What airline engineering heads expect from a maintenance partner

What is shaping aerospace

Aerospace brings together airlines, airports, MRO providers and component suppliers, with safety, reliability and certification at the centre of every decision.

• Passenger experience is a key differentiator for airlines and airports
• MRO and component buying depends on certification and turnaround
• Skilled talent is in short supply

An aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, working in India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia & Indonesia. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

An aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul provider

Sector

Aerospace

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Business panel, Qualitative research, Research consultancy

The MRO provider wanted to grow beyond its domestic customers but did not know how it compared with regional competitors or what decided contracts.

• Answer the core question: what airline engineering heads expect from a maintenance partner.
• Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.

Scope: 22 interviews with current and prospective customers.

Audiences we typically reach in aerospace

PassengersAirline and airport managersMRO providersComponent suppliersEngineers and technicians

Coverage: India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia & Indonesia. Markets: India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

• India
• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia
• Malaysia
• Indonesia

A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.

1. 1Brief
2. 2In-depth interviews with airline engineering heads
3. 3Insight

We interviewed engineering and technical procurement heads at airlines and leasing companies, exploring turnaround times, quality, documentation, pricing and communication during heavy checks.

Business panelQualitative researchResearch consultancy

• Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

interviews

22

• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• Turnaround predictability and proactive communication about findings mattered more than price.

In technical B2B services, predictability is often the real product.

• Build on the core insight: in technical B2B services, predictability is often the real product.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: turnaround predictability and proactive communication about findings mattered more than price.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The provider introduced daily progress reports during checks and used the findings in its regional sales pitch.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Interview summaries and key verbatims

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: how do airlines choose MRO partners?