increased pandemic and make the transi-
maintenance costs of older tion from commercial to cargo
aircraft. operations - distributing PPE
Some aircraft will take over and other essential equipment
100 man-hours or 45 days to across the globe. This has been
become flight ready once they known in the industry as the rise
are brought out of storage, so of the preighter aircraft.
Photo by Markus Winkler bringing aircraft back to service Modifying passenger aircraft
on Unsplash is not a decision commercial for light freighting is no easy
operators will be taking lightly. undertaking, and again the

World Airnews |February Extra 2021
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