“It can help aerospace operators and airlines reduce costs by up to 10 per cent per flight,” Espen Olsen, director of business development and sales for aerospace and defence, said yesterday.
The new solution called “Tail Planning, Optimisation and Assignment” was designed specifically for civil aviation, as it ensures optimal aircraft allocation for all flights and routes.
Dynamic scheduling reduces the impact of maintenance on airline operations. It can maximise fuel savings by reducing maintenance inefficiency through better allocation of aircraft to long-haul routes and assigning aircraft for maintenance.
However, it may force users to cut some jobs as it can replace some featherweight staff. Although the launching ceremony will be held in Sweden, the group is eyeing Asia and the Pacific, as the aviation industry in the region will continue to grow in the long term.
The International Air Transport Association predicts air-passenger growth doubling by 2035, with 7.2 billion people travelling by air over the next 20 years.
Four Asia-Pacific countries – China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam – are among the five fastest-growing markets.
Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) demand in the Asia-Pacific region is already ahead of Europe and only just behind the United States.
Olsen expects the new solution to serve 40 new aerospace operators and airline clients in this region including four or five in Thailand after introducing the new service today in Gothenburg.
During the introductory period, the company is organising a two-day “Aviation and Aerospace MRO & Flight Operations IT Conference” in Bangkok today and tomorrow as part of regional expansion plans.
IFS has offices across the Asia-Pacific region including Bangkok, from where it provides services to the Royal Thai Air Force.
IFS has been in Thailand for nearly three decades, serving finance, human-resource, production and supply-chain management and solutions before shifting to the aviation segment.
Key customers are GFPT, CP Engineering, Jotun, Tokai Rubber and Asia Silicones Monomer.
Earlier this year consulting company ICF International said MRO demand in the Asia-Pacific region was 28 per cent of the global market. It has already outstripped Europe’s 26 per cent, and is only 1 per cent lower than the US.
IFS has appointed a market-development team to strengthen its presence in the booming Asean aerospace and defence markets.
This year IFS launched its Engine MRO solution to the Asia-Pacific civil-aviation market.
Engine MRO is an integrated enterprise asset management and MRO solution for the civil-aviation industry.