AIRLINE FLEET PLANNING - 2021/2

Module code: MANM334

Module Overview

To provide students with the fundamental skills of the aircraft selection and fleet planning process.

Module provider

Hospitality, Tourism & Events Management

Module Leader

O'CONNELL Frankie (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Overall student workload

Workshop Hours: 35

Independent Learning Hours: 115

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:


  • The fleet selection process

  • The market evaluation

  • The aircraft product

  • Aircraft performance

  • Aircraft economics

  • Evaluating competing products

  • Fleet planning for low-cost carriers

  • Fleet planning for network airlines

  • The investment appraisal


Assessment pattern

Assessment type Unit of assessment Weighting
Coursework INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (3000 WORDS) 60
Oral exam or presentation GROUP PRESENTATION 40

Alternative Assessment

Group presentation will be replaced by an individual assignment on the presentation topic of 2000 words.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is aimed at giving students the opportunity to gradually build up their knowledge and understanding of airline fleet planning and is designed to allow students to evidence their achievement of the learning outcomes. The assessment comprises an individual assignment and a group presentation.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

As part of the first assessment component (i.e., the individual assignment), students are examined based on critically reviewing the literature, theories and techniques related to airline fleet planning. This report has a target length of 2000 words.

For the second assessment (i.e., the group presentation) students will be working as a group to solve a practical issue faced by a company in the air transport industry.

Formative assessment and feedback

During the first seminar, the assignments and the feedback process is explained

Feedback is also provided during and after in-class discussions

As the seminars are built around topic-specific group exercises, students do not only benefit from lecture’s feedback but also receive peer evaluations

A pre-assignment feedback session is an integral part of this module and is offered in week 6. During this session, students work in groups on a task which reflects the report requirements and receive feedback on their work

Further, as part of the formative feedback, students are provided with good and bad practice examples and in group discussion will discuss the key components of good reports and less good reports

In the first lecture after submission, students are provided with initial feedback on what went well and not so well, hence outlining key learning issues deriving from the assignment

Once marking is completed, students are able to access a report online which contains detailed generic feedback as well as a breakdown of marks. This enables students to assess their own performance compared to their peer students

Summative feedback

For the first assessment, students receive written feedback together with their returned reports. Apart from comments on the scripts, a formal sheet outlines students’ strengths, areas for improvements and suggestions on how to improve students’ performance for other assignments.

A post-assignment feedback session is designed to help students to fully understand the feedback given, which is particularly important at this stage as the report is one of the first assignments that students submit.

Module aims

  • To provide students with the fundamentals of the aircraft selection and fleet planning process.

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed
1 Understand the key issues in airline fleet planning; KCP
2 Evaluate the economic and technical performance of different types of aircraft; KCT
3 Appreciate the different requirements in fleet planning for low-cost carriers and network airlines; KCT
4 Select the right aircraft for an airline operation; KCT

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to provide a framework of contemporary knowledge and theories supported by examples from industry. The current issues and debates will be highlighted so that the students are able to apply critical thinking to the literature. The teaching and learning methods are based on a series of lectures and, where appropriate case studies and guest lectures.

The learning and teaching methods include:

Lectures (2 hours x 11 sessions)

Seminars and/or class discussion (1 hours x 11 sessions)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM334

Programmes this module appears in

Programme Semester Classification Qualifying conditions
Air Transport Management MSc 1 Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.