Whitepaper

Making the Turn

Opportunities in Aircraft Turnaround Optimization

www.aviationexperts.aero
“If you can‘t
describe what
you are doing
as a process,
you don‘t know
what you are
doing.“
W. Edwards Deming

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Abstract

As air traffic continues to grow, security requirements remain tight and capacity stretched to
physical limits, the need for efficient operations is at an all-time high. The problems created by
poorly-run systems are felt by everyone involved in air travel – in terms of delayed flights, long
queues, wasted time and rising costs.

The maxim “time is money” is especially relevant in the airline industry where minutes count.
Although aircraft ground time is necessary, it is still considered a cost factor in ground
operations - revenue is only generated in the air. Effective turnaround management should
become a priority in shaving off the minutes that could be used to boost capacity and improve
on-time performance.

How can turnarounds be managed better?

First, a well-organized physical ramp handling process must be in place. Having the right people
at the right time at the right place at the aircraft is critical as all ground handlers are aware of.
However, there is always room for improvement, especially when dealing with disruptions.

Secondly, deeper integration with the airport and the airline in terms of information and
communication needs to established. Although priorities in the airport system often pull in
different directions, a common understanding of the situation can result in well-informed
decisions that are triggered automatically.

Finally, a modern, flexible digital foundation that can support all turnaround coordination and
monitor performance automatically will allow changes to be made at the speed of a click and
prevent confusing and overlapping miscommunication.

„
Let’s find out how this works as a system. Make the
turnaround your F1 pit-stop and ensure sustainable return
on investment and reliability.

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“The best proof of a good
education is punctuality“
(G.E. Lessing 1788 – 1860)
Why Optimize Turnarounds? Punctuality…!
Punctuality is one of the key performance
indicators in the airline industry and an
important service differentiator. Higher
punctuality is shown to result in higher
operating margins (e.g. Southwest). The
costs of not delivering regular on-time
performance add up to 0.6 – 2.9% of airline
revenues in addition to tarnishing the brand.
Despite the external factors that can lead to
delayed flights (weather, late inbound aircraft,
slot restrictions) that are often outside the
control of an airline, focusing on an improved
turnaround process is within an airline’s or
ground handler’s sphere of influence.
Achieving punctuality is a key leadership
challenge throughout the organization and
should rank high on the management agenda
- from strategy and planning all the way to
front-line operations. How can ground
operations deliver improved performance?
The answer lies partly with process and partly
with technology. Managing and monitoring
the turnaround using hard data and decision
support can stop performance leakages and
save those extra minutes critical in avoiding
delays.
... and Aircraft Utilization!
Punctuality is not the only driver in better
turnaround management. Improved aircraft
utilization also plays a major role in efficient
operation and better financial results. Cutting
ground time to a minimum enables LCC’s such
as Ryanair to spread fixed ownership costs over
an increased number of trips, reducing costs
per seat-km or per trip. The 25-minute
turnaround for the 737 series has become
standard and has contributed to flying as many
legs as possible with as few crew changes as
possible. The figure below shows the higher
block hour utilization for U.S. LCC’s compared
to their legacy competitors.
10.40
10.96
Daily block hour utilization comparison between U.S. network and LCC
Source: MIT Airline Data Project 2015
Although the LCC’s have more of a short-
/medium-haul point-to-point business model
which contributes to higher utilization, the
network carriers should still work towards
reliable tight turns at their hubs.
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Airlines that would like to take advantage of the
cost savings and efficiencies of increased
aircraft utilization need to raise awareness in
their workforces about the positive effects of
reducing turnaround times. Saving only 5
minutes per turn on 2,000 legs a year means an
additional 10,000 minutes or more than 160
hours available for additional flights. More
flights result in more passengers and, ultimately
more revenue.
Now that we have discussed why turnarounds
should be optimized, we’d like to share with you
three ways how.
1. Optimization of Ramp Handling Procedures
Ground operations and airport processes
represent a comprehensive and complex area
requiring a broad range of different resources
from different companies, in different volumes
and at different times. The highly dynamic
market environment is currently changing these
processes: what used to work before might not
be the best way now.
Staging area coordination improvement
Gaps have to be identified and solutions
defined in order to improve handling service.
For example, aircraft staging areas are always
occupied with ground service equipment,
ULD’s and active third party vehicles which, if
not planned well, can interrupt the loading,
unloading, servicing and boarding of the
aircraft. The figure below shows the
comparison between the conventional
handling method on the left and a more
coordinated handling on the right. The
coordinated way shows decreased traffic
around the aircraft resulting in reduced
loading time, increased safety, less potential
damages, fewer accidents and less injuries to
loading staff. The equipment needed has not
changed, only its placement with regard to
where it is needed. Crossing of paths and
multiple rearrangements of positions are
minimized through a well thought out
logistics plan. This speeds up the loading
process and avoids the chance that bags are
still being loaded after all passengers have
been boarded.
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2. Integration with the Airport, Airline and
ATC
As part of the Airport System, ground
handling does not act in isolation. Inputs
such as slot constraints from ATC, gate
limitations from the airport or operational
requirements from the airline all have to be
taken into consideration during
turnaround.
The Airport System has to be re-aligned to
reflect this reality. A robust A-CDM which
automates information sharing between the
stakeholders is a must. The ground handlers
are often “out-of-the-loop” with respect to
receiving critical airport information unless
they actively request it. This loop needs to be
complete as shown in the illustration on the
right.
Next, the decision-making chain needs to be
clearly established. The airport becomes the
macro decision-maker and balances and
prioritizes airport system capacity and
demand in real-time using automated
information sharing. The process starts with
analyzing the problem – has the turnaround
the
The Ground Operations System
been affected by weather or rotation delays?
The prioritization of solutions and their
capacity requirements then follow – can a
gate change be accommodated to expedite
transfer passengers? Finally, the best
solution is implemented – switch a remote
stand with a bridge position to expedite the
turn. One source of truth allows for quick
consensus building using clearly identified
priorities in an ultra-lean hierarchy. The time
between decision and action is slashed –
capacity and speed adjustments can be
made at the speed of a click to react more
quickly to user operational needs. This
includes the resource planning so critical for
ground handlers.
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“If you cannot
measure it, you
cannot improve it”
(William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
3. Set up the digital foundation
The order or the speed at which ground
processes are done can also be optimized.
Automated turnaround management
decision tools that connect all stakeholders
in the
process can support this. They help ground
service coordinators at the airline hub control
(HCC) find the best way to minimize either
the total cost of the turnaround or the
turnaround duration. Although the tool is
centrally coordinated, it requires inputs from
all parties (cleaning, loading, fuelling, catering,
ramp). Standards are pre-set but are adjusted
depending on the operational situation at the
time (reacting to disruptions) such as
assigning additional staff as well as
rescheduling task sequences.
The decision support system calculates all
possible options for each task and presents
the optimum solution.
One such tool was tested with 51 tasks. Each
task was allowed to speed up to 50 percent
of its originally planned duration. The
decision support model considered
thousands of options for all tasks and found
the optimal solution in less than one second.
This level of real-time decision support helps
an airline quickly determine whether or not it
is feasible to make a shorter turnaround and
how to
rearrange tasks. The information needs to be
shared with the ground handler of course.
China Eastern achieved benefits by
implementing the turnaround management
from a 16% drop in staffing hours and a 60%
reduction in overtime payments. Overall, the
improved efficiencies delivered a return on
investment within 12 months and savings of
more than US$4 million in 2015.
Unlocking the Predictive Power of Monitoring
Aircraft’s computers record data both in the air
on on the ground. They measure how long the
doors are open, how long it takes to refuel and
how long the aircraft is connected to the ground
power unit. This data measures the
performance of the ground servicing in real
time. Potential departure delays should be
systematically integrated into the airline’s
decision process in order to minimize
disruptions to their ground service schedule.
The real time information also becomes input
for the Airport-Collaborative Decision Making
(A-CDM) for Target Off-Block Time (TOBT)
calculation and tracking.
The TOBT (Target Off-Block Time) is a point
in time to be monitored and confirmed by
the airline/handling agent at which the
ground handling process is concluded, all
aircraft doors are closed, all passenger
boarding bridges have been removed from
the aircraft and thus start-up approval and
push-back/taxi clearance can be received.
All ground handling processes, except
push-back and de-icing, are based on the
TOBT.
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What do better turns mean to me?
Going back to the pit-stop analogy, it is the
sub-2 second “turnaround” that decides the
Digitalization will support planning and
winner. Ground processes do cost money but
execution of pit-stop turns so that aircraft
are the investment that is needed to make
utilization can be boosted and punctuality
the revenue-earning flying part of the
maintained.
business possible.

Decision-making is integrated and based on

The time to act is now.
more information. Involving all the airport
system players (ATC, airline and airport) in
Time to make the turn!
coordinating turnaround decisions mean higher
on-time performance and better situational
awareness.

Better use of limited resources. Staff,

equipment and most importantly time are all in
short supply. Doing more with less not only
reduces costs but also improves customer
satisfaction and with better reliability comes
stronger loyalty.

Customer
satisfaction and
better margins

Efficient use of
limited resources
Planning support Integrated
through digitalization decision-making

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References

MIT. Airline Data Project. Retrieved from web.mit.edu/airlinedata/www/Aircraft&Related.html

Airbus Consulting. airbus.com/support/consulting-services

Boeing. boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_4_08/article_04_1.html

Sabre Airline Solutions. sabreairlinesolutions.com/home/software_solutions

SITA. sita.aero/solutions-and-services/products/airportresource-manager

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About the Company

aviationexperts is an international consulting company in the aviation industry. Our

consulting portfolio focuses on the sustainable boost of operations control, flight and
ground operations.

With our team of professional consultants at our office in Frankfurt, it is our vision to
shape the future aviation industry with strategic innovation and modern technology,
creating strong, stable and lasting profitability for airlines and airports.

Authors

Allan Farrell and Alexander Kimele are both consultants based in our Frankfurt office.

Do you need more insights? Do you want to schedule a tailored, personal

conversation on how to maximize your ground handling performance?

Please feel free to contact Joern Romberg in case you have any questions regarding
this Whitepaper or other aviation themes.

Joern Romberg
Head of Business Development

+49 171 207 5900

jromberg@aviationexperts.aero

aviationexperts PCS GmbH & Co. KG

www.aviationexperts.aero
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63303 Dreieich | Germany