Core processes covered by IOCC

Short-term schedule management monitors and controls schedule planning during the final weeks prior to the flight event. At this point, schedules must already be set for crew and maintenance reasons. However, schedules are prone to disruption and frequently have to be modified and adapted to address changes in market conditions.

Operations control is responsible for controlling flight operations on the day of operations. An extremely complex process is required to achieve that passengers arrive at their destination safely and punctually. The operations control center is the traffic center of an airline. This is where all the data relevant to conducting a flight converges.

The hub or station control management monitors and controls aircraft, crew and passenger connections as well as the aircraft turnaround at its hub(s). By actively managing the seamless interplay between airport, airline and service providers, the propagation of delays caused by disruptions will be reduced significantly.

Maintenance control monitors the allocation and observance of maintenance intervals as well as the execution of upcoming maintenance events. To be as efficient as possible, operation controllers and maintenance technicians need to be informed about all changes in operational activities without any delay and on a real-time data basis.

Unavoidable disruptions in flight operations occasionally result in the inability to transport passengers or cargo as planned. Passenger and cargo management’s role is to achieve that the delayed passengers and cargo are transported to their destination as swiftly as possible with minimum inconvenience.

The crew management process covers the handling of planned duty rosters issued to flight crews. It must achieve that the right crew is always on duty at the right time and in the right place for every flight. As in the initial planning phase, particular attention must be paid to the requisite qualifications and legality of the crew in question.

The flight planning process provides airlines with high-quality briefing packages and optimized trajectories from take off to landing. It covers all aspects of flight planning as well as flight following procedures. It calculates the optimal route between two airports while taking flight-related and all current aeronautical information including NOTAMs into account.

Weight & balance as a process evolves around coordinating the planned weight and center of gravity of a flight. The weight for take-off, cruise and landing must be in strict control within the structural limits of the airframe. Additionally, the trim must be controlled to stay within the established parameters for a safe flight.