So lets start by saying that production planning has nothing to do with the operator (so not to confuse with the maintenance planning activities which sit within the operators remit).
Production Planning belongs to the Part 145 Production Organisation – To be effective it needs to interface with the PART M Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) and ideally to be able to influence the CAMO in a positive way.
Production Planning could be considered an art in that we need to effectively bring together a number of disparate elements to obtain the best possible result in the minimum time whilst recognising the importance of Safety, Human Performance and Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS).
Whilst the Operators CAMO is responsible for the delivery of an effective and viable maintenance planning process, it is the EASA part 145 Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) which has the responsibility to perform the maintenance in accordance with the work package.
EASA AMP Obligations
EASA requires Operator Reviews of Validity and Effectiveness of the AMP - EASA Annex I – Part M - Subpart C - M.A. 302 Aircraft Maintenance Programme - (g) … The aircraft maintenance programme shall be subject to periodic reviews and amended accordingly when necessary. These reviews shall ensure that the programme continues to be valid in light of the operating experience.
Operators are able to strongly influence the success of a continuous development of scheduled maintenance program data but providing a virtuous circle of feedback to the Type Certificate Holder (TCH), A continuous review of TCH and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) service bulletins, reliability data, service letters, airworthiness directives provides source material for optimisations.
