How One Missing Part Costs Airlines Millions: Aviation Expert Ben Cupidi Unpacks AOG Crises

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that a single missing aircraft component can set off major financial and operational problems for airlines, according to Ben Cupidi, Aerospace Manager for Europe at Chapman Freeborn. In an interview published Monday from Kampala, Cupidi described Aircraft-on-Ground, or AOG, events as emergencies that can disrupt schedules, passenger handling and fleet planning far beyond the immediate delay of one flight.

He said the central issue is not only getting a part moved quickly, but choosing the most practical transport option for the cargo, deadline and route restrictions. Depending on the size and urgency of the shipment, airlines and freight providers may use an onboard courier, a next-flight-out service on a commercial aircraft, part-charter space, or a full dedicated charter for larger items. The report presents these as tools used to match speed with cost and operational limits.

Cupidi also urged airline managers to work with specialist logistics firms so a grounded aircraft does not create wider losses. The piece places this advice in the context of tighter supply chains and the pressure on carriers in Africa and elsewhere to keep aircraft available for service. The broader point is that emergency aviation logistics can affect not just maintenance timing, but revenue, customer service and network reliability.