AOG Logistics: How We Move Aircraft Parts Fast

When an aircraft is AOG (Aircraft on Ground), every minute matters. Maintenance teams need the right part in the right place—now—to release the aircraft back into service and avoid cascading delays, missed rotations, and escalating costs. This guide explains how AOG logistics works, which options move parts fastest, and how K&L Freight coordinates the end-to-end sprint from shelf to hangar.

What “AOG” Means—and Why It’s Different

AOG is the aviation industry’s urgent service level for parts that keep an aircraft grounded until installed and signed-off. Unlike routine spares flows, AOG logistics moves are built for speed, certainty, and chain-of-custody clarity. That often means premium air services, onboard couriers, special export/compliance handling, and 24/7 control-tower communications.

In AOG, the operational clock starts at diagnosis—not at pickup. Success depends on rapid parts identification, regulatory-clean documentation, and the fastest workable route.

Typical AOG Parts (and Pitfalls)

• Rotables & LRUs (e.g., avionics, flight-deck components)

• Powerplant & APU items (fuel nozzles, sensors, starter-generators)

• Hydraulic/pneumatic assemblies (actuators, valves)

• Landing gear & brake components

• Consumables & hardware (time-critical kits)

Common pitfalls: misdeclared hazmat (e.g., lithium batteries), wrong ECCN/dual-use flags, missing repair/return paperwork, and airport cut-off misses that force a 24-hour slip. See our pieces on Time-Sensitive Shipments and Trade Compliance.

The AOG Logistics Playbook (Step-by-Step)

1) Confirm the Requirement

• Part identification: PN/SN, IPC ref, mod status, alternate PNs.

• Airworthiness & paperwork: EASA/CAA/FAA release tags (e.g., EASA Form 1), trace to last cert.

• Incoterms & delivery point: airside/hangar/line station, MRO contact, opening hours.

2) Choose the Fastest Feasible Mode

• NFO (Next-Flight-Out): counter-to-counter uplift on the very next service.

• Onboard Courier (OBC): a dedicated courier hand-carries the part through check-in and handover at destination—ideal for small, high-value items with tight connections.

• Air charter / part-charter: when the part is oversized/ADR-restricted or timings don’t fit scheduled services.

• Dedicated road (regional/UK-EU): when road beats air once cut-offs and screening are considered.

For context on air options and when to pay for speed, see Air Freight for UK Exports and Sea Freight vs Air Freight (for mode trade-offs).

3) Get the Docs Right—First Time

• Commercial invoice & packing list (accurate HS code; repair/return language if applicable).

• Airworthiness paperwork (e.g., EASA Form 1/FAA 8130-3) aligned to the part shipped.

• Licences & export controls (ITAR/EAR/UK dual-use where relevant).

• Dangerous Goods declaration if required (e.g., lithium batteries within avionics) under IATA DGR.

  • IATA DGR overview: IATA – Dangerous Goods

  • UK lithium battery carriage guidance: UK CAA – Lithium batteries

Where it helps cash-flow and speed, use Inward Processing (IP) for repair/return to suspend duties/VAT on parts temporarily imported to the UK: GOV.UK – Inward Processing.

4) Build the Fastest Door-to-Door

• Cut-offs & screening: book shipments against airline acceptance windows and security screening lead-times.

• Proactive customs: pre-alert brokers, lodge entries in advance, and prepare fallback MRNs.

• Airside delivery: arrange GHA/handler handoffs and escorts if delivery must be airside/line-station.

• Live control tower: ETA tracking at piece/flight level, with diversion and re-routing authority.

5) Manage Hazmat & Special Handling

AOG parts frequently include regulated items (e.g., lithium battery packs, aerosols, oxygen components). Apply the IATA DGR and carrier variations, pack to the correct PI (packing instruction), and ensure competent DG sign-off. If temperature control or shock protection is needed, spec the packaging and monitoring devices accordingly.

• IATA cargo handling references: IATA – Cargo & Mail Handling

How to Shorten the AOG Clock (Without Blowing the Budget)

• Stock where it matters: forward-stock critical rotables at hub stations; use vendor-managed inventory for fast movers.

• Pre-approved routings: keep ready-to-roll SOPs for top AOG lanes with airline cut-offs and handler contacts.

• Pre-cleared compliance: keep a document pack template (invoice language, DGR checklists, export control flags).

• Right-sized packaging: optimize dims to avoid oversize categories and speed acceptance.

• Visibility that matters: event-based alerts (ready-at-origin, security cleared, loaded, airborne, arrived, tendered).

For live re-planning in disruption, see our guidance on Route Optimisation and The Cost of Delays.

KPIs for AOG Performance

• AOG response time: diagnosis → pickup

• Door-to-door transit: pickup → line-station delivery

• On-time to promise (OTP): against the committed ETA

• Handovers: count & dwell at each node (GHA, broker, courier)

• First-time-right docs: % shipments cleared with zero queries

• Premium cost per saved hour: expedite spend vs. downtime avoided

Example: Composite AOG Recovery

A narrow-body goes AOG logistics in Manchester (MAN) for a flight-deck LRU originating in Frankfurt (FRA). K&L confirms PN/trace, raises an OBC to collect from the vendor counter, pre-alerts customs with a repair/return entry, and books the courier on the next FRA→MAN service inside airline acceptance. A landside handoff connects to a dedicated vanstraight to the hangar. Total door-to-door: 6h 40m, with installation scheduled on arrival. No DG queries, no re-screen, no missed cut-offs.

How K&L Freight Runs AOG

With 35+ years in urgent international movements, K&L Freight operates AOG desks that align maintenance control, airline handlers, couriers, and customs into a single, accountable plan:

• Immediate parts & paperwork validation (airworthiness, DGR, export flags)

• NFO, OBC, charter, and dedicated road—selected by time/value at risk

• Pre-booked airport handlers and airside escorts where required

• Control-tower comms with live ETAs and authority to re-route in flight irregularities

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