AOG (Aircraft on Ground) is a term used in aviation maintenance signifying a serious issue preventing the aircraft from taking flight. This creates an emergent need and rush for parts to fix the airplane and deter further delay and cancellations. Aircraft on Ground (AOG) refers to any aviation parts or materials needed in that moment to fix the aircraft.
The cost per day for an airplane to be grounded due to unforeseen technicalities and circumstances can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. This may seem like a sobering number, but take into consideration the following scenarios and the adjusted monetary loss will begin to make sense:
-
Airfreight maintenance fees
-
Loss of revenue
-
Airport charges
-
Passenger compensation
-
Delayed air cargo
AOG. What is it?
It is important to note that the general online inquiries involving AOG logistics and shipments will typically populate articles and references involving the movements of the parts critical for the plane becoming air worthy again.
This is an extremely meticulous sector in the AOG repair industry and one worth mentioning when discussing AOG. The smallest bump, interference, or improper security of a jet engine being transported to repair a plane results in a mandatory $150,000 diagnostic and inspection.
Delivery from the same urgency, AOG Freight 24/7 is a collective for qualified global specialists and air freight forwarding companies. This signifies legitimate 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year response times and service for air freight shipments needing to be expedited.
You may also hear the term OTS or “out of service” in reference to an aircraft involving critical shipments that require a tight agenda for delivery.
There are infinite reasons an air freight shipment can be labeled critical or AOG:
-
Mainstream courier failure
-
Urgent client request
-
Time sensitive shipment
-
Critical supply chain breakdown
Contacting an AOG freight forwarder sets a heightened global chain into motion and alerts the air freight specialists that will be involved in handling the logistics of your expedited air freight shipment. Once the freight forwarding specialist has your details, they are in place to meet the most demanding needs and client expectations and to expedite your shipment effectively and professionally.
How Often Do AOG Situations Occur?
The mere nature of an AOG indicates an unexpected event, thus creating an explicit level of unpredictability. Because of this, an AOG emergency can happen at any given time. Problem periods, or upticks in AOG issues, do however increase exponentially during elevated travel times, more notably during the summer months.
It only stands to reason, the more planes that are in circulation simultaneously increases the risk of one of those planes encountering an emergency reaching AOG levels.
As previously mentioned, AOG occurrences are expensive for airlines to cover. This creates an urgency for airlines to continuously optimize procurements with strategic logistical solutions in order to keep the cost and time associated with AOG’s at a minimum. Remaining proactive is vital in this industry. Waiting to react when an issue strikes would be exceedingly detrimental to the airline, and simply unsustainable long term.
How are the Airlines Directly Effected?
We briefly surmised the direct affects airlines will experience during an AOG situation in the first section. However, it is equally important to dive a bit deeper into a few of these specific topics to better understand the comprehensive stressors placed on the individual airline companies.
-
Airfreight maintenance fees: When parts on a plane break, they must be fixed, and fast. Expedited aircraft maintenance does not come cheap, but is exponentially critical to airline recovery and long-term scalability of the business.
-
Loss of revenue: When a plane is grounded, so too is the money made from ticket sales, both current and future tickets sold, until the aircraft is fully functional again.
-
Passenger compensation: Passengers sitting in a disabled plane on the tarmac have a tendency to be a bit disgruntled. In order to smooth over any inconvenience, airlines will compensate these passengers with ticket vouchers or checks.
-
Delayed air cargo: On the logistics side of the equation we see cargo miss remaining transport connections and essentially pre-determined arrival times due to delays at the airport as a result of a plane part malfunctioning. This throws unwarranted kinks in supplier’s, manufacturer’s, and general commerce supply chains.
The list of problems directly related to the airlines when an AOG issue arises is practically unlimited in possibilities and inharmonious due to these causes and effects rippling throughout the chaos.
What Does an AOG Request Mean to CLN Worldwide?
Critical solutions, expedited efficiently.
We offer full AOG services and allow for 24/7 accessibility to our AOG operations team. We are a member of AOG Freight 24/7 and believe that guaranteed access, achievable on any day at any time to a real person, is one of the greatest assets we can offer a customer.
We understand better than most what it takes to fully implement a strategic flight schedule, or any transportation schedule for that matter, to the fullest. Managing complex supply chains for middle market companies doesn’t come without a fair share of difficulties.
We are a solutions first driven team and a fully optimized solutions first team when called on for an AOG emergency.
As a cross-functional team of logistics experts, we help clients navigate urgent areas of transportation. Our primary focus is not on an individual AOG service offering but rather a comprehensive approach to effectively managing the issues and optimizing the results by solving all problems that may come up in transit.
Conclusion
When properly vetting freight forwarders for potential partnerships, make sure you reach out to a global logistics partner who understands the importance of rushed air freight and has the networking capabilities to get the job done efficiently. Supply chain optimization transcends all modes and commodities. Make sure your freight forwarder is equipped to combat any of these impending issues.
If you have any questions regarding AOG, expedited shipments, or air freight export in general, please feel free to reach out to our export specialists here.
CLN Worldwide
www.clnusa.com
customerservice@clnusa.com
704.357.0474
#AOG #airfreight #airfreightshipments #expedited
