Assessing the Environmental Impact of Aircraft Maintenance

Abstract

This study intends to investigate the maintenance of the sample aircraft under C-check with the environmental impact approach. With this research, maintenance of both aircraft types is divided into related subsystems and total process hours are determined in man-hours. Thus, it is aimed to show that environmental impacts should be taken into consideration in maintenance planning. The environmental effects that occur during aircraft maintenance operations are analysed. Environmental impact analysis, a basic life cycle analysis, is conducted under ISO 14044. Impacts (Impact on Human Health, Impact on Ecosystem Quality Impact and Resources Impact) have been calculated according to the Eco-Indicator99 database using SimaPro, which is the Life Cycle Analysis program. In the light of all results, it is seen that the C-check for Boeing 737 has a significant negative impact on the resources, ecosystem quality, and human health especially in all ATA100 categories.

Keywords

• Aircraft maintenance
• Environmental effects
• Maintenance planning
• Aeronautics

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