Video: What Are The MRO Challenges Faced By Regional And LCC Airlines?

Aviation Week's Christine Boynton talks to her colleague Sean Broderick about the panel he chaired at MRO Americas 2024 titled ‘Optimising Operations: Navigating The Future Of MRO For Regional and LLC Airlines’.

The panel focused on the challenges faced by regional and LCC airlines, particularly within MRO.

Three industry insiders joined Sean's panel: Greg Lambert, Director of Business Administration for Heavy Checking and Planning at Endeavor Air; Lori DiMarco, Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering at Mesa Airlines; and Peter Schumann, Director of Planning and MRO for Sun Country Airlines.

During the panel, a comparison was made between the regional and mainline space, particularly regarding maintenance, workforce training, and technology.

Training is crucial for expanding the workforce, catching up with the latest trends, and having enough staff in the space. During a panel discussion, mentorship in the regional space was highlighted as a way to influence the workspace positively. The regional space provides a flow-through for labor. The aviation industry realizes this on both the pilot and technician sides. Whether it is pay or opportunities to advance in one's career, job seekers often look for a job with a regional airline, and many times, MROs and larger airlines turn to regional airlines to find talent. However, this becomes a double-edged sword, as regionals want to mentor new talent to become useful as soon as possible, but if they become good enough, they are setting them up for better opportunities elsewhere. The regional space understands this.

The implementation of technology and predictive maintenance plays a significant role in the aviation industry. The smaller regional airlines have an advantage in adopting these technologies more quickly than larger airlines due to their size. However, larger airlines may have an upper hand in terms of budget, support, and time. It's evident that all airlines, including regional ones, are prioritizing technology adoption, and we can expect to hear more about it in the future.

Discover what was discussed in the regional and LLC airlines panel at MRO Americas by watching the video.