Speaking at MRO Management's PAM Europe Conference in Dublin this week, Sander de Bree, founder and chief executive of EXSYN argued that the industry's ambitions for more sophisticated analytics risk being undermined by fragmented systems, inconsistent records and manual data management processes.
“The industry talks about AI and predictive maintenance. Most operators are still trying to make their data usable,” he told delegates.
“Data doesn’t align between systems. Engineers manually reconcile records. Reports live in spreadsheets, Word and PowerPoint. And confidence in data changes over time.”
For EXSYN, which has developed aircraft data management solutions since 2014, addressing these underlying challenges is essential before operators can fully exploit predictive technologies.
“For more than a decade, EXSYN has worked on one problem with technical departments: how do we build trust in aircraft data?” Sander explained.
He outlined three fundamental requirements for effective aircraft data management: clean, structured and validated records, connectivity between otherwise fragmented systems, and trusted information capable of supporting engineering and operational decisions.
To demonstrate how these principles translate into practice, de Bree presented several airline case studies illustrating the application of EXSYN's modular data solutions across different operational environments.
At ASL Aviation Holdings, EXSYN has introduced automated aircraft data health checks, including the monitoring of critical airworthiness records and notifications when potentially suspicious or inconsistent information is detected. The operator also uses a centralised OEM documentation library, automatically integrating revisions to aircraft maintenance manuals, illustrated parts catalogues and maintenance planning documents, alongside airworthiness directives sourced from EASA and the FAA.
Meanwhile, TexelAir has implemented an integrated aircraft data environment connecting onboard aircraft information, electronic technical logs, maintenance and engineering systems, and flight operations data. This supports advanced reliability analytics, technical operations performance monitoring and automated reporting.
The airline is also using EXSYN's AOG Risk Monitor across four air operator certificates (AOCs), ranking aircraft according to potential AOG exposure and identifying the components contributing to that risk.
The solution compares critical components against historical removal data and incorporates Minimum Equipment List (MEL) categories to prioritise components capable of grounding an aircraft. Components in their early service life can instead be placed on a watch list, helping engineering teams distinguish between emerging risks and those requiring immediate intervention.
At Norse Atlantic Airways, Sander explained that EXSYN's engineering analytics capabilities are being applied across the airline's Boeing 787 fleet, supporting reliability reporting, technical operations performance analysis and Rolls-Royce engine utilisation monitoring against lease terms. Applications also include live ACARS message analytics, safety performance indicators and supply chain optimisation.
Perhaps the clearest illustration of the financial benefits came from Volotea, where machine learning-driven supply chain optimisation has helped reduce annual AOG order expenditure by 23%.
De Bree explained that the solution supports inventory and procurement decisions across eight line maintenance stations and two heavy maintenance locations, taking into account planned line and base maintenance alongside predicted unscheduled requirements.
Together, the examples demonstrated how improving data quality and connectivity can deliver practical operational benefits, from more reliable airworthiness records and improved engineering visibility to better maintenance planning and reduced supply chain costs.
De Bree also highlighted EXSYN's position as an independent provider of aircraft data solutions for operators, MROs and lessors, founded and developed by aviation engineers for aviation engineers.
The company currently supports 38 airlines and operators across 29 aircraft types and 32 countries, with integrations spanning 16 different MRO and maintenance and engineering systems.
His central message was that the industry must establish confidence in its underlying data before expecting advanced analytics and AI to deliver their full potential.
“Data continuity starts with one conversation,” de Bree concluded.
