Engineering manpower planning in an Airline

Abstract

Next to the crew on the flight deck of an aircraft, the engineers and technicians form the core of the manpower requirement of an airline. The aviation industry is a specialised one. There are mandatory requirements regarding the airworthiness of an aircraft and certification of engineers and technicians working on or inspecting an aircraft. The requirements of Engineers and Technicians cannot be directly met from the products available from Engineering Colleges and Technical Institutes. Furthermore, 3-4 years of experience in aviation industry is a prerequisite laid down by Civil Aviation Departments for obtaining their licence or approval to work as Engineers and Inspectors in Inspection Organisations. Hence planning of Engineering manpower requirements well in advance is a must for an Airline. The objective of this paper is to discuss the long term planning for engineering manpower resource, in an airline.