Page 7 - AAA JULY - SEPTEMBER 2019 Online Magazine

as automatic vending and luggage check-in.
Another key focus area is improving in-flight
connectivity. Airlines have also started to invest
significantly in new technology as part of their
efforts to woo flyers in an increasingly crowded
market. China Southern Airlines, which oper-
ates the largest fleet in Asia and the third
biggest worldwide, has introduced online seat
selection for all domestic flights and paper-
less e-boarding passes. Since October last
year, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon have
had paperless services on their 15 daily flights
between Shanghai Pudong and Hong Kong.
Hainan Airlines has announced a partner-
ship with Honeywell that would see Honeywell
supply auxiliary power units (APU) and after-
market support to the airline’s fleet, including its industry experts are of the opinion that OEMs will look to increase
GoDirect connected maintenance services, a their aftermarket share by imposing restrictions on the use of the
predictive technology based primarily on data. intellectual property they own or the licenses they provide, thus
In November last year, the Commercial Aircraft making it imperative for MROs to either create their own IP or
Corp. of China (COMAC) and e-commerce collaborate with IP holders.
giant Alibaba Group launched the Wang Jian According to ICF, the percentage of e-enabled new generation
Large Aircraft Workshop, an initiative to explore aircraft in the global fleet is set to increase from about 30 percent
the use of intelligent manufacturing technology in 2017 to 60 percent in 2027, up from about 9,000 out of the
in passenger aircraft. COMAC is the developer total 29,000 aircraft to 24,000 out of 39,000. The consulting firm
expects as many 23,500 aircraft to be equipped with Aircraft Health
Monitoring (AHM) by 2027, a healthy growth of 10.4 percent CAGR.
Industry players are also expected to increasingly use data analyt-
ics and predictive maintenance to brings down operational costs.
With many carriers waking up to the benefits of aircraft health
monitoring, industry experts expect it to become a trend globally.
Delta Air Lines’ predictive maintenance approach resulted in 1,000
avoided engine events in a year and a 98 percent reduction in
maintenance-related cancellations from 2010-2016. Cathay Pacific
was able to APU-related delay time by 51 percent using Honeywell’s
predictive maintenance trial program.

OEMs Show the Way
In keeping with their size and scope, OEMs have been in the fore-
of China’s C919 large passenger airplane. front of digitalization. Stan Deal, President and CEO of Boeing
“It is widely recognized that digitalization is Global Services, believes the company’s digital offerings, one of
a new value-growth point,” says Xu Jun, vice its four core capabilities, have the most potential for growth. “We
president of Asia-Pacific OEMs of Honeywell offer a broad portfolio of software tools that are designed to make
Aerospace. “Alongside dramatic growth in the total eco-system more efficient. We think that it is an area that
China’s civil aviation sector, civil aviation author- could grow by a factor of ten over time,” he says.
ities, domestic aviation manufacturers and
technological giants are eying digitalization.” The company’s focus on data analytics seems to be producing the
desired results. In 2017, Boeing launched Boeing AnalytX and since
Stiff Competition then has signed contracts with a number of high-profile customers,
Given the high stakes and the rapid advances in including Delta Air Lines, China Airlines, AirBridgeCargo, Korean
technology, there is a growing sense of urgency Air, Turkish Airlines., Japan Airlines, Qantas, MTU Aero Engines
among every section of the industry - carriers, and United Airlines.
OEMs, MROs and suppliers – to come up with Boeing is also focused on using data analytics more on the mili-
the right digital strategy. tary side and has signed a deal with Singapore’s Defence Science
and Technology Agency (DSTA) to jointly develop an information
For MROs, the challenge is even more daunt- management tool that leverages data analytics to identify trends
ing due to the greater involvement of OEMs and insights on aircraft performance. The tool will be used to ana-
in the aftermarket, and the entry into service lyze flight and maintenance data for the Republic of Singapore Air
of new-generation aircraft and engines. Many Force (RSAF)’s F-15 and AH-64 aircraft.

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