**7. Conclusions**

Two maintenance approaches are discussed in this chapter. Traditionally, scheduled maintenance is carried out at predetermined intervals to maintain a *Advantages of Condition-Based Maintenance over Scheduled Maintenance Using Structural… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83614*

desired level of safety. Recently, with the development of SHM techniques, condition-based maintenance uses onboard SHM sensors and actuators to detect damage on fuselage skins, which, in turn, may be performed as frequently as needed. Hence, maintenance is requested only when a particular condition is met.

The improved reliability and cost savings of condition-based maintenance over scheduled one are discussed. As the usage of onboard SHM system, downtime for each maintenance trip is shortened significantly in condition-based maintenance, leading to considerable cost saving of net revenue. This SHM system also avoids removing/installing the surrounding structures. All these factors may lead to significant cost savings in CBM. In addition, some potential advantages of conditionbased maintenance are discussed in this chapter, which includes reducing the possibility of human error during the maintenance process, preparing maintenance equipment in advance, and using the same sensors to detect other types of damages.
