Operation Control Center And Integration

  • Ass. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Selim SÜZER

Abstract

The airline operations control center (OCC) monitors the operation with crew planning, maintenance operations (technical), dispatch, slot coordination, aircraft assignment, station operations control (SOC) unit. It can also be stated that during this monitoring, when any problems or any factors that may turn into problems are identified, it tries to fix them without turning into a failure.

It can be said that the importance of integration has been understood in airline operations control in recent years. It can be stated that airlines combine many processes within the OCC departments to determine the effects of problems on these processes and make decisions as a result of integration. Thus, the most effective decision can be made for the airlines business. The purpose of this study is to examine the interactions of airlines processes with each other by revealing the effects of technical and dispatch-induced problems on other processes that are considered to cause more problems within the airlines OCC in order to ensure integration in decisions.

Medium-and large-scale airlines whose operations are managed by OCC are taken as the universe in this study. As a working group, 30 people working in the OCC departments of four airlines that have OCC departments in Turkey were interviewed face-to-face or by phone and tried to get information about how problems caused by dispatch-induced and technical problems affect their own operations. Medium and large-scale airlines that operate in accordance with international rules introduced by organizations such as ICAO, IATA, EASA often face the same problems. It can be said that only decisions such as flight delay, flight merger, flight cancellation are taken based on the strategies of the airlines. The algorithm was used as a method. In the findings section, it is stated only how the sections contained in the OCC can be affected by problems arising from another section when creating the algorithm. It is revealed in general that which questions they should ask about their own processes as a result of the problem that may occur to take this problem away from them. Possible solutions that can be brought to these effects are indicated in the conclusion section.

As a result of this study, it can be argued that an algorithm related to how a problem in one process affects other processes in general has been reached. The fact that a problem arising in an operation process affects another operation process reveals that there can be many solutions to this problem. Therefore, it can be said that in order to make the most effective decision, it is necessary for process employees and managers within the OCC to thoroughly examine the possible effects of any problem on other processes. In other words, when making operational decisions because of any problem, the necessity to examine the effects of this problem on all departments arises. It can be said that the most optimal decision can be made by evaluating the consequences of the problem. Because, when making decisions if the problems arising from other processes as a consequence of the problem arising in one process are not considered, the problem can turn into a failure and the cost of the problem can be greater for the business. Finally, it can be said that it is concluded that integration should be ensured when making decisions in the OCC unit, which is the main subject of this study.

Published
2020-11-01
Section
Articles