Model-based evaluation of avionics maintenance and logistics processes

Model-based design using executable models has the potential to increase system design efficiency and accuracy significantly. In the paper we present an industrial application which covers system design issues in the area of avionics and airline operation, especially taking into account maintenance and logistics operations and their impact on fleet availability. Such a complex system needs to be modeled on a very abstract level of detail in the early phases of design, and undergoes a stepwise refinement throughout the further development. Executability of a model ensures that the model is a behavioral specification, and allows simulation runs for a performance evaluation of design alternatives. Decisions can thus be made with more confidence. We use the software tool MLDesigner in the paper, which is capable of modeling an evaluating hierarchical multi-domain models of complex systems. Different models of computation for submodels can be mixed, and an extensive library of predefined modules is available. We present parts of an abstract airline model from an ongoing project, which is used to evaluate, among others, resource availabilities.