MODELING AND SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23055/ijietap.2022.29.4.5923

Keywords:

Aircraft maintenance, A checks, C checks, simulation, work measurement, experimental design, manpower, planning.

Abstract

This study examines a specific airline’s aircraft maintenance operations and proposes three modeling and analysis methodologies for maintenance-related issues. To determine if standard maintenance times should be multiplied by suppliers and company factors to calculate the permissible times for the technicians, a set of hypotheses is first formulated and tested. Second, four elements that affect aircraft maintenance delays are identified at various levels, and associated data is collected using work measurement techniques. The data is then examined by the Design of Experiments (DOE) to determine the factors that most significantly affect the delays in maintenance operations. Third, a comprehensive and detailed simulation model is developed to evaluate alternative scenarios that could improve maintenance operations and reduce maintenance cycle times. The optimum options are selected, which shorten maintenance cycles and increase resource utilization. For aircraft maintenance engineers and operations managers, the modeling approaches and results presented in this study might be valuable in analyzing and improving their systems.

Author Biographies

Fawaz Abdulmalek, Kuwait University

Fawaz Abdulmalek is an associate professor in the Industrial and Management Systems Engineering department at the Kuwait University.  He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. His areas of interest are Simulation, Production Planning, Supply Chain Management, and Lean Manufacturing. Fawaz Abdulmalek has been the chairman of the Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Department since September 1, 2015.

Mehmet Savsar, Kuwait University

Mehmet Savsar is a professor of Industrial Engineering at Kuwait University. He has obtained his MS. and PhD. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University, USA in 1978 and 1982 respectively with a dual PhD degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. He has worked in several universities in USA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. His research interests include production management, modeling of flexible manufacturing systems, reliability and maintenance engineering, facility layout and simulation. He has published over 90 publications in international journals and over 100 publications in international conference proceedings. He has also published several chapters in different books and encyclopedia and edited a book in quality assurance and management. He is a senior member of IIE and INFORMS. He serves on editorial boards of several international journals.

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Published

2022-08-15

How to Cite

Abdulmalek, F., & Savsar, M. (2022). MODELING AND SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS. International Journal of Industrial Engineering: Theory, Applications and Practice, 29(4). https://doi.org/10.23055/ijietap.2022.29.4.5923

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 4 (2022)

Section

Quality, Reliability, Maintenance Engineering

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