A methodology for the assessment of unit cost drivers for commercial aircraft

Presented in this paper are the prerequisite steps in a methodology for the identification and assessment Of unit cost drivers for use in the development of a new design-oriented unit cost estimation methodology for large commercial jet aircraft with minimum seating capacity of 100 passengers. The work presented here focuses on unit cost, which is a significant element of the total aircraft cost and for the initial aircraft design process in particular. The methodology aims to investigate how aircraft design properties could influence cost. Cost estimation relationships. containing a wide range of the most highly correlated parameters. are retrieved from detailed regression analysis conducted on two different aircraft generation categories. Since the methodology is based oil actual cost and technical data, it is accurate both in terms of predicting the aircraft unit cost or conducting cost-comparative Studies between different aircraft concepts. The emphasis in this paper is mainly on the development approach and parameter assessments, adopted towards the final unit cost estimation methodology.