Modern Airline Fleet Planning – Art or Science?

Choosing the right aircraft is just about the most important decision an airline can ever take, and it’s far from easy. Fleet planners need to consider not just the technical and operational characteristics of a bewildering array of aircraft types on offer, but they must also decide which aircraft is the best fit for the network, both today and a long time into the future. It’s not an easy task to analyse everything and make a recommendation. A wrong decision can prove disastrous, both for decision makers and the airline, so life as a fleet planner is not for the faint-hearted. Paul Clark has (so far) survived a lifetime of analysing fleets and making recommendations, but is still struggling to resolve a dilemma: Is fleet planning an art or a science? Come along to Paul's lecture on 20 November and help him find an answer!