Modern commercial aircraft are composed of literally millions of working parts that combine to assemble a fully functioning aircraft – one that can fly and earn revenue for its operators. Should any one, or combination of these millions of components demand replacement or repair, the potential for loss of earnings is great. AOG (aircraft on the ground) situations occur for multiple reasons; malfunction, possible future malfunction, or post-inspection failure – aircraft are required to undergo regulatory inspection after every 400-600 hours and every 6-8 months. Should the aircraft fail to pass its inspection, it is immediately grounded and enters the no-mans-land of AOG.

Most reasons for grounding can be easily overcome, such as malfunctioning sensors, minor part replacements, or other non-invasive repairs. However, regardless of the reason, loss of revenue due to an AOG situation is the main reason that aircraft need to return to service as quickly as possible.

But what if the AOG aircraft requires a spare part not held in stock by the operator’s MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) business partner? What if that part has to be transported from a distant location, or in a worst-case scenario, a replacement part simply can’t be found? Because of its loss of revenue earning potential, a grounded aircraft can cost as much as $150,000 for a delay of only a couple of hours. And what’s more, that capital loss doesn’t even include the potential damage to the operators’ reputation.

Locatory.com, a family member of the global Avia Solutions Group, is regarded among the world leaders in the aircraft spare parts marketplace – its technologically advanced database contains over 12-billion commercial and military aircraft parts, along with more than 900,000 repair capabilities. Such is the comprehensive nature of its parts portfolio, Locatory.com are key partners to some of the world’s most trusted MRO companies for whom prolonged AOG situations must be avoided at all cost.

According to Salah Marechal, Chief Product Officer, Locatory.com Marketplace, “AOG situations are among the most pressing concerns for modern commercial aviation companies. Returning an aircraft to service is a priority and every tool available is brought into service to ensure that spare parts are searched, sourced, and delivered in the most expedient manner possible. For forward preparedness, the Locatory.com platform also gives the user the tools to analyse and uncover market opportunities, search historical parts demand, offer inventory competition reports, and deliver market trend reports to stay ahead of the curve. In effect, the Locatory.com Marketplace is the go-to crisis-management tool in the majority of AOG situations.”

Before any AOG disaster strikes and inflicts damage to airline schedules, RoI, and reputation, commercial aircraft operators need to develop an AOG strategy that will go a long way towards offsetting any potential calamity. The main focus behind this strategic planning lies in the notion of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ and AOG situation will occur, and how prepared the operator will be to face that situation.

In the world of AOG, time is money, lots of money, and being prepared for every eventually, using every tool possible is key.

In an environment as crowded as the aircraft spare parts marketplace, finding transparency in pricing may seem like an almost impossible task. With the sector flooded with millions of unique part numbers, competing brokers, MROs, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), how can industry players be sure that prices are accurate, conducive to profit, and have not been artificially inflated?

Recent innovations in technology, such as increased internet speeds, the propagation of IoT, and the demand for Big Data crunching power, have helped increase transparency in pricing and created a less risky environment for customers and suppliers in which to trade.

Locatory.com, a family member of Avia Solutions Group, and the leading aviation marketplace in Europe and the eastern hemisphere has taken that transparency to the next level with a comprehensive online tool for sourcing spare parts and repair capabilities. The Locatory.com platform gives greater pricing transparency than many of its competitors via its adaptability and extensive search capabilities.

According to Toma Matutyte, Director of Sales and Marketing at Locatory.com Marketplace, “To be more competitive and proactive in the market, players need to be able to compare, analyze, and take reasonable insights from reliable statistics and analytics, and that’s exactly what Locatory.com gives our customers the power to do.”

The Locatory platform allows the user to fine-tune their searches using parameters such as price statistics, part numbers, latest trending parts, demand by condition, and hard to find parts, all of which can be further sorted ‘by year’. There is also the added functionality offering Company Statistics, offering overviews of your company’s past and present condition, including historical data concerning spare parts KPIs. Additionally, the Company Actions section of the Locatory.com platform is available for management and admins to minutely examine, analyse, and act on all aspects of process management.

Toma Matutyte adds, “There can be no doubt that the aviation aftermarket has seriously influenced the entire industry. With the introduction of next-generation aircraft and the retirement of older models, the spare parts marketplace, including the transparency of pricing, has altered dramatically, making spare parts an important profit resource for OEMs.

“By offering better pricing transparency, Locatory.com has opened greater opportunities for easier sourcing, quicker turn-around times, and enhanced profitability in the aircraft parts and repair capabilities sector. The unique capabilities of the Locatory.com platform enable aviation traders to establish pricing and find more opportunities across the entire aviation marketplace.”