GLOBAL MRO INDUSTRY

A prudent, proactive, conciliatory and creative conglomeration between the aviation OEMs, airlines, MRO companies, logisticians and computer programmers, can help tide over the COVID-19 crisis

- ZORAWAR SINGH JAISWAL

AIRCRAFT ARE COMPLEX FLYING machines that have numerous static or moving components and sub-assemblies. The operational life of each of these is different. Hence, the Mean Time Between Failure varies substantially amongst them. Thus, to keep an aircraft airworthy, multiple maintenance activities are required. These are called as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities. They include work that could be scheduled, preventive or any major refurbishments. All these activities are undertaken to restore aircraft to nearly its original condition.

The MRO activities require skilled and certified technicians, spares and test rigs. These resources are expensive. Airlines find it economically unviable to invest in this activity and prefer to outsource maintenance to specialist MRO companies. The COVID-19 pandemic forced MRO companies to reduce skilled manpower to reduce costs. It disrupted spares supply chain and has been a major MRO business disrupter. However, as the COVID-19 restrictions are being eased out, demand for air travel is picking up and the scheduled MRO activities that were held in abeyance by the aircraft operators will commence.