Originally Posted by
tdracer
Everything on the MEL has a time limit associated with it (3 days and 10 days being the most common) - in most cases it can be extended, but just once (so figure 6 days and 20 days), at which time the aircraft is effectively AOG until the defect is fixed.
The intent - as Icarus noted - is that, during that time period, the aircraft will overnight at a maintenance base where the defect can be corrected.
Thanks for the refresher…I am intimately familiar with how an MEL works. The intent may be as you say but the reality is far less purist. The sheer number of aircraft carrying deferred items departing SYD, MEL, BNE etc every morning that also left yesterday morning and the morning before that, and the morning before that is higher now than ever before. As I said, under maintained aircraft being under maintained out of a deference to profit.