APU fuel saving VS cost of availability of ground carts for cooling Essay

APU fuel saving VS cost of availability of ground carts for cooling and electricity - Essay Example Nevertheless, the APU requires a typical maintenance plan that costs approximately $50 per hour (John, 2015; 210). Considering an aircraft that flies 400 hours in a year, the cost of APU fuel would be $80, 000/year. The cost of maintenance would be $20,000. Therefore, the total annual cost of using the APU power generator would $100, 000. However, the cost might vary depending on changes on fuel price and also labor charges (Thom, 2014; 120). According to Green (2015; 216), there are other expenses that are associated with the use of APU power generators. They have to undergo through a process of approval by the FAA and other governing bodies. This process is very expensive and adds cost to the specified operational costs. Therefore, it is evident that the cost of using APUs is higher than $100, 000 during the first year of use. These expenses are made high due to factors such as high expense of the JET-A fuel that is used by the APUs (Williams, 2015; 514). On the other hand, the cost of using Ground carts is generally lower compared to that of APUs. The cost of using Ground Power Units varies according to the size of aircraft being serviced and also the overall services required (McCartney, 2014; 22). The initial cost of a Ground cart ranges between $12,000 and $18,000. However, charges for 400 Hz electricity and pre-conditioned air are administered on hourly rates, and they depend on the group of the aircraft (Middel, 2015; 418). Most airports classify aircrafts as; size A, size B and size C. For the size A aircrafts, the charges for 400 Hz electricity and pre-conditioned air are $38 per hour and $80 per hour respectively. The charges for size B aircrafts are $66 per hour and $139 per hour for 400 Hz electricity and pre-conditioned air respectively. On the other hand, size C aircrafts are charged $93 per hour and $200 per hour for Hz electricity and pre-conditioned air respectively (Nielsen, 2013; 244). Therefore, considering