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AMT and MIT's Lean Aerospace Initiative to Establish Lean Flight Initiative

Lean Flight Initiative Aimed at Developing and Promoting Best Practices for Airline Operations

25 May 2005

During the prestigious Irish Presidential Trade Mission in Seattle, Washington, Aircraft Management Technologies (AMT), a global leader in aircraft information management solutions, and the Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI), an aerospace research community, today announced a collaborative effort to engage industry, airline, and academic partners to establish the Lean Flight Initiative (LFI). The purpose of LFI will be to develop and promote lean principles, practices and tools among aircraft operators and companies involved in facilitating airline operations.

Developing Lean-based best practices for airline operations is a logical extension to the existing Lean Aerospace Initiative, allowing companies to utilize and extend best practices in use for aerospace manufacturing to benefit a broader audience. By pooling knowledge for the benefit of all members, new technologies can be implemented faster to allow aircraft operators and airline operations companies to more rapidly realize the benefits of improved operational performance, efficiency, and cost savings.

Lean methodology focuses on the elimination of waste and the efficient creation of enterprise value. Where Lean principles have been introduced to date, enterprises have experienced dramatically improved competitiveness, productivity, and cost efficiency. The effective use of Lean methods has been amply demonstrated in many different business environments, from manufacturing to back office processes and even medical care.

As a means of increasing efficiency and profitability in the fiercely competitive air transportation sector, LFI aims to extend the use of Lean best practices to aircraft operators and companies that support airline operations such as providers of technology solutions, line maintenance and dispatch operations, documentation and content management, and other frontline processes. LFI aims to create an exceptional independent forum of airline, industry and academic partners.

“Using tools such as an LFI web portal, process re-engineering workshops and Lean conferences, LFI would actively encourage members to share information and promote best practices in aircraft operations,” said Deborah Nightingale, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-director of the Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI). “We see the Lean Flight Initiative as building on and expanding the expertise and experience that has been generated by initiatives such as the Lean Aerospace Initiative, and applying these principles to airline operations.”

“Several airlines, industry partners and academic institutions have already expressed a strong interest in this initiative,” said Steve Hardgrave, chief operating officer at AMT. “We continue to welcome the participation of all those within the aerospace industry who have an interest in increasing the productivity and cost efficiency of airline operations.”

For further information:

Fiona Scott
Marketing Executive
Tel: +353 1 806 1000
Email: fiona.scott@flightman.com