Client Challenge
A long time client contacted ETA’s 24/7 Aerospace team to handle a hard AOG for a grounded aircraft they had in Germany. The collection point was provided, and cargo details provided. The cargo itself was relatively easy to handle. It was a 5 KG cargo, containing a small Airbus door latch assy; so non DG and not restricted. However the time frame was extremely tight to make the next flight out given the collection address and regular traffic on the route into the origin airport – LHR.
The carton was collected, priority bookings made, customs entry processed and client updated on the flight plan and routing all as per our strict AOG KPI’s for such time critical cases. However, the situation changed when the delivery vehicle being used into the cargo handler at LHR suffered a puncture enroute, risking a no-show / delayed delivery and the flight being missed.
Solution
In an AOG situation, our dedicated team is well aware on what is at stake to the client, with revenue passenger flights potentially delayed, and engineers on the ground at destination waiting for the parts. Even with the best laid plans and solutions in place, problems can happen with force majeures causing disruptions to our plans. In this case, with a puncture, the key is for clear communication, and workarounds provided by our team that are proactive and often creative.
Our team were not confident the same flight could be made, but found a passenger route departing from nearby LGW which was still open to passenger bookings. Within 30 minutes of the puncture, the client had been given an OBC solution to get the part collected roadside from the original vehicle, and arriving via a new route into the mechanics’ hands within a very similar timescale to originally planned.
