Aviation Business News

“A more efficient future”: TrustFlight, Boeing and partners to collaborate on new digital aircraft records platform

TrustFlight, Boeing, RaceRocks and The University of British Columbia (UBC) have announced they will collaborate to create a new digital records platform with the aim of improving efficiency in the aviation sector.

Developed in Canada, the Digital Aviation Record System (DARS) will be “the world’s first truly global” web-based component and airworthiness records platform, connecting data across the supply chain, according to the partners.

DARS will help to establish a framework for collaboration and co-investment on projects across all sectors, they said, with the aim of potentially saving the aviation industry up to US$3.5 billion a year.

“Most systems that manage and record aircraft maintenance are either paper-based or operator specific software solutions that are often unable to communicate with one another, meaning data has to be input and transferred manually,” said TrustFlight’s CEO Karl Steeves.

“We knew there was a better way to work, concluding that a consolidated digital platform like DARS could improve airline maintenance productivity and efficiency by up to 25 per cent, potentially saving the industry $3.5 billion a year.”

Working closely with existing industry maintenance and MRO system providers, “DARS will enhance their functionality by enabling seamless transfer of accurate aircraft information, removing the need for manual data entry and delivering significant efficiency improvements”, the partners said in a statement.

Commenting on the partnership, Boeing Canada Operation’s president Charles S. ‘Duff’ Sullivan said: “Replacing manual, paper-based procedures with accurate records will help accelerate this transformation in aviation. As we continue to pursue digital-first solutions across Boeing, innovations like DARS help airlines and operators reduce costs and operate more efficiently.”

TrustFlight said it has turned to RaceRocks for its experience in developing online fleet decision capabilities within the Canadian defence industry.

RaceRocks president Anita Pawluk said: “We’re excited to use our experience in extrapolating data into meaningful and user-friendly interfaces, simplifying what are often complex decision-making processes. Bringing our strengths to the project alongside subject matter experts from TrustFlight, Boeing and UBC will result in a higher quality solution that will enable teams and empower decisions.”

TrustFlight described UBC’s combined research expertise in blockchain and supply chain management as a “vital addition” to the consortium.

UBC Sauder School of Business’ professor of operations and logistics Dr. Harish Krishnan added: “We are excited to be contributing research knowledge and talent in supply chain management, analytics and blockchain to the DARS project.

“The airline industry was an early adopter of operations research techniques, and by focusing on applying a new set of technologies to eliminate inefficiencies in the maintenance supply chain, this project provides valuable new opportunities for our researchers and students to apply their learning.”

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