ASSESSING THE RELATIVE EFFICIENCY OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGIES - AN APPLICATION OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS

This study focuses on discretionary maintenance strategies and their r elationship to aircraft reliability, as measured by the percentage of scheduled flights delayed because of mechanical problems. The methodol ogy of Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to identify the various s trategies employed by the major airlines over the time period 1990-199 4. Additionally, this methodology allows for a normative assessment as to which strategies are relatively efficient. Furthermore, the specif ic strategies utilized by efficient and inefficient airlines can be co mpared at a micro-level and thus quantifiable recommendations for the latter group can be suggested. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.