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Airline Management Consulting

ICF supports all areas of an airline’s business with management consulting and business transformation services for commercial airlines, private equity investors, and multilateral organizations worldwide.

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Overview Airline Ground Operations Healthcheck Crew and Pilot Efficiency Healthcheck

ICF helps airline management and investors adapt to airline industry trends such as consolidation, the rise of low-cost carriers, and the growth of emerging markets in order to generate revenue and control costs. Our management consulting capabilities further include:

Analyzing the value of alliances, code shares, and bilateral agreements
Improving airline ground operations
Validating vital business decisions to support growth and transition
Developing expansion strategies, particularly in emerging markets
Developing and evaluating business plans and organizational strategies

For clients launching aviation ventures, ICF tests and evaluates markets, conducts feasibility studies and due diligence, and helps develop business plans. In the crucial area of network and fleet planning, ICF helps airlines optimize routes, schedules, and hub operations.

Members of our multidisciplinary management consulting team come from leadership positions in the aviation industry in the areas of commercial and financial planning, revenue management, program management, aviation management, sales and leasing, and marketing. ICF's business transformation services address all areas of an airline's business, including:

Commercial improvement—Pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, customer service and loyalty, and ancillary revenue opportunities
Airline operations improvement—Production control, operations control, and restructuring and optimizing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) centers for internal use and third-party support
Organizational restructuring and change management—Information management, product and start-up implementation, and airline privatization projects

Our proprietary NETWORKS planning and simulation model enables airlines to evaluate various scenarios without investing in an in-house analysis system.

Getting it right from the ground up

Receive a comprehensive Ground Operations Healthcheck for airlines from ICF’s proven airline ground operations experts. This short, sharp, highly focused assessment of airline ground operations can be tailored to a specific airline’s requirements. ICF’s standard Ground Operations Healthcheck includes:

OTP - On Time Performance assessment
ATO - Aircraft Turnaround Optimization assessment
Cost Reduction - Identification of cost reduction opportunities
SGHA Reviews - Standard Ground Handling Agreement review and benchmarking
SLA Reviews - Service Level Agreement review and benchmarking
Safety and Compliance Assessment (e.g., ground damage prevention and load control compliance)

Poor OTP or overly long turnarounds?
Our proven track record in OTP and ATO improvement has delivered significant and lasting benefits for our clients, and we have helped many airlines significantly reduce their costs on the ground and eliminate waste.

Are you paying too much in ground handing and airport charges?
Our SGHA and SLA reviews and benchmarking consistently yield positive results for our clients and enable them to compete more effectively in the marketplace.

Safety and Compliance Assessments
Ground damage is the scourge of the industry and our thorough assessments assist our clients to reduce the risk of damage as often as possible, and identify areas of non-compliance and safety risks.

ICF’s Ground Operations Healthcheck will provide you with fast, tangible results and a clear action plan to address your challenges. We always make a point of identifying “quick wins” from the outset and we believe that rolling up our sleeves helping you implement changes, whether large or small, is all part of the job.

Maximize crew and pilot productivity to cut costs

In an era when airline management costs are rising, are your crew and pilot teams operating on all cylinders?

Lose the guesswork and get the information you need to improve productivity at every angle. Contact our proven experts for a data-driven assessment of crew and pilot deployment that reveals inefficiencies and provides you with actionable next steps. You’ll get: