Development of structural repair process for commercial aircraft line maintenance

The goal of this Master's Thesis is to improve structural repair process within Blue1 Technical Operations. Grounding of an aircraft causes delays and cancellations of scheduled flights, which is harmful for the operator. This thesis focuses on developing typical structural repair processes. First a brief introduction to aircraft structures is made to understand how the structure can carry loads. Materials, repair principles, tools and repair techniques are reviewed to give the reader a general overview of the field of this study. Requirements concerning the repair documentation, set by EASA, are also reviewed. High quality and safety standards are key issues in aviation. Ali materials and instruction references should be traceable. The service history of the current fleet has been reviewed to identify typical damages. A total of five cases are presented in this thesis. The selected cases are analyzed and proposals for co-operation with other organizations are made. As a result of the analysis, a general guideline for damage repair process is introduced. Recommendations are also given for preventing and preparing for structural damages