Crew planning or scheduling is one of the most challenging and compute-intensive tasks in the aviation industry, and its complexity increases as crew sizes and the number of flights grow. The whole process is typically divided into two sequential phases: pairing and rostering.

In the aviation and maritime industries of 2026, crew planning is the highly complex process of scheduling personnel to ensure all operational, regulatory, and safety requirements are met. It involves three distinct phases: Pairing, Rostering, and Tracking. Planners must coordinate thousands of pilots and flight attendants, ensuring each person has the correct certifications (ratings), sufficient rest periods mandated by the FAA or EASA, and "duty time" limits to prevent fatigue. In 2026, this is almost entirely handled by AI-driven optimizers that balance cost-efficiency with crew well-being, often using Bio-mathematical Fatigue Models to predict alertness levels. Crew planning also accounts for "standby" or "reserve" crews who are ready to step in during weather disruptions or illness. Effective 2026 crew planning is considered the "backbone" of airline profitability, as labor is the second-largest expense after fuel, and even a small scheduling error can lead to a cascading series of flight cancellations.