Aviation Consulting/Airline Consulting: Helping in Enlarging Human Horizons

An aviation consulting firm provides corporate aviation services or support of practical knowledge of aviation to the companies. They provide basic information of aviation and commercial aviation planning to enhance a company’s business. With the help of airline consulting firms, the company is benefitted to be more efficient and productive. The aviation consulting services are provided on a wide range of airline functions and activities. Some are mentioned below:

• Airline restructuring
• Flight operations
• Corporate structure and human capital
• Asset management and treasury and privatisation
• Network performance and decision support
• Safety programs
• Ground handling
• Sales and distribution optimisation
• Network and fleet planning
• Pricing and revenue management
• Maintenance and engineering
• Cash management optimisation
• Cost reduction management
• Corporate strategy assessment and development

Usually an airline consulting firm have multidisciplinary teams comprising of former airline and airport executives, maintenance and operations specialists, financial analysts and other skilled experts of aviation fundamentals. In addition to the above mentioned services to the client, the aviation consulting firms have also developed proprietary databases and analytical tools to help their clients with better energy efficiency, pricing, environmental compliance and bottom-line impact. In order to work in an aviation consulting firm, an individual should posses certain qualities:

• Strong leadership ability
• Ability to work independently and strategise work structure on his/her own
• Coordinate with team to meet deliverables
• Ability to deliver insights/recommendations based on analysis
• Exceptionally analytical
• Should have conceptual and quantitative skills
• Should have proficient Excel modelling ability.
• Self-motivated
• Ability to initiate work independently
• Should have strong written and verbal communication skills
• Track record of achievement in extracurricular professional endeavours
• Willingness to travel internationally
• Ability to work under pressure
• Responsibly take ownership of meeting deadlines and provide flawless result.

A person employed with an aviation consulting company as an associate plays an important role in projects. He/she takes ownership of a work stream i.e. a portion of project. He/she will be responsible for planning, execution and analysis and presentations to the clients. According to the type of project an associate will be responsible in meeting deliverables by re-analysing the work done by analysts. He/she need to be comfortable and confident in handling and leading discussions with client. A formal training is also provided to the new joinees.

Career Guide for Aviation Consulting

A career in airline consulting is one of the most sought after these days. This could be due to the fact that more people prefer to fly to various destinations as it is faster and more comfortable. With the increase in air traffic, it is very important to have the professionals who can control the traffic well. They should also be able to make use of the different kinds of equipment that are available to them. The technology has evolved a lot today when it comes to controlling the air traffic and you can build a great career in the field of aviation consulting.

Let us take a look at some of the educational and licensing requirements for a career as an aviation consultant.

Due to the fact that the field of aviation is constantly changing, professionals are needed to resolve current issues and be innovative for the future. Although problems like fuel shortages and environmental and safety hazards exist, the need for air transportation is not diminishing. In order to become an aviation consultant, one will need to first complete at least a bachelor's degree in aviation administration. In these programs, courses might include aviation and transportation, aviation regulations, air traffic control systems, transportation legislation, airport management and aircraft accident investigation, among others. These programs sometimes offer specializations, including aviation management or airport management.

Aviation consultant positions require years of experience. You can gain related skills in the industry through a career in the commercial airline industry. Positions involving data analysis, transportation management or administration in the aviation field can increase one's skill level and job prospects for a career as an aviation consultant.

There are a number of aviation consultant employers who prefer applicants who have a master's degree in a technical aviation field or engineering discipline. Examples of master's degree aviation program courses include aviation planning and aviation policy and regulation. Others require commercial pilot's licenses. These licenses can be obtained through the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA.

Aviation consultant positions have varying requirements. You are better suited for securing a position with experience and additional training. With additional training and relevant experience, you may begin their career as a junior aviation consultant, and advance to senior aviation consultant or other positions in the field.

These are some things you need to keep in mind if you are considering a career in airline consulting.

Fly High don’t Walk Low

People have started travelling by plane more now than ever before. The safety of the passengers on board is the prime concern of the aviation authorities. Despite safety precautions, accidents do occur. Hence the demand for aviation consulting and airline consulting is growing by leaps and bounds.

An aviation accident

An aviation incident is defined as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operations. An accident in which the damage to the aircraft is such that it must be written off, or in which the plane is destroyed is called a hull loss accident.

An Air Safety Investigator

An Aviation Safety Consultant is a person who is an expert in his field; he has many years of experience as a pilot or maintenance technician working on a variety of aircraft. He is hired to give expert opinion based on thorough investigations, as to how and why the accident occurred. They do this by interviewing survivors, thoroughly reviewing and analyzing flight and maintenance records, examining engines, studying human performance and every minute aspect that is even remotely connected with the aircraft. They can be called any day, any time to any place when an aircraft meets with an accident, to investigate the matter and find the cause. It is a tedious job as they have to work for unusual hours for long period of time. At times the place of their work is so bad that it becomes tough for them. Still they are able to handle it as they come from the ranks of the National Transportation Safety Board - The NTSB. The NTSB oversees accident investigations of both general and commercial airlines. Pilots who serve on accident investigation teams within individual airlines are another source for consultants.

Today we find many aviation consulting and airline consulting services doing good business. The reason is the explosive growth of commercial aviation with package services. The more the business the more mishaps, hence the aviation consulting and airline consulting organizations today, ’Fly High, they don’t Walk Low!