Analyzing maintenance cost and developing some theories to reduce direct maintenance costs: Application in Turkey

Nowadays aircraft maintenance activities is considered as a key factor in ensuring the flight security, making the air transportation acquire a significant place in the society and improving the sector. Therefore it has an important place in airlines' being succesfull. In this context, improving flight safety and reliabilty in contrast reducing maintenance costs are the most important factors to affect this success. In this study, in considering mentioned importance and costs of maintenance activities, some theroies have been developed to reduce direct maintenance costs by examining the maintenance costs in details. Within this frame, basicly maintenance activities and concept, forming the main subject of the study, have been analyzed comprehensively. In additon, the position and importance of DMC in total operating costs have been explained by examining the cost concept and structure in airlines in general aspects. Afterwards, maintenance costs forming the main subject of the study have been examined in details and in the following chapter it has been developed some theroies to reduce Direct Maintenance Costs. In the last cahpter of the study, it has been studied the applicabilty of the methods aimed at reducing DMC in airlines registered in Turkey. At the end of the study, the obtained findings have been evaluated and compared to developed theories and it has been concluded that just a few methods are used and the concsciousness of reducing DMC has not been settled yet.