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GET IN TOUCH8 June 2022
For an industry that employs 65.5 million people globally and generates $2.7 trillion dollars (2018 IATA report), Air Transport is rich in necessary roles, responsibilities and procedures. When we talk about Aviation Operations, we cover several aspects of air travel, including Flight Operations, Cabin Operations, Cargo Operations, and Ground Handling Operations, all of which are controlled by the Integrated Operations Control Center. The industry is also rich with Aviation acronyms, and it is important to understand what they all represent and how the various parts of aviation operations are integral to a smooth functioning of the whole.
As Aviation Consulting specialists, our experts at AviaPro Consulting Inc. have had years of experience mastering the various aspects of aviation operations. They are well equipped to support airlines, operators, airports and regulators such as National Aviation Authorities in ensuring smooth and effective operations that put safety at the center of all they do.
Here are some of the questions you might want to ask yourself as you establish Operations protocols for your organization:
1. Executive and Management Planning: What are the goals, targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with regards to effective and optimal operations in your organization?
2. Communication Strategies: Have you developed inter- and intra-departmental communication strategies and protocols? How should communication flow between people and departments?
3. Policies and Procedures: Did you define, develop and implement an Airline Operations System that includes policies and procedures?
4. Restructuring: Do you need to restructure Operations management and redefine roles and responsibilities as part of the management and control of that function?
5. Scheduling: Did you consider all aspects of crew scheduling, including prescriptive and flight time variations?
6. Integrated Operations Control Center (IOCC): Integration of duties and activities is key to running a smooth operation. The IOCC allows the handling of all flights from crew check-in until the flight arrival back to base including, but not limited to, overflight permits, ground handling monitoring, fuel saving initiatives, multi-fleet performance calculations, flight following and monitoring, full dispatch capability (including trained and licensed flight operations officers), utilization of flight planning systems, network planning and operations, and last but not least, maintenance control center (MCC). Have you thought about how all those activities are integrated in your own operations? Where can you make necessary changes to optimize your operations?
7. Crew Operations: What approaches do you currently use to manage day-to-day and long-term Flight and Cabin Crew operations? Should those be assessed and revised to better optimize them for today’s trends in safety and risk management, among others?
8. Ground Handling: Not to be forgotten, this is another component of air transport operations. It is important to well manage all ground handling activities in base and out of base, including monitoring of service providers (or self-handling when applicable) covering passenger, cargo and baggage handling, catering, potable water, waste management, fuel servicing and testing.
9. Documentation: A key component of optimizing operations is to develop the necessary manuals, policies, processes and procedures. Are yours ready? These include:
a. Basic/general operations manual (Part A) – Operational policies, instructions and procedures needed for safe flight operations
b. Customized OEM operations manual (Part B) – Service and maintenance, normal and abnormal, and emergency procedures specific to each aircraft
c. Route and Aerodrome instructions and information (Part C)
d. Training for personnel for safe operations (Part D)
e. Ground Operations Manual (i-GOM compliant) – a new Federal Aviation Authority SAS requirement
f. Cargo Service manual
g. Safety and emergency procedures manual
h. Cabin Crew operations manual
i. Cabin Crew quick reference handbook (CCQRH)
j. Integrated Operations Control Centre manual
10. Aviation training: With optimized operations comes a need to have a workforce that is well trained. In the aviation world, skills required include both technical and non-technical skills. Our aviation consulting experts have what it takes to deliver effective training to upskill your staff. Here are some of the areas to think about:
a. Technical skills, including ATO approvals and management, flight, dispatch, extended diversion time operations (EDTO/ETOPS), reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM), minimum navigation performance specifications (MNPS), polar operations, performance-based navigation (PBN), low visibility operations, hot and cold weather operations, narrow runway operations and high-altitude operations.
b. Non-technical skills, including Cabin crew, cabin safety procedures, cabin services, ground handling, human performance and limitation (HPL) and non-technical skills (NOTECH).
11. New trends in aviation operations: There is significant chatter nowadays about developing sustainable aviation fuels to meet various emerging environmental standards and ensuring sustainability. Is your company thinking about carbon offsetting programs among others? How can you develop and drive your airline’s sustainability program?
Our consulting experts are here to support you optimize your operations. Visit our consulting services page for more information.