There are several reasons why developing shift pans for aircraft line maintenance differ so greatly from those shift plans found more commonly throughout industry as a whole. Of course, for those of you who are already involved in the commercial airline industry, in one form or another, will already have a good idea, because this industry, more than any other, is so highly regulated and the focus on safety more acute than anywhere else in such a setting.
Primarily, aircraft line maintenance is an integral part of aviation safety and operational efficiency, which involves the close inspection, comprehensive troubleshooting, plus the rectification of any problems, together with scheduled and at times unscheduled maintenance while aircraft are on the ground between flights. Because of the ‘nature of the beast’, time is of the essence as the longer an aircraft is on the ground, the more money an operator will lose. Next, we have the fact that all maintenance operatives have to be highly skilled and trained in their specific field of expertise. For these reasons alone, operatives cannot be reallocated to tasks simply on a ‘needs must’ basis. We then have regulatory requirements that have to be strictly adhered to and the constant driver to keep the aircraft being worked on in an airworthy condition. When you finally add that element of unpredictability that forever infiltrates the MRO environment, and the development of shift plans for line maintenance teams becomes a massive challenge.
To understand the predicament being faced, let us delve a little deeper into the challenges faced by those responsible for developing shift plans.
Regulatory and Safety Compliance
One of the greatest challenges faced when creating shift plans is ensuring compliance with stringent aviation regulations. Maintenance staff can only work a certain number of hours, continuously and weekly, while also adhering to mandatory rest breaks as outlined by authorities such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This regulatory framework is designed to mitigate fatigue (the greatest contributory factor to errors in working practices), which can compromise maintenance quality and safety. Shift planners must therefore balance workload distribution with legal constraints, making it difficult to accommodate unexpected operational needs. After all, highly skilled maintenance staff require an appropriate level of renumeration for their skills, so from a financial perspective, MRO operators cannot have a massive bank of ‘on call’ staff who can cover for unexpected illness or an unanticipated increase in workload.
Unpredictable Aircraft Schedules and Operational Disruptions
Aircraft operational schedules can be negatively affected in so many different ways, including weather delays, air traffic control restrictions, and technical issues. This unpredictability creates a dynamic environment where maintenance teams have to be available at all times and frequently outside a scheduled operating windows. Developing a shift plan that can accommodate sudden surges in workload, such as an aircraft requiring unplanned repairs at short notice, requires a high degree of flexibility and often requires last-minute changes in staffing levels.
Diverse Skill Sets and Certification Requirements
As an example, line maintenance involves tasks ranging from routine inspections to complex troubleshooting, often requiring specific certifications for certain aircraft types or systems. Shift planners must ensure that each shift includes an adequate number of personnel with the appropriate qualifications and experience, an even greater challenge when forced to deal with multi-fleet operations. This requirement can lead to problems with shift planning when certain highly specialised technicians are in short supply, as their availability becomes a limiting factor in the overall planning process.
Workforce Availability and Retention
We have previously written about the challenges faced by MRO operators when it comes to staff retention. As a whole, the aviation industry often faces workforce shortages, particularly for licensed engineers and technicians. As a direct consequence, this shortfall places additional pressure on shift planners to ensure adequate coverage for every shift while adhering to those regulations specifically introduced to avoid problems such as staff burnout. High turnover rates, seasonal variations in demand, and the physically demanding nature of line maintenance work further complicate staffing availability and thus work scheduling. Additionally, shift work itself can have a negative impact on the work-life balance, leading to absenteeism or reduced morale, which in turn can affect operational reliability and efficiency.
The Balance Between Cost and Availability
As mentioned, the wages of highly skilled engineers are an important factor when looking at a business’ overall running costs. This creates a critical situation where an MRO operative has to provide an efficient and proactive service to a valued client, a service that can adapt to unforeseen circumstances and keep AOG time to a minimum. Failure to do so can see the costly cancellation of an MRO agreement, or failure to achieve renewal of an existing contract. The challenge for the creation of shift plans is to allow for contingencies, to ensure that there are sufficient additional staff who, if called in, will have the legal capacity to work extra hours, but without paying them. When creating a schedule for a team of five people, that is not a massive challenge, but for a team of 500 people, that is a whole different story. In short, overtime costs, temporary staffing, and on-call arrangements all add financial complexity to shift planning.
Integration with Digital Tools and Data Systems
Today, shift planning often involves the use of specific digital workforce management systems. However, the integration of these systems with airline operational control systems, maintenance planning software, and human resource platforms can create additional problems and challenges. Inaccurate data, system incompatibilities, or delays in updating schedules can result in less-than-optimal staffing decisions, which can then have an effect on both efficiency and compliance.
Cultural and Regional Variations
For international MRO operatives with premises located in a number of different countries, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to shift planning. For a start there are often differing labour rights and laws. There are then religious differences, differences as to what days of the week are deemed ‘the weekend’ and differing cultural attitudes which have to be taken into consideration.
In Conclusion
Like no other industry, safety regulations dominate the creation of any shift planning, and it is ensuring that these regulations are strictly adhered to that create the greatest problems. For a sector of the industry that involves a reasonable degree of unpredictability, mitigating for the unexpected makes shift planning an art in itself and despite the advancements in technology and AI, one has to question if such planning is possible without personal input from someone who is fully up to date with all staffing levels and availability.
