Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM)

Leeham Co.’s proprietary Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) is a proven, independent tool for evaluating aircraft performance and cost. Developed over 16 years, APCM enables airlines, lessors, OEMs, and suppliers to make confident, data-backed decisions across aircraft fleet strategy, leasing, and competitive benchmarking.
What is APCM?
APCM delivers objective analysis across 110 new and existing commercial aircraft types, including:
- Jets (757 onward)
- Props & Turboprops
- eVTOLs and Conceptual Aircraft
It leverages:
- Aircraft Performance Model (APM) for fuel and energy consumption comparisons
- Aircraft Production Cost Model for estimating operating and production costs
- Cabin Generator that models LOPA (passenger layout) with minimal parameters
- Mission modeling: Fuel, Crew, Fees, Maintenance, Insurance, Capital Costs
Powered by Natural Language logic with 3,500+ parameters per aircraft, APCM normalizes OEM data to provide apples-to-apples comparisons across platforms.

APCM Applications
APCM has previously been used for:
✔ Airlines
✔ Aircraft Lessors
✔ OEMs & Tier 1 Suppliers
✔ Aviation Consultants & Investors
Applied in:
- Competitive aircraft benchmarking
- Contract bidding support
- Airline network optimization
- Fleet planning and aircraft procurement
- Lease pricing and forecasting
- MRO strategy & cost planning
Why APCM Matters
Key Benefits:
- Normalize performance claims across OEMs
- Predict mission-level costs, revenue and operating margin
- Simulate aircraft utilization and economics by route, region, or use-case
- Gain independent insights for decision-making outside OEM influence
“Other consultancies give you high-level results; you guys deliver the nuts and bolts.”
– Original Equipment Manufacturer
APCM Capabilities at a Glance

Ready for Actionable Aviation Insight?
Let Leeham’s team show you how APCM can support your aviation strategy.
Related Consulting Services
- Fleet Planning Analysis for Airlines and Lessors
- Airliner Evaluations, Advanced Air Mobility aircraft, eVTOLS and conceptual aircraft
- MRO and Lifecycle Cost Modeling
- Aircraft Economic Benchmarking