Benchmarking aircraft maintenance performances using data envelopment analysis

Abstract

Purpose

The authors employed the three different versions (Charnes–Cooper–Rhodes, Banker–Charnes–Cooper and slack-based measure of efficiency) of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the comparative efficiency/inefficiency of aircraft maintenance performance during the previous 41 months in United States Air Force (USAF). As a complimentary tool, the authors also adopted Tobit regression analysis to identify factors affecting efficiencies and inefficiencies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to measure the relative efficiency of maintenance performances for a type of USAF aircraft in an effort to enhance aviation safety and combat readiness.

Findings

Through this study, the authors have two noteworthy findings. These are (1) an increased number of “cannibalization” (extracting necessary parts from the existing aircraft) practices tended to reduce maintenance efficiency; (2) The number of mission-capable aircraft turned out to be the most important factor for maintenance performance efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first studies on aircraft maintenance that considered popular but neglected cannibalization practices as a new variable for assessing the maintenance efficiency. In addition, this paper is one of the few studies that performed a post-ad hoc analysis as a follow-up to DEA analysis.

Citation

O'Neal, T., Min, H., Cherobini, D. and Joo, S.-J. (2021), "Benchmarking aircraft maintenance performances using data envelopment analysis", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 1328-1341. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-05-2020-0157