Manager Planning

Job Title: Manager Planning

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Company: Etihad Airways

Overview of the Role

The Manager Planning position at Etihad Airways is a senior leadership role within the airline’s maintenance and technical operations division. This role is responsible for overseeing the entire Maintenance Planning Department, ensuring that aircraft maintenance schedules, regulatory requirements, operational commitments, and service provider obligations are all managed efficiently and effectively.

In the aviation industry, aircraft maintenance planning is one of the most critical operational functions. It ensures that aircraft are safe, airworthy, and available for scheduled flights while also maintaining compliance with international aviation regulations. The Manager Planning plays a key role in coordinating between engineering teams, operational departments, regulatory authorities, and external maintenance providers.

The individual in this role must demonstrate strong leadership abilities, strategic planning skills, technical expertise, and operational management experience. The position requires managing complex maintenance schedules, coordinating major aircraft checks, ensuring regulatory compliance, and leading a team of planners and technical staff.

The Manager Planning will also be responsible for budget control, performance management, operational improvements, and regulatory compliance, ensuring that Etihad Airways maintains its high standards of safety and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Department Management

One of the core responsibilities of the Manager Planning is to provide strong leadership and direction to the Maintenance Planning department. The role involves supervising planning staff, ensuring that departmental objectives are met, and maintaining alignment with the airline’s operational goals.

The manager ensures that maintenance planning processes are structured efficiently and that all team members clearly understand their responsibilities. The role also requires motivating employees, monitoring their performance, and providing guidance to improve operational efficiency and productivity.

Regular staff performance evaluations are conducted using Etihad’s internal appraisal systems. Based on these evaluations, the Manager Planning identifies training needs, addresses performance gaps, and supports the professional development of team members.

Maintenance Planning Operations

The Manager Planning oversees the planning and coordination of all aircraft maintenance activities. This includes scheduling routine inspections, preventive maintenance, and major maintenance checks such as A checks and higher-level maintenance events.

Aircraft maintenance must be carefully scheduled to ensure that aircraft remain available for flights while still meeting safety and regulatory requirements. The manager coordinates maintenance slots with operational scheduling teams to avoid disruptions to flight schedules.

The role also involves managing the entire lifecycle of maintenance projects, beginning with the planning phase and continuing through execution and post-maintenance review processes.

Regulatory Compliance and Airworthiness

A major responsibility of the Manager Planning is ensuring that all maintenance activities comply with national and international aviation regulations related to aircraft airworthiness and safety.

The role requires staying up to date with aviation regulatory frameworks and ensuring that the airline’s maintenance procedures meet these requirements. The manager works closely with regulatory authorities and internal compliance teams to ensure that all planning activities adhere to established guidelines.

Additionally, the manager ensures that all maintenance documentation and technical records are accurate, complete, and maintained in accordance with Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO) regulations.

Development of Maintenance Planning Procedures

The Manager Planning is responsible for developing and maintaining effective procedures and systems for maintenance planning. These procedures ensure that the department operates consistently and efficiently while meeting operational and regulatory requirements.

The manager regularly reviews existing processes and identifies opportunities for improvement. By implementing improved procedures, the department can enhance efficiency, reduce operational risks, and ensure better coordination with other departments.

Internal processes are also designed to support communication between planning teams, engineering staff, operations personnel, and external service providers.

Budget Management and Cost Control

Aircraft maintenance represents a significant portion of an airline’s operational expenses. The Manager Planning plays a key role in managing these costs by developing and delivering annual maintenance budgets.

The role involves monitoring maintenance expenditures, forecasting future maintenance costs, and ensuring that maintenance activities are completed within budget limits. Cost management must be balanced with safety requirements, ensuring that financial considerations never compromise aircraft safety or regulatory compliance.

The manager works closely with finance and operations teams to ensure that maintenance budgets align with the airline’s overall financial objectives.

Coordination with Internal and External Stakeholders

The Manager Planning interacts with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Internally, the role requires coordination with departments such as network scheduling, engineering, operations, and quality assurance.

Externally, the manager works with maintenance service providers, regulatory authorities, and industry partners to ensure that maintenance activities are conducted efficiently and in compliance with regulatory standards.

This coordination is essential for securing maintenance slots, scheduling aircraft downtime, and ensuring that maintenance projects are completed on schedule.

Maintenance Project Oversight

Another key responsibility of the Manager Planning is overseeing the lifecycle of maintenance projects. This includes planning maintenance events, organizing pre-maintenance meetings, coordinating with maintenance teams, and conducting post-maintenance reviews.

For major maintenance checks, the manager ensures that all necessary resources are available, including personnel, spare parts, and maintenance facilities. After maintenance work is completed, the manager participates in wash-up meetings to review the results and identify areas for improvement.

Quality Assurance and Safety Management

Safety is the highest priority in aviation. The Manager Planning plays a critical role in ensuring that maintenance planning activities support the airline’s safety management systems.

The manager monitors quality lapses and investigates any issues that arise during maintenance planning or execution. When problems occur, corrective actions are implemented in accordance with company procedures.

Regular audits are also conducted to verify that technical documentation and maintenance records meet regulatory requirements.

Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence

Etihad Airways is committed to maintaining high standards of operational excellence. The Manager Planning supports this goal by identifying opportunities to improve maintenance planning processes.

This may include introducing new technologies, improving communication systems, streamlining procedures, or implementing best practices from the aviation industry.

Continuous improvement initiatives help the airline maintain efficiency, reduce operational risks, and enhance overall performance.

Required Qualifications

Candidates applying for the Manager Planning role must possess strong technical knowledge and extensive aviation experience.

Applicants are typically required to hold a technical academic degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) in aeronautical engineering. Alternatively, candidates may hold an ICAO Type I or Type II license, demonstrating their professional certification in aircraft maintenance.

In addition to formal qualifications, candidates must have a minimum of seven years of operational experience in a maintenance planning environment. This experience ensures that candidates are familiar with aircraft maintenance processes, planning systems, and aviation regulations.

Essential Skills and Competencies

To succeed in this role, candidates must demonstrate a combination of technical expertise, leadership abilities, and operational management skills.

Key competencies include:

• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Advanced maintenance planning and operational coordination abilities
• Knowledge of aviation airworthiness regulations and safety standards
• Budget planning and financial management skills
• Crisis management and problem-solving capabilities
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage commercially sensitive information with discretion
• Excellent time management and organizational skills

Candidates must also have the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced aviation environment, where operational decisions must often be made quickly while maintaining strict safety standards.

About Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Over the years, the airline has grown into one of the world’s leading aviation companies, offering passenger and cargo services across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.

Etihad Airways is known for its high standards of service, innovative onboard experiences, and strong commitment to safety and operational excellence.

The airline is currently pursuing its Journey 2030 strategy, which aims to significantly expand the airline’s fleet and increase passenger capacity over the coming years.

As the airline grows, roles such as Manager Planning will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that Etihad’s fleet operations remain safe, efficient, and reliable.

Career Growth Opportunities

The Manager Planning role offers excellent opportunities for career development within the aviation industry. With experience and strong performance, professionals in this role may advance to senior leadership positions such as:

• Senior Manager – Maintenance Planning
• Director – Engineering Operations
• Head of Maintenance Planning
• Technical Operations Director

Working at Etihad Airways also provides exposure to international aviation standards, advanced aircraft technology, and large-scale airline operations, making it an attractive career path for experienced aviation professionals.