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maintenance control center. Developed by the from Europe,” says Parisot. “We also expect three operators on
company’s MRO Lab innovation program, the the 787 to use the service in the near future.”
tool has been successful in predicting failures Among the engines that Prognos for engines can monitor are
between 30 to 50 flights in advance. CFM56s, GE90s, CF6s, PW4000s, GENXs and GP7200s. Fully
operational, it is now being used by Air France-KLM and more
The predictive maintenance tool was originally than 30 other airlines. In spite of the fact that various airlines have
created as a response to operational issues on showed an interest in the tool, AFI KLM E&M hasn’t been aggressive
Air France’s Airbus A380s. “We initially looked in marketing Prognos for aircraft.
at the market for a solution but there was none.
That is when we decided to work on it our- “It is not easy to scale it up,” says Parisot. “It is a service that we
selves. When we saw that we were not only offer; it is not just about downloading a software. It is about having
able to able to successfully address the issue people beyond the software analyzing the data and providing very
but also predict failures before they happened, clear and accurate recommendations. We now have 15-20 people
we decided to scale it up into a real program,” on the team, each of them has excellent technical knowledge of
says Parisot. aircraft and a data-driven vision of maintenance. We would like to
double or triple the number in the future. Only then will we be able
The MRO collects data from an aircraft soon to take more customers.”
after a flight. “We determine what parameters
we have to acquire on the aircraft,” says Parisot. Focusing on Key Systems
“We help the airline program the aircraft and AFI KLM E&M does not address the whole aircraft with Prognos
then get data out of it by using Wi-Fi or 4G. The but targets specific components and systems. “We focus on the
data flows out of the aircraft to the cloud server most important systems that crate a lot of issues from an oper-
that we use. We put the solution on the cloud ational perspective,” says Parisot. “The most important systems
as well. The cloud location is decided based are landing gear system, the fuel system, flight control system,
on the needs of the carrier. For instance, the the supplemental cooling system, and air conditioning. For each
location for Air Asia is Singapore.” system, we are talking about 20 to 30 part numbers to completely
modernize the system and to correct risk of faults.”
Being able to identify failures between 30 to 50 flights in advance
has many advantages, says Parisot. “It gives the airlines time to
organize and schedule operations. You are not facing any AOG
situation in an outstation. The turnaround time is shorter too.”

Use of Digital Tools
Keeping pace with technology is key for success, believes Parisot.
“The priority for us is mobility,” he says. “Our technicians do
everything through the iPad. That gives them access to technical
documentation and the maintenance information system. They are
able to access the maintenance history of the aircraft. We also
use our data analytical skills to optimize operations in the hangar.”
AIR ASIA WAS THE LAUNCH
CUSTOMER ON THE A320 FOR The MRO use drones for inspection of the A320 and has tied up
with Donecle for the purpose. It also makes use of Virtual Reality for
PROGNOS. “WE HOPE TO HAVE IN training and for cabin modifications, as well as Augmented Reality.
THE COMING MONTHS ANOTHER “It is important to organize an ecosystem of partner start-ups,”
OPERATOR ON THE A320, THIS says Parisot. “We have space in our new facility to invite start-ups,
TIME FROM EUROPE,” SAYS other partners and universities to do co-innovations. Having such
partnerships is very important.”
PARISOT. “WE ALSO EXPECT THREE
OPERATORS ON THE 787 TO USE In an industry littered with buzzwords that sees technology becom-
THE SERVICE IN THE NEAR FUTURE,” ing dated almost on a daily basis, how difficult is it to sell a digital
Rodolphe Parisot, AFI KLM E&M Chief Digital offering to a customer? “All these are new concepts,” says Parisot.
Officer. “A lot depends on the airline culture and mindset. If you have people
in the organization who are completely dedicated to innovation,
Operators Show Interest then it is easier. It is sometimes hard to convince operators because
Air Asia was the launch customer on the A320 it takes time to have a real, complete solution that substantiates
for Prognos. “We hope to have in the coming the value of the digital offering. We come up with real solutions
months another operator on the A320, this time that work, solutions that we experiment with and use in our own
environment first.”

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