Cirium’s final webinar of 2023 titled “Has Aviation Transitioned to Industry 4.0?” saw industry experts discuss the progress and challenges faced by the aviation sector in embracing the fourth industrial revolution. I was delighted to moderate the panel including Arnau Guarch – Product & Insights Leader, Vueling, Martin Couët – Head of Sales EMEA, Satair, Axel Homborg – Director of Sales, MTU and Lee McConnellogue – CEO eCube.  

At the top of the discussion, we asked live attendees to share their opinion about how far along they feel aviation is in its transition to Industry 4.0:  

The webinar discussion highlighted several key themes, including predictive maintenance opportunities, the need for collaboration between OEMs and regulators, early-stage implementation of AI, evolving perspectives on “Big Data”, and predictions for 2024.  

Data-Driven Efficiency 

Data driven efficiencies within the aviation industry rely heavily on skilled individuals who can extract its value using the right digital platforms. Martin Couët noted it is essential to train people to use tools effectively in the first instance.  

Arnau Guarch shared Vueling’s approach on the use of data within the business.

‘’We have lots of initiatives. Initiatives to optimise revenues and reduce cost […] It helps in decision making to adjust our offer to market demand and not least that in playing a vital role in improving the robustness of the network, improving punctuality and reducing operational disruptions.’’ 

Predictive Maintenance and Aftermarket Activity 

Another significant point raised was the use of data to be more predictive with maintenance events and aftermarket activity. By utilising advanced analytics techniques and real-time monitoring systems, airlines can optimize their maintenance schedules, reduce downtime, enhance safety measures, and ultimately improve operational efficiency. 

Axel Homborg explained that MTU have been helping their clients by using data to help them understand an engine asset, contextualising the likelihood of the asset remaining on wing or requiring an early shop visit. MTU are also working hard to digitise the ‘dirty fingerprint’ of an engine asset, with the goal of creating better traceability, clearer processes and much less paperwork. He went on to describe further potential in the industry when considering life limiting parts, predicting the need for them in advance and setting them aside, rather than potentially paying over the odds for a last-minute part request.  

Martin explained how Satair leverages data to ensure the right part is in the right place at the right time for their customers, and Arnau shared examples of how Vueling are working on maintenance initiatives to improve operational performance.  

Collaboration between OEMs and Regulators 

Perhaps one of the most prevalent barriers to achieving Industry 4.0 in aviation is the necessity for the industry to unite in a standard approach.  

To achieve substantial changes towards Industry 4.0 adoption in aviation, the panel discussed the need for both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and regulatory bodies to have a shared responsibility in driving this transformation forward. Establishing a minimum industry standard is crucial for ensuring interoperability among different stakeholders’ systems while maintaining safety standards across all operations. 

At present, an obstacle that many in the industry face is siloes of data. Martin said that to create this collaboration plan, significant investment from all parties is required to create a centralised system that would enable seamless data sharing among various entities involved in aircraft manufacturing, operation, maintenance activities as well as regulatory compliance.  

Lee McConnellogue gave an example of how eCube are breaking down siloes whilst keeping their clients front and centre.

’Every company has its own digital platform however their ability to talk to each other has been very limited. eCube are ensuring that they have the correct systems in place to interface with their clients effectively – increasingly this means some sort of AI bridge.’’ 

Early Stages of AI Implementation 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged as one of the prominent trends discussed during the webinar; and it was noted that its application within aviation is still at an early stage. The panellists highlighted various use cases where AI is being used, however all acknowledged that there is much more potential yet to be realised, particularly for scenario planning activities.  

Some areas where AI is showing promise includes optimizing flight routes based on weather patterns or air traffic congestion analysis; enhancing passenger experience through personalized services; improving fuel efficiency by analysing engine performance data; automating routine tasks such as baggage handling or security checks; and enabling better decision-making through intelligent algorithms. 

Evolving Perspectives on “Big Data” 

During the discussion we talked about the term ‘Big Data’ and the panel emphasised that this term means different things to different people or businesses, depending on their context or level of technological maturity. 

Lee shared his view of ‘Big Data’: “We have been talking about it for a long time with lots of different meanings. To most businesses it is grabbing enough data to extract more revenue or increase efficiencies.’’  

Increasingly Lee sees this as an opportunity to harvest data to provide a ‘single source of truth’. A place of trusted information where you can model and respond quickly. 

Perhaps rather than focusing solely on big datasets alone without clear objectives or actionable insights derived from them – which may lead to information overload – organisations can consider adopting a more refined approach towards harnessing relevant data sets efficiently with specific goals in mind.  

A ‘Single Source of Truth’  

Lee cited the importance of selecting the right digital platforms, and referenced eCube’s experience of this: 

 ‘’We are on a journey here at eCube on how to select new digital platforms to take us on the next step of the journey we’re on, be those financial platforms or general ERPs for engineering and maintenance. When we’re selecting those products, more and more we’re looking at how that they can sit into an artificial intelligence world, one that allows you to create a single source of the truth, but also one that allows you to create a single source of truth to your organization, that efficiently plugs into that of your customers and suppliers.’’ 

Trusting the data that you are working with was also a talking point. Often in aviation there are multiple answers to one question depending on your data source.  

It’s safe to say that as an industry there is a huge amount of data to leverage, with the obstacle being unlocking and sharing it. Creating a seamless flow of data, or ‘digital thread’ throughout the entire lifecycle of an aircraft, from design and manufacturing to operation and maintenance could help to address the themes raised by our experts. This surely must be the starting point before we can even consider an aviation industry 5.0. Perhaps in the future we will see single flight deck operation of fully automated ATC and more use of digital twinning but until then, we must strive to meet and understand Aviation 4.0.  

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