Aircraft Refurbishment Change Orders: What Owners Should Watch
Change orders are where an aircraft project reveals whether the original scope was genuinely clear.
Some changes are unavoidable. An aircraft is disassembled and hidden damage is found. A component fails inspection. The owner elects to upgrade a system after induction. Engineering discovers a condition that could not reasonably have been known earlier.
Those are legitimate changes.
Others are the financial consequence of ambiguity that existed before the contract was signed.
The First Question: Is This Actually a Change?
Before approving a change order, compare it to the original proposal, statement of work, drawings, specifications, assumptions and exclusions.
If the contracted scope says a component will be refurbished to a defined condition, a later charge for work required to achieve that condition deserves scrutiny. If removal and installation were reasonably necessary to perform contracted work, the owner should understand why they are now separate charges.
This is why vague scope language becomes expensive.
Ask for Cause, Not Just Price
A good change order explains what was discovered, why it is outside the original scope, what corrective action is proposed, what alternatives were considered, what it costs and what it does to schedule.
“Additional labor required” is not enough information for a consequential approval.
The owner’s representative should be able to trace the change from condition to technical disposition to commercial impact.
Watch the Markup Chain
Aircraft projects often involve third-party vendors.
A component may leave the completion center, go to a specialist, require parts from another supplier and return with freight, handling and multiple layers of markup attached.
The commercial agreement should define how outside services are marked up and what documentation the owner is entitled to review.
Small percentages applied repeatedly across a large project become meaningful.
Schedule Impact Can Exceed Cost Impact
Every change order should address schedule.
A modest part replacement can become a critical-path event if the part has a long lead time. A late cabin modification can require new engineering, testing or certification and delay installation of surrounding components.
Owners should understand whether the change consumes schedule float, moves redelivery or can be worked in parallel.
Beware of “While We’re Here”
Aircraft disassembly creates opportunities to add scope.
Some are smart. If the aircraft is already open, performing a future-needed modification can avoid another downtime event.
But “while we’re here” can also turn a disciplined refurbishment into an expanding program with no stable budget or schedule. Each addition should be evaluated against owner utility, incremental downtime, future maintenance plans and resale considerations.
Maintain a Live Change Log
Every change should have an identifier, description, originator, quoted amount, approved amount, schedule impact, approval date and invoice status.
That log becomes the commercial history of the project.
Without it, owners are vulnerable to duplicate billing, forgotten credits, mismatched invoice amounts and a final reconciliation exercise based on memory.
Jet Karma’s Approach
Jet Karma reviews change orders against the contracted baseline before recommending approval, as part of broader refurbishment project management. The goal is not to reject legitimate work. It is to make sure the owner pays for genuine changes rather than for unclear scope, duplicated responsibility or unsupported assumptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are change orders normal in aircraft refurbishment?
Yes. Some unknown conditions cannot be identified before teardown. The goal is not zero change orders; it is disciplined, documented change control.
Should work begin before a change order is approved?
Only when the owner has intentionally authorized that process, such as urgent airworthiness work. Otherwise commercial approval should precede work to preserve cost control.
What documentation should accompany a change?
At minimum: description of the condition, why it is outside scope, proposed corrective action, cost basis and schedule impact. Photos, vendor quotes or technical references may also be appropriate.