Title: Aircraft Maintenance Routing Shall Airlines plan alone

Lecturer: Sai-Ho Chung, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Time: January 6th, 2025 (Monday) 10:00-11:30 am

Venue: School of Business 216

Organizer: Department of Operations and Supply Chain

Synopsis:

  Aircraft maintenance routing is a critical airline operation, directly influencing operational efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. The complexity of maintenance routing arises from various factors, including aircraft availability, maintenance schedules, regulatory compliance, and the need for minimal disruption to flight operations. Traditional airline practices often rely on in-house planning, which can lead to challenges such as resource constraints, limited flexibility, and higher operational costs. Independent planning may provide greater control to airlines, but it may result in inefficiencies and missed opportunities for innovation. Conversely, collaboration with external partners, such as aircraft maintenance service provider may foster a more comprehensive approach, leveraging specialized expertise and technology to optimize routing strategies. However, reliance on external partners may introduce complexities in coordination and communication, resulting in potential risks to both parties. This seminar explores the question: should airlines independently plan their maintenance routing, or should they collaborate with external stakeholders, such as maintenance service providers?

Introduction to the Lecturer:

  Sai-Ho Chung (Nick), Ph.D., is an Associate Head and Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Hong Kong. His research interests are logistics, supply chain management, supply chain finance, production scheduling, distribution networks, machine learning, container port terminals, aviation, etc. He has published over 150 SCI journal papers. His publications appear in Production and Operations Management, Transportation Research Part B/C/E, Decision Sciences, Risk Analysis, European Journal of Operational Research, IEEE (SMC, TIE, EM, SJ), Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, Computers and Operations Research, etc. He serves as a Department Editor for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetic: Systems, an Editorial Board member in Transportation Research Part E, and edited several special issues in SCI journals.