Aircraft maintenance logistics
Not every maintenance movement is an emergency. Most of it is planned — a check input booked weeks ahead, a kit that has to be complete before the airframe arrives, tooling that must be on site for a scheduled task. The requirement is not speed. It is arriving reliably, at the time everyone planned around.
Booked in advance and timed to the shift — or call now if something has become urgent.
This page is about planned work, not emergencies
Most aviation courier pages, including ours, are written for the moment something breaks. But the majority of maintenance transport is known about in advance — a check input booked weeks ago, a kit that has to be complete before an aircraft arrives, tooling that must be on site for a scheduled task.
Planned does not mean relaxed. It means the deadline is fixed early and everyone has built a plan around it.
| Planned maintenance logistics | AOG | |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | A scheduled input, check or task | An unserviceable aircraft |
| Notice | Days or weeks | Minutes |
| What matters | Arriving reliably at the agreed time | Arriving as fast as possible |
| Failure mode | A hangar slot starts without the parts | An aircraft stays on the ground |
| Read instead | This page | AOG courier |
The irony of planned work is that it fails more often than emergency work, precisely because nobody is watching it. An AOG has a dozen people chasing it. A kit due next Tuesday has nobody, until Tuesday.
Getting a check input to start on time
A maintenance input is a fixed block of hangar time with a team assigned to it. If the material is not there when the aircraft rolls in, the loss is not recoverable — the slot has already begun.
| What has to be in place | Why it slips |
|---|---|
| Ordered parts | Arrive on a network estimate rather than a firm time, and nobody notices until the day |
| Rotables from the pool | Issued from central stores but not yet physically moved to the facility |
| Specialist tooling | Held at another base and assumed to be "coming" |
| Consumables & kits | Part-delivered, so the kit is incomplete |
| Imported items | Still awaiting clearance and release at a cargo terminal |
| Documentation | Certification travelling separately from the part it certifies |
The useful question a week out is not "has it been sent?" but "when exactly will it be here?" A dedicated vehicle can answer that with a time. A network answers it with a service level.
Kit staging and consolidation
Where material for one input is coming from several places, it usually has to arrive together — or at least in a sequence that matches the work.
| Multi-origin collection | Where a kit needs items from more than one supplier or store, a dedicated run can collect from each and deliver as one consignment |
|---|---|
| Sequenced delivery | Items timed to the stage of the check that needs them, rather than everything at once |
| Staging to a nominated point | Delivered to stores, a bonded area or the hangar itself, as you direct |
| Ahead of the aircraft | Material positioned before the airframe arrives so the input starts clean |
| Not a multi-drop round | These are planned dedicated routes for your consignment — not your kit added to somebody else’s delivery run. Multi-collection jobs are quoted as a single fixed price for the whole route |
Tooling, calibration and ground equipment
Tooling is the quietest cause of a delayed start, because it is often assumed rather than tracked.
| Specialist tooling between bases | Type-specific tooling shared across facilities and needed where the task is |
|---|---|
| Calibrated equipment | Carried in supplied cases and secured — calibration can be invalidated by impact |
| To and from calibration | Equipment out for recalibration and back before it is needed |
| Ground support equipment | Jigs, fixtures and test equipment, subject to size and loading |
| Loading | Tell dispatch what lifting equipment is available at both ends — the commonest wasted journey is a heavy item with no way to unload it |
Planning to the shift, not the day
| Before the shift starts | Material on site before a 06:00 or 07:00 start, so the team begins with everything present |
|---|---|
| Overnight positioning | Collected during the day, delivered before the facility opens |
| Ahead of the aircraft | Timed to the airframe's expected arrival rather than the calendar date |
| Weekend inputs | Many checks run across weekends, when networks are closed |
| Working backwards | Give dispatch the moment it must be on site and we plan the collection from there |
What we move for planned maintenance
| Check kits & consumables | Seals, fasteners, filters and materials for a scheduled input |
|---|---|
| Rotables & LRUs | Issued from stores or a pool ahead of the work |
| Wheels, tyres & brakes | Assemblies staged for a planned change |
| Specialist & calibrated tooling | Between bases, or to and from calibration |
| Ground support equipment | Jigs, fixtures and test equipment |
| Cabin & interior materials | For refurbishment and completions work |
| Structural components | Panels and structural items for planned rectification |
| Technical documentation | Certification packages travelling with the material |
Dangerous goods: maintenance stores routinely include classified items such as adhesives, paints, aerosols and lithium batteries. Declare them at booking and we confirm carriage arrangements case by case before dispatch.
Recurring and scheduled work
| Standing arrangements | For lanes that recur — stores to facility, base to base, out to calibration and back |
|---|---|
| Booked in advance | Collections scheduled against a known input date rather than arranged on the day |
| Agreed pricing | For repeating routes, so budgeting is predictable |
| Invoice accounts | Available for business customers — speak to dispatch about setting one up |
| Escalation | If a planned job turns urgent, it becomes an AOG movement with the same dispatch team |
How it works
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 · You book | Phone 020 8888 9988 or message WhatsApp — in advance for planned work |
| 2 · Details taken | Collection points, delivery point, what must arrive, and the shift or aircraft arrival it must precede |
| 3 · Fixed price agreed | Quoted before the job, so it can go into the input's cost |
| 4 · Scheduled dispatch | Vehicle assigned to your consignment alone, timed to your deadline |
| 5 · Collection & POC | Loaded and secured in supplied packaging, proof of collection recorded |
| 6 · Direct transit | Non-stop, with the driver’s direct number shared so you can check progress at any point |
| 7 · Delivery & POD | Handed to your nominated contact, digital proof of delivery recorded and confirmed back to you |
What we do and don't claim
| What we do | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scheduled dedicated collections | Booked in advance against a known input date |
| Timed to the shift | On site before the start, not simply on the day |
| Multi-origin kit collection | Several pickups delivered as one consignment |
| Packaging left intact | Material stays in the protection your stores applied |
| Certification carried with the part | Cannot be separated in sortation |
| Weekend and overnight working | Matching how maintenance inputs actually run |
| Standing arrangements | For recurring lanes |
📞 Call 020 8888 9988 · 💬 WhatsApp · Request a quote →
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from your AOG service?
AOG is for an aircraft that is already grounded, where the requirement is speed. This is planned work — a scheduled check input, a kit staged ahead of an aircraft, tooling positioned for a task. The requirement there is reliability at an agreed time rather than raw speed. Both use the same dedicated vehicles and the same 24/7 dispatch.
Can you collect from several suppliers for one kit?
Yes. Where material for an input comes from more than one store or supplier, a dedicated run can collect from each and deliver it as a single consignment. This is a planned dedicated route, not your kit added to somebody else's multi-drop round.
Can you deliver before a shift starts?
Yes, and for maintenance work this is usually the right way to plan. Tell dispatch the time material must be on site — before an 06:00 start, or before the airframe arrives — and we work the collection backwards from it.
Do you work weekends?
Yes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week including public holidays. Many maintenance inputs run across weekends, which is exactly when parcel networks are closed.
Can you move calibrated tooling?
Yes. Calibrated equipment travels in its supplied cases, secured and kept away from heavy items, since calibration can be invalidated by impact. We also handle movements out to calibration and back.
What do you need to quote a planned job?
Collection points and contacts, the delivery point and receiving contact, what is moving with dimensions and weight, what lifting equipment is available at each end, dangerous goods status, and the moment it must be on site.
Can we set up standing arrangements for regular routes?
Yes. Where lanes recur — stores to facility, base to base, out to calibration and back — agreed pricing and invoice accounts can be put in place. Speak to dispatch about your typical routes and volumes.
What if a planned job becomes urgent?
It escalates to the same dispatch team as an AOG movement. Call the same number and tell us the position has changed.
Have ready: collection points, delivery point and contact, what must arrive, and the shift or aircraft arrival it must precede.