New-generation optimizers improve aircraft planning
Are you already familiar with Lufthansa Systems' highly efficient optimizer for tail assignment – NetLine/Ops Tail xOPT?
Tail xOPT is part of a new optimizer generation and is capable of handling large aircraft fleets with complicated operating requirements. The more flexible integration of maintenance and rotation planning is now therefore also possible.
In practice, this means that the operations controller uses the optimizer to create a robust aircraft rotation plan which at the same time takes necessary aircraft maintenance work into consideration. A rotation plan is considered robust if the effects of disruptions to flight operations are kept to a minimum on the day of ops.
As every crew change to other aircraft increases the susceptibility of the flight plan to disruptions, it is important to bind the crew rotations as closely as possible to the aircraft rotations. Tail xOPT therefore inputs the crew rotations and assigns the aircraft – wherever possible – analogously to the crew rotation.
In addition, Tail xOPT integrates prescribed minimum ground times for the aircraft and prescribed maintenance intervals into the planning and provides time buffers for any flight plan changes that arise. Taking schedule rules into consideration also results in the better capacity utilization of the aircraft prior to maintenance events, thereby directly reducing maintenance costs.
