Aircraft Maintenance Management System

The Challenge

In aviation, maintenance planning is critical—not just for safety and compliance, but for ensuring smooth, uninterrupted operations. At Summit Air, much of the maintenance workflow relied on manual tracking, paper-based logbooks, and scattered documentation. This often resulted in inefficiencies, delays in compliance reporting, and risks of oversight.

As a Maintenance Planning Engineer, I was tasked with optimizing the existing system and introducing automation where possible, all while ensuring strict adherence to aviation safety standards.

The Solution: A Semi-Automated Maintenance Management System

Working alongside senior engineers and operations staff, I contributed to the development and deployment of an internal system that brought structure, traceability, and automation into key areas of aircraft maintenance.

Core functionalities:

• Digital Maintenance Logbook Generation
  Transformed paper logbooks into structured digital records for better traceability and audit readiness.

• Automated Work Order Management
  Created a pipeline for generating detailed work specifications and issuing Maintenance Job Orders (MJOs) directly from scheduling inputs.

• Airworthiness Directive & Service Bulletin Tracker
  Monitored manufacturer and regulatory bulletins for compliance, with regular cross-checks built into the workflow.

• Component Status Monitoring
  Maintained a rolling log of component wear, replacement cycles, and procurement needs.

Tools & Methods Used

• Excel-based forms and templates

• Maintenance scheduling standards from CAA Nepal

• Cross-functional coordination with procurement and engineering teams

• Manual integration with legacy record systems

Outcomes

Improved Maintenance Scheduling
Regular and predictive scheduling led to fewer disruptions in flight operations.

Regulatory Compliance
Systematic tracking ensured timely compliance with airworthiness directives and service bulletins.

Enhanced Reporting & Traceability
Audit trails were more accessible, reducing the administrative load during inspections.

Team Efficiency
Engineers and technicians had clearer job scopes and streamlined work orders, reducing turnaround times.

What I Learned

This experience taught me the value of systematization and documentation in high-stakes environments. Even partial automation or process optimization—when done well—can have a profound impact on operational safety and team productivity.

It also gave me early exposure to process-driven thinking, something that continues to shape how I approach research and systems design today.