Aviation shortstay or longstay parking?

With many of the world’s airlines laying up their aircraft due to the Covid-19 pandemic it is no better time to consider what happens to all those aircraft. AviationMover want to provide a greater insight into this unique activity that has become the new normal for all airlines in recent weeks. According to industry data provided by Cirium 64% of the world’s aviation fleet is grounded, that is nearly 17,000 in active aircraft around the world.

Unlike a car or your favourite motorbike, an aircraft cannot ‘be put away for the winter and pulled out in the spring’ as there is ongoing maintenance requirements. An operator has a very clear process for them to follow in terms of care and maintenance of the aircraft asset when not in use. Firstly, the airline must decide how long they are going to ‘park’ it of ‘store’ it.

Each manufacturer has its own requirements for the aircraft type, all are outlined in the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) but put it simply the operator will plan to park the aircraft if it a period less than 3 months. In effect, they will be keeping the aircraft in a flight-ready condition, with the minimum effort to return the aircraft to operational use and begin flying again as quickly as possible. This process will mean preserving elements of the aircraft by installing blanks and covers, taping over gaps to prevent moisture ingress, causing corrosion or birds inside to build a nest. Some system will be down powered and the batteries disconnected.

While in this condition it’s important to keep doing the appropriate maintenance tasks to ensure the upkeep, usually each week, something is required and usually each month the engines will need to be run and other systems functioned but this is limited to between 3-6 months. Once the green light is received the aircraft will take anything up to 2-3 days to reactivate, depending on the aircraft type and size and it may also require a maintenance check flight, to make sure it all works as planned before commencing revenue services.

The more advance option is storage. This requires much more significant actions to ensure the aircraft can be laid up for a period up to two years. This also follows a procedure outlined by the aircraft manufacturer but is much more in depth and involves inhibiting elements of the aircraft such as the cabin and the engines. You will often see stored aircraft with covers over its windows to ensure the elements don’t affect the integrity of the window and the elements within the aircraft. Additionally, some parts may be removed to preserve them in a controlled environment such as avionic boxes. This maintenance is much more in depth and takes more time and resources to enter and then to return to service but during the period of storage the actions are relatively limited, when compared to parking.

In addition to the maintenance requirements outlined within the maintenance manuals during these challenging times, the manufacturers have provided specific guidance material to operators on how best actions can be achieved. Checks may require a specialist process or a specific tool that are in short supply or not readily available, so the manufacturer may allow an approved alternative approach, depending upon the specific circumstances.

During any time on the ground the aircraft is usually parked on someone’s property. Only the largest operators more than a few parking spaces of their own, otherwise it’s usually on the airport’s property, whether that be a parking stand, taxiway and in some extreme cases on a closed runway. These areas of parking may just not be enough for the number of aircraft. In addition for every day the aircraft is parked the costs quickly rack up especially at large international airports around the world, many operators are looking to reduce this cost by parking by using airports that are not their typical operating base. In recent weeks British Airways has parked most of it A380 aircraft at Chateauroux in the middle of France, over 30 of its A320 aircraft at Bournemouth, Southern England and we have seen Virgin Atlantic park aircraft at Doncaster Airport, Northern England and a few aircraft is Cuidad Real in Spain. Other airlines are finding anywhere they can to park aircraft, following such unprecedented circumstances.

As we mentioned earlier that operators have a requirement to continue maintenance on these aircraft and this will be enforced by the respective aviation authority. It is not just a case of turning up, installing the chocks and installing the engine blanks. An operator must ensure that there is adequate provisions at the airfield, such as:

• Ground services like aircraft power or steps to reach the aircraft

• Appropriately qualified maintenance personnel

• Appropriate tools equipment , spares and consumables to conduct maintenance

• Access for those required to access airside and the aircraft

In these circumstances an aircraft owner, financier or lessor maybe concerned that there asset is just being left but it is important to remember that the regulatory burden is on the airline to conduct their duties, in addition to the commercial deliverables of maintenance that is outlined in all lease agreements. It is important to ensure oversight of the asset, through monitoring the aircraft movements, using tools like https://www.flightradar24.com/  but also gaining feedback on the arrangements made by the operator.

Once we are through the worst of this crisis, green shoots of recovery will appear and it’s equally important to ensure each and every aircraft remains maintenance complaint. While many maintenance tasks can be paused, others cannot, equally airworthiness directives and calendar limited items may fall due so it’s important to make plans and provisions for these are part of the reactivation, so ensure personnel, spares, consumables and tooling are all available to avoid a last minute surprise.

One final thought, before entering parking or storage make sure the catering from the last flight has been removed as there is nothing like the smell of rotting food on board on a warm sunny day.