B737-800
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Human Factors; Procedure
Last month I had [multiple] aircraft that had Nav databases that would expire that evening which were not overnighting at a maintenance station. I called maintenance on both aircraft to inform them. Their reply was 'we'll just placard it.' I had Aircraft X that did not have the upcoming Nav database installed. I checked the routing on the aircraft and it was not going to overnight at a maintenance station prior to expiration of the current database. I called maintenance and pointed this out (2 days notice). I checked and of course the Nav Database is now placarded on Aircraft X. Apparently there is no effort by maintenance to track aircraft that have not had the update and are using the MEL as a tool to defer their workload. I don't think that's the intent of the MEL. This puts additional workload on our flight crews and dispatchers to comply with the MEL along with the possible delay when the issue is initially discovered. There is also lower efficiency of not being able to fly RNAV SIDS and STARS per the MEL as well as engine out procedures and driftdown points that may not be able to be verified. Just what you want to have to deal with on a departure.... get the item placarded; get a new flight plan/re-file from dispatch since you probably have been filed on a RNAV departure and arrival and check that each point on the route has the proper coordinates to match the flight plan or charts.There is also the additional risk of crews not catching the Database is out of date. This is where a message of an upcoming data base change may come in handy.I have to show up for work with my publications current and up to date and I don't think that it's too much to ask of having an aircraft that's up to date as well.
B737 Captain reported the company lacked a proactive maintenance procedure to update the aircraft NAV database and relied upon the MEL to operate in a restricted condition.