Why the first message matters
When an aircraft is on the ground, every back-and-forth message costs time. Most delays in AOG sourcing are not about finding the part. They are about missing or unclear information at the start. Send the right details in the first request and your supplier can start searching immediately.
The checklist
- Part number, exactly as written in the illustrated parts catalogue, plus any alternate or superseding part numbers you know are acceptable.
- Description and ATA chapter, so the supplier can sanity-check the part number.
- Aircraft type, model and registration or serial number, and engine type if the part is engine related.
- Quantity needed now, and whether you will need more soon.
- Acceptable condition: new, new surplus, overhauled, serviceable, repaired or as removed (for exchange or core).
- Release paperwork required: FAA 8130-3, EASA Form 1, OEM certificate of conformity, or a dual release.
- Where the aircraft is, where the part must be delivered, and the deadline in local time.
- Whether an exchange, loan or lease is acceptable, and whether you can return a core.
- A phone or WhatsApp number for the person who can approve a purchase.
Mark the urgency honestly
Mark a request as AOG only when an aircraft is genuinely grounded. Suppliers prioritise AOG requests, and that priority only works while the label means something. Routine and urgent requests are still answered quickly, just not ahead of a grounded aircraft.
Before you approve the purchase
- Ask for photos of the part, its data plate and its paperwork.
- Confirm the release certificate matches the part number and serial number.
- Confirm packaging, dangerous goods handling if relevant, and who books the freight.
- Agree the delivery route and a tracking contact before the part leaves.
What a good AOG desk does
A good AOG desk answers the phone at any hour, confirms the part number and paperwork before quoting, and tells you plainly if it cannot help so you can look elsewhere without losing time. Speed matters, but accuracy matters more, because the wrong part costs a second delay.