Aircraft Component Repair vs Replace Cost Calculator
A repair quote looks cheap until you count downtime and the shorter remaining life. This calculator puts repair and replacement on the same footing so beyond-economic-repair decisions rest on numbers.
Your numbers
Quoted repair or overhaul price.
Lease, loan or lost use per day while without the part.
Expected life after repair as a share of a new part.
Your results
A simplified model. It ignores warranty differences, tax, cores, pooling and fleet commonality. Use it to frame the decision, not to replace engineering judgment.
Cost per full life vs repair quote
Sweeps Repair quote from 2000 to 60000, holding your other inputs fixed.
Repair decision data from your ERP
Optional review of pulling repair history and cost into one view.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the calculator
Enter the repair quote, the price of a new or exchange unit, the turn time for each route and the daily cost of being without the part. Set the repaired life as a share of new life; a part returned to full limits is 100 percent, a unit with time-limited repair may be lower. The result gives total cost per full life for repair, the saving versus buying new and the break-even repair quote. The chart shows how the choice shifts as the repair quote grows.
The method
Each route's total is price plus days without the part times the daily cost. To compare unequal lives, the repair total is divided by the life share, so a repair giving 70 percent of a new life costs its total divided by 0.7. The break-even quote is the repair price at which both routes cost the same per full life.
- Repair total = quote + turn time x daily downtime cost
- New total = price + lead time x daily downtime cost
- Adjusted repair = repair total / life share
Common mistakes
Users often leave downtime at zero, which makes repair look better when a spare is not available. Others assume the repair restores full life without checking the repair scope or the remaining limits of the life-limited elements. Remember that spares, pooled rotables or exchange programs can cut downtime for either route. Core values, taxes and warranty are not included, so add them to the quote or price figures where relevant. Treat a result near zero as a toss-up and decide on risk and availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is beyond economic repair?
It is the point where repair cost is too high relative to a replacement. Many shops use a percentage of the new price, but a life-adjusted view like this one is more complete.
How should I set the life share?
Base it on the repair scope and the manufacturer data for limits after repair. If the repair restores the part fully, use 100 percent.
Does it include warranty?
No. If the new unit has a longer warranty or the repair carries a shorter one, adjust the prices to reflect the expected value of that coverage.
What daily cost should I use?
Use lease or loan cost for a substitute part, or the lost margin of the aircraft being out of service. If a spare is on the shelf, daily cost can be near zero.
If repair-or-replace decisions use data scattered across quotes and stock reports, we can help assemble the inputs from your ERP.
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