Category: General Aviation

FL Technics is an integrated aircraft maintenance solutions provider, with offices across globe. The company’s expansion and growth over the last decade have been nothing short of phenomenal. It has been fascinating to watch FL Technics’ growth and change over the years, and it’s been amazing to document and to follow along. The company has hangars and shop facilities in most corners of the world, as well as an extensive network of line maintenance support stations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Canada. The company isn’t finished growing yet. It is about to open a brand new, tailor-made facility in the Dominican Republic to facilitate expansion in the Americas. CEO Zilvinas Lapinskas has been at the helm since 2013 and has overseen the amazing growth of the company.

As CEO of FL Technics, Lapinskas is responsible for the financial performance, including budgeting, capital allocation and profitability, while managing operations, risk and regulatory compliance. He says his goals as a leader include driving innovation and expansion and maintaining brand reputation are key priorities, along with fostering a strong company culture and employee engagement. He says he is focused on sustainable growth and operational excellence. Aviation Maintenance had a recent conversion with Lapinskas to hear about where the company is now, how they have thrived and what’s next for this global powerhouse MRO.

Aviation Maintenance: Give our readers an overview of your long list of capabilities.

Zilvinas Lapinskas: Let me start by saying that we are base maintenance providers, mainly for narrowbodies. We hold capabilities of Boeing 737 — Classic and NG — and we are about to get Maxes; then the Airbus A320 family; and we have just got Embraers — 170, 190. Before that, we had the Embraer 135 and 145. And, in our facility in Prestwick, Scotland, we support Boeing 787 and Airbus 330. That’s the only place where we provide maintenance to widebodies. As for the locations for base maintenance, mainly we are in Europe. Let’s start with Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania, Jakarta, and Bali Island, Indonesia, Prestwick in the UK.

Aviation Maintenance: What is your base maintenance expansion plan?

In October this year, we will open a facility in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, we are building the facility for narrowbody aircraft base maintenance – — A320 family and Boeing 737s, NGs and Maxes.

Aviation Maintenance: FL Technics operates a network of line stations across Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East. Tell us about your line maintenance work?

Lapinskas: We have roughly 100 line maintenance stations. Line maintenance stations in Canada where we acquired the company Wright International in 2020 was our entry into the North American aviation services market. In line maintenance, we provide maintenance to all the aircraft types: narrowbody and wide-body aircraft.

Aviation Maintenance: Who are some of your big line maintenance customers?

Lapinskas: Wizz Air, SAS and SAS Link and Turkish are big customers for us. Such airways as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airlines are line maintenance customers at our line maintenance stations in Europe. On the other side of the globe, in Canada line maintenance stations, we provide maintenance to such airlines as Iceland Air, Avianca, Egypt Air, Aero Mexico, Flair, Tap Airlines, Saudia Airlines.

Aviation Maintenance: Talk about FL Technics’ capabilities.

Lapinskas: We cover base and line maintenance, CAMO services (Continuous Airworthiness Management Organization) with more than 100 aircraft under CAMO. We have our own design and production organization, where we provide interior minor and major modifications. We design, print and apply livery decals. Recently, we expanded our scope and opened our own in-house sewing shop, approved under Part-21G.

The biggest part of our business is component trading. So, we buy narrow bodies like 320s and NGs and perform teardown of airframes. After the teardown, serviceable parts are released to the market and sold. It also provides us with our own stock. We have more than 500 customers all around the world. We have sales offices in Vilnius, Dubai, Thailand, Jakarta, Miami and so on. Latin America is not as well covered at the moment with spare parts trading, but it will be covered in the near future.

Another business stream at FL Technics is assets management. Assets such as engines, landings gear and airframes. We buy engines, and much like the airframes, we perform teardown and sell the parts. We also repair engines in our engine shop (or our partners’ shop) and sell engines. We have our own engine shop, a hospital repair engine shop in Kaunas, next door to our hangar where we repair and maintain the CFM56 engines: CFM-3, CFM-5, CFM-7.

Aviation Maintenance: What about wheels and brakes? Do you maintain wheels and brakes?

Lapinskas: Yes, now we come to wheels and brakes. We say that we are the number two provider of wheel and brakes service in the world. We have more than 600 aircraft under our contracts and programs. Our biggest customers are Tui, Norwegian, Wizz Air. We have dedicated wheels and brakes facilities in Hanover, Germany; in Budapest, Hungary, and opening a new facility in Bergamo, Italy. We also have a wheels and brakes shop in Vilnius, our base maintenance facility. It’s just the beginning. We have big ambitions and anticipate further growth of this business.

Aviation Maintenance: FL Technics also does logistics, correct?

Lapinskas: We also have a dedicated team for logistics. A few years ago, we decided to offer aerospace logistics services, as we deliver hundreds of parts each day for our customers. So, we offer our parts transportation know-how for third-party customers by providing the logistics [for them]. Not all logistics companies have an understanding of how aviation components, like engines, should be handled. We are planning to grow this business line as well.

Aviation Maintenance: There is also a training component to your business. Tell our readers about that.

Lapinskas: Yes, we have a very well-developed business of technical training. We provide technical training in more than 70 locations around the world. We have customers in Asia Pacific Central America, Africa, Europe, etc. Currently, we do not provide technical trainings in the United States because of the different regulations. We are an EASA Part-147 organization. More than 5,000-6,000 technicians get certifications from our technical training organization each year. In addition to technical training, we also offer online courses. And our strategy is very simple. We send our instructor to the customer’s place. I mean, if we have a customer somewhere in Central America, it doesn’t mean that this group of 25 people are coming to our hangar to do the training. It’s easier to send the instructor to their place instead of sending 25 guys to our place.

Aviation Maintenance: So, there has been a lot of expansion and growth into multiple areas during your tenure here.

Lapinskas: The revenue for 2024 was 400 million euros. When I joined the company at the end of 2013, the revenue was $80 million. So, during these 10 years, we grew five times, to 400 million. But we have to remember that we lost two years for COVID.

Aviation Maintenance: it is an amazing story. It’s been interesting to watch, and to report on over the years. Talk about some of the challenges that you’ve met as the company has grown.

Lapinskas: We have always been very active in the market with ambitious growth plans. When I joined the company, there was one hangar in Vilnius, a few line maintenance stations in Central Asia, and Vilnius. We started component trading business shortly after I joined. We also started expanding our line maintenance business. We built another hangar in Kaunas [Lithuania]. In parallel, we were looking at other regions for growth and aviation aftermarket in Asia-Pacific was growing, there was a demand for MRO services. So, we rented the hangar in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2015, and we built the MRO facility there from scratch.

We’ve got long-term customers; we’ve got a strong presence there and have started looking into expansion. We started talking to different airports in Indonesia. We considered if they would like to build a hangar for us, and we are ready to utilize it for the next 20 years. Finally, we got an agreement with Bali International Airport. They built a hangar, which we officially opened in November 2024. Right after the opening, we received maintenance approval from Australian CAA. We’re looking forward to the customers from Australia, Due to a huge number of flights from Australia to Bali Island, we can offer our customers to fly to our facility for maintenance without a ferry flight. It’s a good competitive advantage.

Aviation Maintenance: There were some acquisitions at that point, correct?

Lapinskas: In 2020 we acquired company in Italy -Flash Line Maintenance for the line maintenance expansion. Our subsidiary Storm Aviation also expanded. and in 2021, we acquired the Chevron Aircraft Maintenance and Chevron Technical Services, a family business MRO in Prestwick and Manchester. So, we now have a group of companies in the UK. We are growing organically, and we are growing by acquisitions.

To develop a closer relationship with our customers, we have opened an office in Dubai, UAE. We have much better connectivity with Africa from our Dubai office, and now we have built a strong client pool from Africa. That business is growing 20% each year.

Aviation Maintenance: What about your line maintenance business?

Lapinskas: We acquired Wright International Company in Canada, which had five-line maintenance stations — it was the beginning of our business in North America. Wright International has line maintenance services up to ‘A’ level checks, A.O.G. support and training for airlines at Canada’s major international airports, including Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal-Mirabel and Ottawa. Wright is a Transport Canada and EASA Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) licensed to service most commercial aircraft types.

Aviation Maintenance: You make it sound easy.

Lapinskas: What I’m telling you sounds very simple. It was not so simple. It was very challenging. A lot of hard work and dedication and I say that for great success you need 95% hard work and 5% success to be where we are today. Some of the cases, for example wheels and brakes might seem easier than others. In three years, we became the second largest Wheels and brakes services provider in the world because we were in the right place at the right time. A previous provider decided to close their wheels and brake shop in Europe and the customers came into the market. That’s why we have Norwegian, Wizz Air and Tui in our client’s pool today. That was the beginning. [There was] strong and fast growth of that business. This is just the beginning.

Aviation Maintenance: It is very difficult to manage a business that exists all over the world. Some places are harder to get to than others. Talk about things like standardization and keeping the quality of your work the same throughout the company, even in these locations around the world.

Lapinskas: I can answer that. I’m quite a big fan of LEAN methodology. We have standard procedures, standard practices, and guidelines on how we provide services, especially in base maintenance. We have our own time calculation system. We created our own production system. We call it base system. We use it in all of our facilities. When we implemented that, we became competitive and attractive to customers from Western Europe – When I joined the company at the end of 2013, 90% of the revenue was from Russia and CIS. It was a challenge to do that full turnaround of the production system, change the mindset of people and so on. And then, of course, when we entered completely new markets like Asia Pacific, [lean] is their mentality.

You have to be very flexible with your understanding and with your expectations. You cannot expect the same approach from the people in Europe as from the people in Asia-Pacific or North America, Latin America. The cultures and mentality are different. Also, you have to understand the local mentality, how to organize the work, build trust with employees. That was a challenge. But aviation is a multicultural business. Every day you meet people from different parts of the world, but we are all united by the passion for aviation.

Aviation Maintenance: What are some of the milestones that you’re most proud of during your tenure as CEO?

Lapinskas: I would say the global expansion of the company would be one of the proudest milestones. MRO from Vilnius expanding to Jakarta, to the UK, Canada, Africa, Italy, Bangladesh, Thailand office, now moving to Punta Cana, we can say we are a global player. I’m really proud of my team. The bigger part of the team has been working with me for up to 11 years. We are not just colleagues. We are real partners.

Why have you chosen expansion in Punta Cana?

The new facility in Punta Cana represents a significant milestone in FL Technics’ expansion, bringing our aircraft repair and overhaul expertise closer to operators in the Americas. Customers from United States and Latin America can reach us easier. We can have a well-diversified business with quite an attractive cost base.

Aviation Maintenance: The project in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic sounds exciting. Can you tell our readers what stage this project is at?

The facility is nearing completion construction, we have already secured key specialists and are actively recruiting the remaining team. Additionally, the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Instituto Dominicano De Aviación Civil (IDAC) is currently underway.

Located in Punta Canta, the site will open in October 2025 and will allow us to provide heavy maintenance operations in the Americas through a 52,000-square-meter complex, delivering base maintenance for Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 family aircraft.

We will roll-out of the new state-of-the-art aviation maintenance hub in three strategic phases. Phase one of the project will introduce a 20,000-square-meter hangar, featuring 5 maintenance bays and an integrated series of support workshops with sheet metal, composite, paint, and interior capabilities. This October we start operations with five. 50% of the hangar facility’s construction has already been completed.

Phase two of the project will see the facility expand to 12 maintenance bays, positioning Punta Cana as a strategic MRO hub for airlines operating in the region. The third and final phase will grow the facility to 20 maintenance bays.

Aviation Maintenance: How many people do you expect to be employed there when hangar in Punta Cana opens?

Lapinskas: With five bays, there’re will be roughly 350 people. Initially, we’re planning to bring people over from oversees. And then, of course, our technical training department will help to train locals.

Aviation Maintenance: Any unforeseen issues with the construction?

Lapinskas: There is a rainy season in Punta Cana, and, of course, that influences the construction. But now everything is going smoothly, according to the plan. We have a supervisor who is over there all the time. In September the hangar is going to be ready for the audit and we’re opening it in October.

Aviation Maintenance: Talk about winning business and being better than your competitors.

Lapinskas: We have to fight for our customers every day, as we do not have any guaranteed contracts from the airlines.

We are speaking about a labor-intensive business. Eighty percent of the cost is labor. And if your people are not working effectively, you will not earn any profit and you will not be competitive in the market.

Aviation Maintenance: And LEAN methodology has been a key part of that?

Lapinskas: Yes. We must fight for the customers every day, so it means that we have to be flexible, we must have a very good approach to the customers, and we have to be very, very efficient. So lean methodology, this way of thinking, how we can do better, how to remove all the waste from our processes — it helped us a lot.

Aviation Maintenance: Talk about being a part of Avia Solutions Group and the support that they give you and how that works.

Lapinskas: We have a strong board of professionals in aviation. I’m also a member of the board of Avia Solutions Group. We have good discussions, and we have a very serious guy with a vision, our chairman and founder of Avia Solution Group Gediminas Žiemelis, leading us. We are part of the management team are our shareholders, so we are partners sitting in the same boat and moving in the same direction, simply speaking. And, of course, the expertise from the airlines in the group and the support, sharing contacts, sharing the experience, sharing the knowledge — that’s good.

Aviation Maintenance: Where else do you see growth?

Lapinskas: We have prepared the plan for FL Techniques group goals. We call it Plan 2030. As I mentioned before, 2024, it was e400 million euros revenue. The plan for 2030 is one billion. That means we want to grow two and a half times by 2030. This is not just a vision. Each business line has its own business plan with all the steps calculated and what we must do, what we must reach, to get there in 2030. We are speaking about new acquisitions. We are speaking about new facilities. We are speaking about new investments into assets, into spare part business, into capabilities and so on and so forth. All these numbers are prepared now, and we will be working on reaching those goals. There’s a clear plan with all the financial figures, 2030, and we are moving in that direction. For the last seven, eight years, we have been growing by 10 to 20% each year. [We hope to keep] the same speed. Of course, you know, it’s a plan. Sometimes you have to adjust the plan or some circumstances which you cannot influence occur. But this is the vision, this is the direction that was presented to the board, the board approved it, and we are moving now in that direction. Our employees also believe in that vision, and they follow that vision.

The term robotic process automation (RPA) has a nice science fiction ring to it. In the MRO context, RPA conjures up images of aircraft being serviced by automated robots zooming back-and-forth across the shop floor, all working with maximum efficiency, productivity, and safety.

The realities of RPA are a little less futuristic than this. Still, real-world RPA is delivering some significant improvements for the MROs who use this technology and making life better for their humans as well.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

The “process” in the term RPA refers to software processes. Once this distinction is made, “RPA is exactly what it sounds like: The use of software robots to automate repetitive processes across systems,” said Joel Blumenau, AAR’s senior director of strategy, planning, and innovation. (AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company with operations in over 20 countries that has been employing RPA for some time.) “Typically, these processes are carried out by humans and involve efforts such as data gathering and entry. The RPA bot is designed to free up precious human time for more value-added activities that a robot could not accomplish, such as relationship management, strategizing and personalized sales activities.”

In a practical sense, RPA is a workflow tool that automates repetitive, routine, and replicable tasks in order to perform them efficiently, accurately, and without direct human intervention. “When applied in the right process flows, RPA can improve operational efficiencies by speeding up the process,” said Saravanan Rajarajan, associate vice president – solution consulting with Ramco Systems (a global enterprise software provider). “Ramco Aviation Software leverages RPA tools to streamline the MRO work packaging process and enable repair order automation for its clients.”

Ultramain Systems, maker of ULTRAMAIN M&E/MRO software, also uses RPA to make life easier for MROs. “More than just automation, RPA enhances data integrity by performing real-time validation, ensures records transition seamlessly through their life cycle, and optimizes compliance workflows — reducing manual effort and minimizing errors,” said John Stone, the company’s vice president – product management. “At Ultramain Systems, we have integrated AI and RPA utilities into ULTRAMAIN, allowing MROs to streamline operations and improve regulatory compliance. Our live, production-ready RPA technology also helps ensure faster, more accurate record processing with intelligent workflow automation, plus optimized resource allocation that enables personnel to focus on high-value tasks.”

How RPA is Being Used by MROs

Robotic process automation has the potential to be applied across all aspects of MRO administration. As such, it is not surprising that the companies interviewed for this story have found many useful ways to employ RPA in their operations and products.

A case in point: Singapore’s ST Engineering (a solutions provider whose products include the MRO sector) is using RPA to improve the procurement process for MROs. “When procuring materials and parts, information such as stock quantity, lead time and price are crucial for decision making, which also has to take into account logistical details including airway bills and shipping time,” said Dr. Kenneth Low, head of innovation & sustainability with ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace division. “When sourcing for parts, we use RPA to automate and aggregate part listings found on OEMs’ and suppliers’ websites. This allows us to compare and choose the most cost-effective option, saving time that otherwise would be spent on painstakingly gathering information. It also provides us with greater visibility over parts in transit.”

ST Engineering also uses RPA to retrieve information from maintenance task cards, whose content can span hundreds of pages. “Previously, our technicians had to spend hours reading task cards line-by-line to transcribe them into documents, a tedious process which could lead to mistakes,” Low said. “Today, when airlines send over task cards, RPA extracts the information into a web form that is easily retrievable by our technicians, reducing the time taken for this process by 90% as well as eliminating the risk of human error.”

According to Ramco’s Rajarajan, RPA bots are vital for ingesting client task cards (aka work cards) into an MRO’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform efficiently and accurately. “Third-party MROs normally receive work packages from airlines, which are mostly in the XLS and PDF formats,” he explained. When humans are used to input the data from these cards, it can be hours or even days before the resulting work orders can be issued to the production floor.

When RPA bots are used to ingest this data, the time delays fade away. This is because the RPA bots automatically extract task numbers from the PDF work documents and compare them with Tally sheets for validation. The RPA bots also compile lists of the parts and tools required to do the jobs, and check on their availability and locations in stock. The result? “With automation, the lead time to process these steps has been reduced by 70-80%,” said Rajarajan.

Meanwhile, AAR’s most recent RPA implementations have been in very manual and repetitive activities handled by their sales and administrative teams, such as responding to part requests and email inquiries. “This effort includes the generation of purchase orders and other internal documentation via our main Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system,” Blumenau said. “Eventually, we want to roll RPA out for more MRO complex tasks in our digital ecosystem, Concourse.”

As for Ultramain Systems? “ULTRAMAIN includes built-in RPA management tools, enabling customers to modify existing automation processes or create their own to fit their unique operational needs,” replied Stone. By providing an RPA builder in its software, ULTRAMAIN allows MROs to implement automation instantly, adapt processes on demand, and tailor automation to align with their specific maintenance environments. “This self-sufficient approach ensures customers can achieve automation benefits faster while maintaining control over their MRO digital transformation,” he said.

Many, Many Benefits

We have already seen how RPA can speed up the intake and processing of MRO-related data — reducing errors as it does so while delivering and sharing results faster than any human can. The beneficiaries of these improvements include MROs, their customers, and the suppliers that support them. In fact, everybody benefits when data input is handled far more quickly and accurately than ever before.

But the benefits of robotic process automation don’t stop there. According to John Stone, improved data ingestion, processing, and distribution allows an MRO to work faster yet better on behalf of its customers. This means that aircraft get fixed faster and more accurately. In turn, customers get their aircraft back sooner, allowing them to resume making money for their owners and operators rather than sitting on the shop floor.

RPA also allows MROs to “tighten up” the scheduling of their personnel and workspaces, and the allocation and replacement of parts and tools that they use. These improvements can reduce labor costs without compromising quality. They can also ensure better compliance with industry and government standards due to the inherent consistency built into automation. RPA also makes it easier for MROs to provide updates to customers on the progress of their work orders. Such transparency keeps customers happy, and more likely to return the same MRO for their next job. The takeaway: “By leveraging ULTRAMAIN’s RPA capabilities, MROs not only streamline internal operations but also deliver faster, more reliable service to their customers, ultimately enhancing competitiveness in the industry,” Stone said.

“Repair order processing involves multiple steps, which are mostly manual and prone to errors,” agreed Ramco’s Rajarajan. “As well, the right workflow design involves integrating tasks performed by RPA bots and tasks that must be done only by qualified persons due to sensitivity to safety, regulations, or commercial exposure. For example, unserviceable units removed from aircraft can be screened automatically by RPA bots based on predefined attributes like parts, capability, warranty, and supplier contracts. All told, smart screening and automation have the potential to reduce the repair order processing effort by 70%.”

The bottom line: Utilizing RPA for any of the following three objectives — productivity enhancement, improved customer experience, and efficient scaling — can yield benefits. “In one of our customer deployments, an RPA bot that auto-created purchase orders improved productivity by 60%, and it was able to scale to manage their operations even when the number of PO transactions had increased five-fold,” Rajarajan reported. “No additional investment was needed for training the RPA or increasing the number of procurement personnel.”

RPA Challenges and Solutions

Clearly there are a tremendous number of benefits associated with deploying robotic process automation at MROs. But making it happen isn’t as simple as clicking on an icon with a mouse. “Automation often involves making disparate systems communicate data efficiently without any loss of data integrity between systems,” said AAR’s Blumenau. “This can present challenges along the way that require solutions unique to the systems involved. We have had our share of those challenges, of course, but with a good implementation team putting their heads together, a solution can always be found to keep the efforts progressing.”

“While robotic process automation (RPA) offers significant benefits to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations, its implementation does come with challenges,” Stone noted. “However, ULTRAMAIN has taken steps to mitigate these issues and ensure a smooth transition for customers.” For instance, integrating RPA into existing MRO workflows can be complex, especially in environments with legacy systems or highly customized processes. To address this challenge, ULTRAMAIN software comes with modular, configurable RPA bot tools that allow MROs to start small and scale automation gradually.

“Automating processes without proper oversight can lead to data inconsistencies or errors propagating across systems,” added Stone. “ULTRAMAIN incorporates real-time data validation and integrity checks to address this problem, ensuring that automated processes maintain accuracy and compliance. ULTRAMAIN’s built-in RPA management tools also allow customers to modify existing automation or create their own, ensuring long-term flexibility and scalability without dependency on software updates.”

To deploy robotic process automation properly, “RPA initiatives should start by identifying the proper business process to automate and the desired target state, focusing on the workflow steps to reach it,” Rajarajan said. “Areas and tasks where RPA can provide a significant impact will be the automation of data inputs, data aggregation, standard transactions, and document processing.”

A comprehensive understanding of how RPA can coexist with other technologies and integrate into the workflow design will yield better results than a stand-alone deployment. As well, “workflow design should ensure seamless integration between RPA and employees with the proper handoff, status, and audit controls,” he said. “As automation programs expand and grow complex, silos within the organizations can hinder performance if the business areas do not coordinate. RPA should be leveraged as a way to enhance human productivity rather than replacing it.”

Noteworthy: Because robotic process automation is rule-based by nature, problems can arise when these systems interact with websites whose content has been changed. “Even minor changes such as the removal of a keyword could break the RPA,” ST Engineering’s Low said. “To address this issue, we have an automated status check and notification system to investigate such occurrences and reduce downtime. At the process level, we also involve our continuous improvement teams to optimize end users’ processes and make RPA deployments more efficient. As RPA that constantly runs in the background may incur expensive license fees, we also evaluate if such an arrangement is necessary for each RPA use case.”

Finally, the human factor should be taken into account whenever robotic process automation is being implemented at an MRO. “The use of RPA may also spark technicians’ fears of job displacement,” said Low. “Early engagement of the workforce is hence crucial to address their concerns. Based on our experience, implementing RPA with workers’ inputs provides confidence and assurance. In fact, a number of our technicians who were initially wary of RPA embraced the technology after they realized how the technology could help them in their work.”

Advances in RPA

As technology continues to advance, so does the capability and flexibility of robotic process automation. For instance, Ultramain Systems has enhanced the self-service RPA creation tools in ULTRAMAIN, broadened the range of pre-configured RPA solutions within this software, and developed new and more efficient RPAs in collaboration with its customers. “These advancements ensure that ULTRAMAIN’s RPA capabilities remain cutting-edge, adaptable, and increasingly effective in streamlining MRO operations,” said Stone.

Looking forward, “future RPA solutions will go beyond rule-based automation, incorporating context-aware processing to handle more complex workflows with minimal human intervention,” he said. “Automated decision-making enhancements will allow RPA to manage exceptions more effectively, reducing the need for manual overrides. RPA will seamlessly connect with a wider range of MRO systems, including inventory management, regulatory compliance tools, and third-party aviation data sources. Automated workflows will anticipate maintenance needs, flag potential issues earlier, and auto-schedule preventive tasks, reducing unplanned downtime. And RPA tools will become even more user-friendly, enabling non-technical users to build, modify, and deploy automation with simple drag-and-drop functionality.”

According to Kenneth Low, “AI is becoming the next big thing, and the MRO industry may move towards a collaborative model that harnesses the strengths of generative AI and RPA,” he said. “It is also possible that further advances in generative AI could phase out the use of RPA in MRO operations. Regardless, when it comes to driving efficiency and optimizing workflows, the MRO industry stands to benefit either way.”

As for Saravanan Rajarajan’s predictions? “Future workflows will combine technologies, including digital OCR [optical character recognition] to automate data inputs, RPA to replace manual tasks, machine learning models to interpret data, and agentic AI to make decisions and execute tasks,” he said. “It’s crucial to resist the temptation of blind trust in RPA and instead foster the right workflow between machines and humans that amplifies the strength of both while mitigating their weaknesses.”

All told, robotic process automation is one of the best things to happen to the MRO industries in recent years — even if it doesn’t involve actual robots racing around the MRO shop floor.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) has always had an important role to play in aviation production and maintenance. It has had to adapt to examine new materials and processes but has also developed technology to improve fault detection and analysis. Ian Harbison reports.

As well as basic visual inspection by eye or with magnification, there are a number of other techniques in common use to inspect a variety of components in a range of different materials.

MPI

Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) generates a magnetic field inside the component, which must be made of ferromagnetic materials. Magnetic particle powder is applied to the surfaces which is attracted by the magnetic flux leaking through any defects. This makes it easy to spot surface problems, such as toe cracks, crater cracks as well as areas of porosity in castings, shafts, and welds.

DPI

Dye Penetrant Inspection (DPI) service is used to detect casting, forging and welding surface defects such as hairline cracks, toe cracks, crater cracks, as well as surface porosity, leaks and fatigue cracks. The components, such as shafts, castings, and welds, along with machined small components, are coated with a dye and then illuminated by white light or UV light, for which a fluorescent dye is used. It is generally used on non-ferromagnetic materials.

Ultrasonic Testing

Ultrasonic Inspection (UT) uses ultrasonic waves to scan for flaws, delamination or other discontinuities in materials like composites and aluminum, or to measure thickness in a wide range of materials and applications. It can measure internal defects in most materials and is also useful for inspecting forgings, castings, and structural steel welds. It can also be used to scan for collision damage or to carry out post-repair surveys.

A development in ultrasonic inspection is Phased Array testing. A disadvantage of conventional methods is that the ultrasound source has to be moved manually around the component. Using a phased array means the sound direction can be steered electronically, reducing the survey time.

Radiography

In radiography, the component is placed between a gamma or X-ray radiation source and a detector holding photographic film. The rays pass through the component and an image is imprinted on the film. When processed, the image will show any internal defects.

A development here is computed tomography, which rotates X-ray beams around the test article to generate a series of detailed images. Advanced reconstruction algorithms then compile the images into a highly detailed 3D model that can be used to detect internal flaws such as voids, cracks, and inclusions.
Just as there is a range of techniques, there is a range of OEMs and end users.

FL Technics

Ovidijus Rucinskas, head of NDT at FL Technics, says a variety of techniques are used across the company’s activities. Comprehensive inspections are routinely carried out during scheduled heavy maintenance checks, while line maintenance uses on-wing inspections for in-service aircraft, addressing immediate airworthiness concerns.

Specialized NDT in the engine shops covers turbine blades, disks, and other critical engine components and the component shops use magnetic particle and dye penetrant inspections for crack detection, for wheels and brakes, for example. FL Technics has the capability for eddy current testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, penetration testing, thermography testing (water ingress method) and engine and APU borescope inspection (B1 rating) as part of its base maintenance capabilities in several locations.

It provides services for operators, MROs and leasing companies. Services can cover one-time or periodic inspections, fleet-wide support or long-term maintenance agreements. The company can also dispatch teams within 24 hours to a client’s chosen location globally to provide any type of NDT service.

As NDT is not only used in aviation, but in rather a lot of other industries, he sees that aviation does not evolve as quickly as other sectors might. It takes rigorous testing and evaluation to get approval for new NDT techniques from the regulatory authorities. In fact, approval is required from every authority that FL Technics is involved with, such as EASA, U.K. CAA and Bermuda.

As materials evolve, NDT equipment has also advanced to meet OEM-prepared procedures, ensuring compliance and improved accuracy. New techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scanning, laser ultrasonics, eddy current array and others are being developed. However, these are primarily used in the manufacturing process rather than in maintenance. In maintenance, traditional ultrasonic, eddy current, magnetic particle testing and penetrant testing remain the primary methods.

Waygate

Ben Linke, CEO of Waygate Technologies, says aerospace non-destructive testing (NDT) accounts for 30% of the company’s business with a 50/50 split between MRO and manufacturing. Other sectors include space exploration, automotive, rail, electronics, battery, and research and development. It offers ultrasonic, radiography and computed tomography (CT) solutions for aerospace, as well as visual inspection systems (RVI).

The company works with various key stakeholders in the market to effectively modernize the industry. Waygate Technologies has signed a joint technology development agreement (JTDA) in 2023 with GE Aerospace to develop software and hardware inspection solutions for commercial aircraft engines. It has also been partnering with Rolls-Royce to develop the so-called Intelligent Borescope to inspect high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades.

The Intelligent Borescope uses Waygate Technologies’ Mentor Visual iQ+ video borescope, which has two-way communication with Rhinestahl’s turning tool and Menu Directed Inspection (MDI) for specific step-by-step instructions to ease the inspection workflow and standardize data.

In both cases, the applications are powered by AI – the aim is to avoid the traditionally labor-intensive and time-consuming processes that generate inconsistent data that can result in repeat inspections and, more importantly, can see engines removed prematurely for maintenance, causing unnecessary expense for operators.

By using high-resolution, templated imaging systems that capture detailed visuals of the HPT blades during inspections and combing them with AI-powered algorithms to subsequently analyze the images, even the smallest amount of wear and tear can be quickly identified. The data is then easily and immediately accessible in a cloud to enable accurate maintenance decisions and optimize the time-on-wing of the engines. The imagery can also be used to develop repair schemes to return the blades to optimum aerodynamic efficiency.

He points out that HPT blades are subjected to temperatures of 1600°C and extreme centrifugal forces. With engine OEMs pushing for even higher operating temperatures for greater efficiency, and increased pollution causing more blade erosion, regular checks will become even more important.

A newer application of computed tomography is scanning components produced by additive manufacture. This is the only way that any voids in the material can be detected, caused by problems as material is being laid down layer by layer.

Looking further ahead, in 10-15 years, or 25 years if Airbus concerns about infrastructure are correct, hydrogen powered aircraft will be around. One of the most important checks that will have to be made after construction of composite fuel tanks is to check for micro cracks on the interior surfaces that could lead to leaks. The company is already working on the problem in collaboration with the U.K. National Composites Centre.

Ease of use will also become more important in the future, he says, because of skill shortages. There is a retirement bulge looming so there will be many young recruits coming into the industry. Technology developments can help them get up to speed quickly.

SEAL Aviation

For Jerel Bristol, president of SEAL Aviation Repair Services, NDT is an integral part of the company’s fuel leak and structural repair services. These can be carried out at its facilities in Fort Lauderdale and Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida, or the company will deploy a team to the customer’s location to deal with AOGs. Capabilities include radiography, eddy current, ultrasound, bond testing, paint thickness testing, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle and optical prism testing.

These can be applied to a wide range of aircraft, although business jets are a specialty. A recent example of how the different aspects come together was on a Hawker 800A. An inspection found corrosion on the wing link attachment fitting. The company brought along its own jacks, pads and shoring to support the aircraft, as well as installing a temporary wing link to ensure structural rigidity. This type of work usually involves an engineering mechanic and a sheet metal technician, making SEAL Aviation a one-stop shop. The removed link was then tested to determine the level of corrosion and repaired. After this, to determine airworthiness, it is tested again to confirm complete removal of the corrosion and that the reaming thickness of the material is within limits.

Bristol notes that, with more manufacturers using composite materials, the use of ultrasonic testing and phased array testing is becoming more common to find discontinuities such as cracks, delamination and disbonding.

Aviation Maintenance had the opportunity to see Evident’s OmniScan X4 flaw detector in action at a recent trade show. The OmniScan X4 is a portable, powerful solution that offers speed and versatility for detecting flaws and corrosion. The company says the unit can help boost productivity while increasing confidence in assessment results. The X4 has advanced phased array capabilities, total focusing method (TFM) and phase coherence imaging (PCI) to detect and interpret challenging flaws. Utilizing it can help identify damage earlier, Evident says. We spoke with Evident’s Rod Matheson, director, global product marketing NDT and Victor Chumillas Puya, NDT and RVI sales specialist, to learn more about this latest iteration of the OmniScan.

Aviation Maintenance: Tell us about the OmniScan X4 flaw detector.

Rod Matheson: It’s really an evolution, both in terms of the transition from the OmniScan X3, but also in terms of future advancements. We provide quarterly updates of the instrument’s software free of charge to our customers. As the demands of the aviation industry expand and there are more requirements in certain inspections, this flaw detector will be able to grow and evolve with the customer’s needs. What we tried to do with the X4 is to help ensure a simple transition for existing OmniScan users, and customers looking to get on board with the OmniScan X4 can quickly get up and running. It’s an advanced flaw detector equipped with the tools they need to help them carry out these critical inspections as efficiently as possible.

Victor Chumillas Puya: It’s an instrument that can be used for many applications in aerospace and oil and gas. For instance, it’s equipped with phase coherence imaging (PCI) to detect and accentuate historically hard-to-find flaws, including hook cracks and stress corrosion cracking (SCC). With PCI, you can identify individual flaws in areas of many fine cracks and characterize them with certainty. This is particularly helpful in aerospace inspections that require metallic crack imaging and sizing.

AVM: Why is it better than what was available before?

Matheson: It’s all about the evolution. It has a more powerful processor on board that makes the software faster and more responsive. It also has one terabyte of storage, which is crucial for large-area scans and handling large data sets.

Technicians want the space to store their inspection data and not have to constantly stop to transfer it. They may have an aircraft on the ground, which as we all know, is a huge cost, and they need to get that aircraft back into the skies. Since downtime is costly, speed and workflow efficiency are critical, it’s key that customers have confidence and trust the results, trust that it’s reliable. The OmniScan X4 is a ruggedized unit designed to work in challenging and hazardous environments, whether in aerospace or the oil and gas sector.

AVM: It looks fairly user-friendly. Is it?

Matheson: The interface and the workflow are very much something that we’ve developed over 20-plus years, culminating with the OmniScan X4. I would say that what we have developed here is really something in terms of simplicity and speed for our customers.

Chumillas Puya: Another important contributing factor to its speed is that we offer an OmniScan X4 model that supports a phased array group of up to 128 elements. It enables technicians to achieve much wider coverage with one pass when using a 128-element probe, such as the one in our RollerFORM XL wheel probe. So, this is very interesting because it’s more efficient, quicker, and saves time. Its detection and measurement capabilities help to identify and evaluate the severity of damage before it becomes critical.

AVM: Even though it is powerful, it is also portable.

Matheson: Yes, it’s a portable system. If we go back years ago and look at what phased array systems used to look like, they were much bulkier. Even by today’s standards, this is a truly portable system. It’s packed with a lot of power, yet it remains a portable solution in phased array.

AVM: Give an example of when the OmniScan X4 would be used.

Matheson: It can be used in many different applications, with a wide portfolio of probes and scanner solutions. A good example in aerospace is wing inspection. We have various accessories, including the GLIDER scanner, that allow the technician to efficiently inspect a large area. Connected to the OmniScan X4, the GLIDER scanner enables the inspector to manually scan a large area of the composite material, acquiring precise 2-axis encoded data of the volume.

Another example is our RollerFORM XL scanner, which is a wheel probe used to inspect composites and other smooth-surfaced materials. You can actually roll it across the component. It gives us a complete visual understanding on the display as well as the data behind that. It helps technicians locate and size defects with confidence. We also offer a vast array of complementary phased array probes to match the type and thickness of the material you need to inspect.

AVM: What would you use the different probes for?

Matheson: It depends on the application. If you’re inspecting some sort of complex geometry, for example, you should choose your probe accordingly. Whether it’s for a wing, aileron or fuselage, first, you need to understand the inspection requirements, and second, you need to know what the manufacturer specifies for that inspection. If it’s an Airbus or a Boeing, there’ll be specific criteria. Then we can build a comprehensive solution based on the OmniScan X4 flaw detector and associated probes, scanners, software, and accessories.

AVM: What about training? Do you offer training with the product?

Matheson: Absolutely. Training is one of our key strengths. Evident has a global training network with specialists all around the world. That’s huge when you consider the critical nature of aerospace inspections. Whether it’s to help you get the best out of the instrument, to support your ongoing calibration requirements, or if your equipment needs repairing, we have repair centers globally as well. Providing a high level of support is very important to Evident. When you invest in an Evident solution, you gain access to comprehensive service and assistance.

AVM: Explain the inspection process.

Chumillas Puya: Before inspecting the part, the user is able to create an overview in the scan plan workflow, assisted by our intuitive application presets. These presets can help speed up the setup and improve the consistency of results. We provide presets for common corrosion and flaw detection applications, and they can be used to help with the setup of some of our industrial scanners, such as the HydroFORM, RollerFORM, or FlexoFORM scanner. Each option provides preprogrammed parameters that can be edited as needed.

After the technician is finished scanning, they can analyze the data on the instrument or export the info and analyze it with PC software, which we also supply to our customers. It is very easy. The instrument helps and, as we said before, the interface of the instrument is user-friendly. We made sure to design an interface that is very intuitive for everybody.

Matheson: Phased array detection is based on multiple beams of sound as opposed to conventional ultrasonic flaw detection. Phased array UT enables the technician to get a full visual understanding of the inspected component. And then, we can go in and examine that data in more detail. Using the OmniScan X4 and RollerFORM XL scanner, data is acquired very quickly, whereas if you were using a traditional phased array probe, it takes longer.

Chumillas Puya: So, very quickly, I have the information about the size, I have the information about the thickness and I can also identify the location of the indication.

Matheson: I think it’s also worth mentioning our dedicated ScanPlan software. It has the same intuitive user interface and tools as the onboard OmniScan X4 scan plan. With ScanPlan software, users can create basic setups that can then be imported into the device. ScanPlan software’s 2D and 3D views are easy to prepare, and inspectors can take screenshots for reporting purposes. The idea is to speed up the process and give you more flexibility in terms of equipment management.

The OmniScan X4 unit can also be used in collaboration with others; for example, using the Remote Calibration Service. You can use the RCS to communicate via the OmniScan X4 with the manufacturer, sharing information with them or with the line maintenance manager, that sort of thing. The X4 is equipped with cloud connectivity, so you have the ability to share data and collaborate.

AVM: What else should readers know about Evident and the OmniScan X4?

Matheson: It’s a brand that’s known all over the world. Ultimately, we are about aviation safety, of course, the critical safety of an aircraft, and this touches the entire life cycle of the aircraft. From raw material through manufacturing, to in-service maintenance and even the decommissioning of the aircraft, throughout each stage, the OmniScan X4 can be of service.

We continue to evolve the OmniScan X4 with each MXU software update, so that adds value for the customer, at no additional cost. The instrument’s performance will continue to evolve quite literally. We also want to work with aerospace professionals — manufacturers, maintenance organizations and industry experts — to get their insights on how we can further enhance their inspection efficiency. It’s a journey, and we’re committed to evolving alongside our customers.

Encompassing a wide range of equipment, ground support equipment (GSE) is the vital support found on airport aprons that keeps aircraft flying. From maintenance and refueling to passenger boarding between flights, GSE plays a crucial role in supporting the operations of aircraft while on the ground, maintaining safety and ensuring flights can depart and arrive on schedule.

GSE Impacts

With a diverse array of GSE to choose from — everything from simple machines like aircraft maintenance platforms to advanced hydraulic test stands — what factors impact GSE?

Michael Brandstoetter, head of sales and marketing at Dynell GmbH, Austria, explains that from a ground power unit (GPU) manufacturer’s perspective, “The primary factor is the size of the aircraft, as this determines power consumption requirements during light or heavy maintenance programs. Larger aircraft require higher power output, while smaller aircraft have more moderate needs. Efficient power delivery systems are crucial to meet these varying demands reliably.”

Obviously, safety standards are significant factors that impact GSE. When GSE is designed and manufactured in full compliance with prescribed safety regulations, Vesna Poznič, head of sales at TIPS GSE, Leskovec, Slovenia, explains, “The likelihood of errors, malfunctions and damage is significantly reduced or even eliminated. Conversely, equipment that does not adhere to these standards poses higher risks of operational failures and accidents. Additionally, factors such as the size and weight of aircraft, airport layout, and operational needs play a role in shaping GSE design and functionality. Strict adherence to safety requirements ensures not only the safe and efficient operation of GSE but also protects personnel, aircraft and airport infrastructure, making safety a critical priority in this domain.”

Different aircraft cockpit features share similarities but some aircraft have special requirements due to their specific aircraft system settings, such as under- and over-voltage protection relays. “Electrically-started aircraft do not require three-phase equipment to start their engines, unlike commercial aircraft which are pneumatically started,” says Eve Storm, president and CEO of START PAC, Las Vegas. “For maintenance purposes, onboard aircraft systems can be powered by 110V or 220V single-phased equipment that can provide from 25 to 400 amps of continuous power as most business aircraft, approximately 98% of them, will not require more than 400 amps continuous. Whether you are conducting engine starting or maintenance, using an external GPU has multiple benefits, including faster cooler engine starting that keeps turbine temperatures down to help extend turbine life and powering aircraft systems so that the onboard starting battery can be reserved for engine starting, thereby lengthening the ship’s battery life.”

David Dick, president of Wilcox GSE, Milton, Ontario, Canada, says that aircraft size impacts because GSE dimensions, such as maintenance stairs, must be compatible with aircraft heights and that adjustable GSE equipment can increase versatility. “[Also,] limited space at airports necessitates compact and maneuverable GSE to optimize valuable floor space. GSE equipment used outdoors must be robust and weather-resistant to withstand extreme temperatures, wind, rain and snow.”

Today’s GSE is more reliable, efficient, eco-friendly and safer than ever before. As the aircraft industry advances and innovates, the push for more efficient and state-of-the-art GSE has received more attention to align with sustainability and operational efficiency goals.

Dick explains that GSE electrification benefits reduce carbon footprint, lower noise pollution, improve air quality and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Examples of this include electric tow tractors, GPUs and baggage handling systems. GSE sustainability benefits reduce environmental impact and improve resource efficiency. Examples of this include lightweight and durable materials like aluminum and composites, regenerative braking systems to recapture energy and efficient battery technologies for longer run times. Other GSE technology advancements are enhancing safety, improving efficiency and increasing operational accuracy. Examples of this include telematics, which are real-time tracking and diagnostics for predictive maintenance. Artificial intelligence, which optimizes routes, predicts equipment failures and improves operational efficiency. Advanced autonomous features include state-of-the art automated guidance systems for improved maneuverability and reduced risk of collisions. Enhanced safety systems include collision-avoidance systems (proximity sensors, cameras), improved operator visibility and ergonomics, and non-slip surfaces and anti-fatigue mats.

Dynell offers a range of ground power supply solutions tailored to modern maintenance requirements. These include advanced hangar setups such as pit systems paired with solid-state frequency converters for stationary operations. Additionally, “Dynell focuses on sustainable mobile products like battery-powered or hydrogen-powered GPUs, which provide an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional diesel units. Reliable power supply is essential for maintenance tasks, especially when testing systems under full load,” Brandstoetter says.

START PAC has aided ground support equipment technology by reportedly being the first company in the world to create safe lithium-ion portable starting units, which were released in 2007. “With more than 20,000 lithium units in more than 130 countries, their patented lithium products are lighter, smaller and have twice the battery-cycle life of older technology GPU equipment,” Storm says. “Carrying a lighter weight portable starting unit reduces the weight penalty so a bit more fuel can be carried and with twice the battery-cycle life of lead acid, users see up to 10 to 12 years of use before needing to change the GPU battery.”

One of TIPS GSE advancements is its advanced damage prevention system (ADPS). This onboard system combines sensors and actuators to coordinate the approach of GSE to an aircraft, controlling both speed and stopping procedures. “It helps by completely preventing any physical contact between the equipment and the aircraft, significantly enhancing safety and reducing the risk of damage,” explains Marjan Smole, technical sales engineer at TIPS GSE. “Additionally, ADPS features a multilayered safety redundancy, ensuring reliable operation even in case of technical challenges. Our GSE products are designed with energy efficiency in mind, supporting sustainable airport operations and aligning with industry goals for reducing emissions. Finally, TIPS systems are highly adaptable, making them compatible with a wide range of aircraft types and operational environments, ensuring maximum flexibility for our clients.”

Moving to All-Electric GSE

The transition to electric and hybrid-electric GSE environmentally friendly solutions presents both significant opportunities and challenges. Continued advancements in battery technology, charging infrastructure and vehicle design will be crucial for overcoming these challenges and realizing the full potential of electric GSE.

Dick explains there are weight optimization factors. “Minimizing vehicle weight is crucial for maximizing battery life and efficiency. Manufacturers like Wilcox GSE are redesigning equipment using lightweight materials (e.g., aluminum, composites) and optimizing component design to reduce overall mass.” There are powertrain integration factors. “Integrating electric motors and battery packs requires careful consideration of factors like power-to-weight ratios, torque curves, and cooling systems.”

There are charging infrastructure factors. “[With deployment], establishing a robust and reliable charging infrastructure at airports is a major challenge. This includes installing high-power charging stations, ensuring sufficient grid capacity, and optimizing charging schedules to minimize downtime,” Dick adds. There are interoperability factors. “Ensuring compatibility between different charging standards and equipment models is essential for seamless operation. Early adopters [of all-electric GSE] are primarily driven by sustainability goals and a desire to improve their environmental image. [There is growing acceptance] increasingly stringent environmental regulations and the availability of more advanced technologies are driving wider acceptance of electric GSE. Minimizing charging times is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency. Ensuring sufficient battery life to meet operational demands, especially during peak periods, is a key concern. Specialized training and maintenance procedures are required for electric and hybrid-electric GSE.”

Storm explains that transitioning from older technology fuel-driven GPUs to hybrid or all-electric models involves capital investment and employee training on new and unfamiliar equipment. “The flexibility in being able to use all-electric GPUs does offer several advantages such as zero fuel and noise emissions so that they can be operated in confined or closed spaces without jeopardizing employee health. Additional electric GPUs allow for a more relaxing and satisfying environment for onboard passengers or crew as these GPUs are silent running. Being emission-free, these GPUs, such as the START PAC GREEN Machine, are also a boon for the environment as all industries work towards more environmentally responsible operations.”

TIPS GSE has been producing electric products for over 30 years. “Electric GSE offers numerous advantages, such as significantly reduced maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts and less frequent servicing,” Poznič says. “It also improves working conditions for operators by minimizing noise and eliminating harmful emissions, while contributing to the industry’s broader sustainability goals.

“However, the transition to electric fleets requires addressing challenges like the need for robust charging infrastructure, battery-life limitations and initial investment costs. Despite these hurdles, the cyclical activity patterns of airports, with periods of downtime, make electric equipment particularly suitable as it allows for recharging during non-operational hours. Global adoption is steadily increasing, with more airports prioritizing the long-term benefits of electric GSE, including improved efficiency, cost savings and environmental impact.”

GSE and IoT

Telematics and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies are becoming increasingly important in GSE. Smart GSE, equipped with IoT technology, can communicate real-time data anticipating maintenance needs before a breakdown occurs. Autonomous operations are an exciting topic that occupies the majority of R&D departments among GSE manufacturers.

Brandstoetter explains that “Battery-powered GPUs benefit greatly from IoT-enabled remote monitoring, allowing real-time access to critical battery data for improved safety and performance optimization. These technologies also enable remote supervision and updates, which enhance service levels and reduce downtime. While autonomous GSE operations are still evolving, Dynell sees these advancements as a key part of the future, improving efficiency and reliability in maintenance operations.”

TIPS GSE is currently in the development phase and will begin testing the impacts of autonomous technologies for aircraft maintenance. “Telematics and IoT have already transformed ground support equipment by enabling real-time monitoring of equipment performance, predictive diagnostics and remote troubleshooting,” Smole says. “These capabilities optimize equipment utilization, reduce downtime and ensure timely maintenance, all of which are critical for aircraft maintenance. As we move closer to autonomous GSE operations, these technologies will further enhance precision, safety and operational efficiency. However, the adoption of autonomous systems also requires addressing challenges such as integration with existing airport operations and the need for robust safety protocols to ensure seamless and reliable performance.”

While remote-controlled ground support equipment is indeed starting to become more readily available, Storm contends, “We are still in the infancy stage of fully autonomous ground support equipment as any equipment will still require human operation of the remote as well as the connection to the aircraft. As AI continues to evolve and at an exponential rate, it will be fascinating to see how AI and autonomous equipment will be commingled to best serve the industry and its users.”

Tariffs are a major concern for the aviation maintenance industry. The fact that the world relies on a few major brands of airliners, and that airlines frequently use MROs outside of their national boundaries, means that tariffs are going to pile up costs for MROs and their clients worldwide.
It is for this reason that Aviation Maintenance magazine is confronting the issue of tariffs head-on, with the help of two aviation industry experts. They are Jason Dickstein, general counsel with the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA): and Christian Klein, executive vice president of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA).

The Industry Is Not a Fan of Tariffs

Based on what the experts told us, the entire aerospace industry (of which aviation maintenance is a subset) is not a fan of tariffs.

The reason? Any tariffs that the United States imposes on other countries would be very quickly reciprocated by those countries — especially Canada and Mexico, who are two of America’s largest trading partners. This fact leaves the US aerospace and defense industry extremely vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs, given that this industry’s exports rose by 21 percent from 2022 to 2023, for a total value of $135.9 billion. (Source: Aerospace Industries Association.)

As for the notion that tariffs on imported products such as steel will benefit domestic producers? Well, that has proven to be the case, but not necessarily in a way that increases production and jobs in the U.S. “Historically, when we imposed the 25% tariff on Chinese steel in 2018, U.S. steel companies raised their prices to match the cost of tariffed foreign steel, because they saw it as an opportunity to increase their profits,” Dickstein said. “So there is definitely a fear that even those that are already buying American steel will get caught in the crossfire of any additional tariffs and find that their costs will increase again, even though they’re already doing what the tariffs appear to be intended to do — that is to say, buying American.”

“I know the official statement has been that — and this is even stated in the Executive Orders — the Trump administration wants this to be an opportunity for the U.S. steel and aluminum industries to develop new infrastructure to produce more and take the place of foreign suppliers,” added Dickstein. “But that wasn’t what happened when we imposed tariffs seven years ago. So I think there’s a lot of fear that that’s not going to be what happens this time around.”

So, based on past U.S. experience with imported steel, there’s no motivation for domestic producers to actually invest in increased infrastructure once tariffs have been imposed. In fact, the opposite is true: the availability of tariffed imported steel (and aluminum) simply provides a pricing benchmark for domestic producers to match and profit from. That is what they have done in the past when presented with this kind of tariff scenario, and what economic logic will compel them to do again.

After all, these actions make sense. Why would any company spend billions investing in new infrastructure that won’t earn money for years to come, when it can reliably boost revenues now and keep Wall Street happy by simply matching the prices of tariffed imports? What CEO whose job security relies on increasing profits and satisfying shareholders would do otherwise?

As for ARSA’s take on tariffs? “It is important to state first and foremost that ARSA does not specialize in international trade issues from an economic tariff standpoint,” Klein said. “Instead, we’re very focused on the potential non-tariff impacts on the industry, and our overriding philosophy to help ARSA’s members and clients attain the highest level of safety with the highest level of efficiency. To the extent that the government is imposing anything like tariffs that undermines efficiency, it’s not a good thing for the industry writ large because the maintenance industry is obviously an inherently global industry.”

“One very interesting statistic I came across that gives you a sense of how integrated the aviation maintenance sector is globally,” he added, “[is that] The United States exports almost $26 billion worth of aircraft parts annually and imports $15.3 billion. In both these areas, we lead the world, with a third of all global exports and a fifth of imports. This tells you that we’re critically connected to the global market for key aviation articles. There are people outside the United States that need the things we’re producing and we are in the United States desperate for things that people outside the United States are producing.”

An Already Battered Supply Chain

The possibility of tariffs hitting the aerospace industry in general, and the aviation maintenance industry in particular, is bad news for a supply chain that has still not recovered from COVID 19. Years after the pandemic has passed, parts are still in short supply, deliveries are delayed for months and in some cases even years, and prices remain high.

These facts account for Jason Dickstein’s fatalistic response to the question of how tariffs would affect the supply chain. “It’s hard to say what the damage will be,” he said. “The supply chain has already been adversely affected, and at this point in time, things are bad enough that I’m not sure tariffs will make it any worse. It’s sort of like you’ve been beaten down and now that you’ve been beaten down, if they rain some more punches on you, it doesn’t matter.”

Clearly, tariffs would negatively affect the supply chain for these non-U.S. customers, with subsequently higher prices cutting into some companies’ export sales as well. Faced with these higher prices, these non-U.S. customers might look closer to home for the helicopters and components that they need to support flying. As a result, tariffs might open the door for other aircraft competition, and motivate some non-U.S. customers to turn away from manned aircraft altogether and create a push towards drones made by China or any other non-U.S. manufacturer.

Unintended Consequences

To reiterate: The stated purpose of the proposed Trump tariffs is to boost domestic production. However, their imposition could hurt the U.S. aerospace industry through the imposition of reciprocal tariffs — and it could lead to unintended consequences that could shift the balance of the global aviation market.

Just how far these unintended consequences could go was alluded to in a story supplied by Jason Dickstein. He attended a conference in China a decade ago, where China Eastern Airlines was announced as the launch customer for the Chinese designed-and-built Comac C919 narrow-body airliner. “When the speaker from China Eastern said that they were looking forward to the day when they no longer had to buy foreign aircraft, the entire room — which was 99% Chinese — leapt up into applause,” Dickstein recalled. “The Chinese are just as patriotic as Americans are. If we make it difficult for China to economically use Boeing aircraft, we’re simply encouraging them to adopt the C919 and other domestically made aircraft.”

The same is true for countries that do not produce their own aircraft and rely on countries such as the U.S. to supply them. China has already proven its ability to match and even surpass the United States in sophisticated technology markets such as electric vehicles. Starting a trade war that makes Boeing airliners more expensive to buy and maintain internationally will only motivate non-U.S. customers to look elsewhere for aircraft.

To underline this point, Dickstein turned to the global satellite market. “At one point in time, the United States manufactured over 95% of all satellites, and we protected the technology,” he said. “And since we told other countries we wouldn’t sell them satellites, they simply developed the domestic technologies independently and it cut the U.S. sales by half because suddenly we had new competitors. So I think that it is correct to assume that other market players may take advantage of an opportunity to sidestep the U.S. trade war by creating deals between non-U.S. companies and non-U.S. countries.”

Returning to the MRO market, Jason Dickstein wonders what will happen when a major carrier such as Air Canada is faced with tariffs for using U.S. MROs, and then is offered a better deal elsewhere. “For example, China has significant MRO capabilities,” he said. “If China goes to Canada and says, ‘Hey, we’re your friends, we’re not going to impose tariffs on that sort of activity’, and Canada reciprocates with, ‘Well, then we’re not going to impose tariffs either’, that gets us to a point where China becomes more attractive to a Canadian company than the U.S. is when it comes to sending MRO activity.”

But could matters actually get this bad? Christian Klein is not sure. “I don’t have a good answer for you,” he told Aviation Maintenance. “I think a lot of it is yet to be seen because we don’t even know exactly what the administration’s going to do and what countries are going to get tariffs. We obviously heard the initial offer, if you will, but we don’t know where that’s going to go.”

A Hit on PMA Parts?

One area where U.S. aviation manufacturers have led the world is in the creation of PMA (Parts Manufacturer Approval) parts. As the FAA website explains, its PMA approval process “allows a manufacturer to produce and sell these articles for installation on type certificated products.” This means that third-party manufacturers can make replacement PMA parts for OEM aircraft that are as safe and reliable to use as the originals. (Some PMA parts are even better than the originals!)

Adding tariffs to the PMA parts equation could hurt U.S. PMA manufacturers on the global market. Not only will it be more expensive for non-U.S. airlines and MROs to buy U.S.-made PMA parts, but this price differential may encourage the further development of PMA parts manufacturing in non-U.S. countries. “When you’ve got a non-U.S. OEM and a U.S. competitor manufacturing under PMA or TSOA (Technical Standard Order Authorizations), those U.S. companies that are filling the gap in the supply chain are going to find themselves at a weird competitive disadvantage because of reciprocal tariffs imposed on them by foreign countries,” said Dickstein.

What Can Be Done?

It seems safe to say that tariffs will be bad news for the global aerospace industry. In fact, there is data from the 2016 Trump administration to prove that tariffs will only serve the government and CEOs.

According to that data, as cited by Jason Dickstein, tariffs went directly to the U.S. government, allowing it to offset tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans to some degree. But the damaging thing for the U.S. economy and American jobs was that U.S. manufacturers boosted their profits by raising prices to match those of tariffed imports. There was no incentive for these companies to invest in new facilities or hire more employees. This is the false promise: that tariffs will encourage American companies to reinvest in the American economy. It was true during the 2016-2020 Trump term, and it will be true during this term.

The bottom line is tariffs do not encourage American companies to invest in American labor. Doing so would cost more than manufacturing offshore — and that’s not what their investors or Wall Street wants.

Given these proven facts, what can MROs and other companies in the aviation maintenance space do to mitigate this problem?

“It’s like any other sort of risk analysis,” replied Klein. “You figure out what you’ve got coming in and where it’s coming from, figure out how significant the geopolitical risk is associated with what you’re getting from where, and then start looking for alternative sources.”

“For instance, if you think that Canada’s going to impose a tariff on U.S. aircraft parts, then it may make sense to try and start warehousing parts in Montreal today,” Dickstein said. “But that’s a short-term solution. It is not possible to stockpile enough parts to cover you for the next four years. So if you disagree with the tariffs as they’re being applied, especially bearing in mind that reciprocal tariffs are planned, then it might make sense to communicate with your elected representatives.

“The President’s tariff authority is delegated to him by Congress,” he added. “So, in theory, Congress could actually put limits on it or could negotiate with the White House on foreign policy approaches that make a little more sense. That said, I’m not sure in the current environment if even that would be effective.”

The bottom line: If implemented, U.S. tariffs could start a chain of events that would only benefit the U.S. Treasury and U.S. producers of tariffed goods. Everybody else would lose, including the U.S. aerospace industry. The facts from the last round of tariffs bear this conclusion out.

Skilled entry-level employees are in high demand in the MRO sector, and indeed across industry as a whole. But how do you get them up to speed quickly and safely, without spending a fortune on internal training programs?

In Canada, they’ve come up with a solution: Work-Based Learning Consortium. “WBLC works with business and industry firms to help them fill their needs for skilled employees,” says the Work-Based Learning Consortium website. “We design, develop, manage, and promote Work-Based Learning programs for entry-level to mid-level skilled jobs.” Most importantly, WBLC creates these programs to deliver fast results, so that new hires get up to speed significantly faster than traditional on-the-job best-effort training practices.

Rick Stomphorst is WBLC’s employer relations manager. He’s the person who works with businesses interested in developing and deploying Work-Based Learning programs. Paul Coleman is a WBLC learning and program development specialist, and has helped develop their Mold Maintenance Technician, CNC Machinist, and other training programs. In this roundtable discussion with Aviation Maintenance magazine, Stomphorst and Coleman explain what WBLC is and how it works, how it can aid the Canadian MRO aerospace market, and how WBLC is ready to work with other countries wanting to set up their own programs.

Aviation Maintenance: What exactly is Work-Based Learning Consortium and what is it all about?

Rick Stomphorst: WBLC is a decade-old nonprofit that specializes in quickly developing on-site learning programs for industry. We have a “secret sauce” that allows us to rapidly identify the technical learning outcomes that industry requires new hires or upskilled existing employees to show proficiency in, and how to transform that into an actual work-based learning program.

We focus on areas that are of significant need of our manufacturing partners; areas where they cannot find the skilled trades to support the businesses that they’re in. Our programs are not competing with apprenticeship programs or academia: we create very narrow, rapid upskilling, blended learning programs to solve problems that our customers are having.

Aviation Maintenance: Now when you say rapid upskilling, what do you mean?

Stomphorst: Our rapid learning is not a two- to four-year program, nor are students immersed in it full time or going offsite. Take our CNC Machinist rapid upskilling program: it is a 12-week on-the-job upskilling program that takes the trainees anywhere from one to maybe three hours a week for learning. Some of that time definitely will be on the job. Sometimes the employees will do the e-learning component after hours. Importantly, employees are working while learning.

Aviation Maintenance: So why is WBLC’s training approach referred to as “blended learning”?

Stomphorst: We call it blended learning because it’s not a single modal training program. The training consists of a bunch of moving parts with e-learning at its core, and we have dovetailed shop floor assignments into the process to reinforce what they’ve been learning online.

The e-learning part is not just a bunch of slides. It is a very rich environment. It’s visual, it’s audio, it’s 2D and 3D animations, it’s video. It’s virtual walkthroughs. The training process also has quizzes, tests, and exams. At the end, there’s a final practical hands-on assessment.

The example I like to use is we have some very rich learning to show someone how to use a caliper, but at the end of the day, you have to grab a caliper, and you need the onsite instructor at your company to make sure you’re using that caliper correctly.

So that’s an example of what we do at WBLC. We will have a small e-learning unit on how to use a caliper, how to read it, and then figuratively speaking, you’ll walk to the shop floor, you’ll grab a caliper, you’ll grab a piece of material, and you’ll measure it in front of your instructor.

Trainees also meet with our e-learning instructor once a week, and that’s Paul. And then we also provide some training for the company’s trainer because many technical trainers have never been taught to be effective technical trainers. So, we provide them with a technical trainer effectiveness workshop to make them better overall technical trainers, and that’s a skill they’ll retain forever.

Aviation Maintenance: Paul, what kinds of skills do you teach to WBLC students on the job?

Paul Coleman: The virtual classes that we have once a week help fill in the “why” of a specific job, as in “Why am I doing this task?” This is something that isn’t usually taught in industry because everybody’s always super busy and they’re just like, “here, do this, do that.” And you do it. But you don’t get a bigger picture of why you’re doing something that you’re doing.

I have industry experience, and I spend the time with the students answering questions and telling them about the whys behind what they’re doing. A good example is when we’re talking about feeds and speeds and machining to a Level 1 trainee. We’re not going to teach them how to solve chatter problems because, as a Level 1 machinist, that’s not your thing to fix. However, as a machinist, you’re sitting at the machine, you hear the chatter, and then you see the surface’s finish changing. If you know why it’s happening, then you can go and have the right discussion with the right people to get the chatter fixed.

Aviation Maintenance: To be clear, all of this training is being done at the employer’s location, and these are entry-level positions that people are being trained on?

Coleman: Yes. So, with a 12-week course where we’re upskilling somebody to become a Level 1 CNC machinist, we’ll take them to a point of skills that would take up to a year on the shop floor, and we can get them there in 12 weeks.

The e-learning is done on their own devices. Some companies do prefer to give them class time: they’ll give them a laptop and say, “Okay, sit down and do it from 10 till noon on Tuesdays.” Other people do it at home. It’s up to the individuals and the companies how they want to do that.

Classes are typically done during the day and they are virtual, so we connect via Zoom. And it’s nice because students get to feel like they’re part of a class, not just doing e-learning and meeting with their trainer. They get to meet other people in the industry that are at the same level as them, so it works really well. It gives them a sense of community as well as filling in gaps.

Aviation Maintenance: In terms of how WBLC develops your programs, is it a matter of you sitting down with industry, finding out what they need, and then they fund you and/or the government funds you to develop and then conduct the programs on their premises?

Stomphorst: I’ll pick on the CNC Machinist program to answer your question. We received government funding to build this program. We put together a consortium of CNC machinist companies to help us; manufacturers, small shops, and so forth. And through a process we extracted from them what the technical learning outcomes are that they require for an employee to show proficiency, so that you — as a group of companies — can say that this person has qualified as a Level 1 CNC machinist. We then used that data to create the training program to meet those requirements.

Aviation Maintenance: Okay. Tell me about WBLC in general. Where did it come from? What was the inspiration for it? How was it funded and why was it seen as something that would help industry?

Stomphorst: WBLC was developed just over 10 years ago because the principals at the time recognized that industry had a need for people to be rapidly trained in highly skilled jobs, and they didn’t have the time to put them through a college program or an apprenticeship program. To do this quickly, they simply had to define a very narrow set of requirements.

In Canada, governments on various levels are very big on funding various training endeavors to upscale the Canadian workforce. In our case, we focus on opportunities mostly in the industrial space where we can apply our process to rapidly develop and deploy training programs, usually within a year or so. In this case, we already have the CNC Machinist program developed and we receive funding for it.

Aviation Maintenance: What sort of companies are using WBLC courses in Canada? Are they available across the country?

Stomphorst: We cover all of Canada, Pan-Canadian, because we’re virtual. As an example, during the final physical assessment where we’re looking over the trainee’s shoulder, we developed a telepresence device using off-the-shelf components. We ship that device to the client site at roughly the week 12 point of the course. It’s like setting a camera on a tripod; it’s no more complex than that. They hit one button, turn it on, and then Paul or one of our other trainers interact with the trainee remotely and watch what they’re doing.

Coleman: As for the size of our client companies? Well, when it comes to our CNC Machinist program, I would say mostly medium-sized manufacturers. We have a really broad base where some of them are production shops and others are more of a one-off, like a mold shop or a tool and die where somebody’s going to be machining one piece and then moving on to something else.

Aviation Maintenance: What does it take to develop a course with a manufacturer? How do you fund it?

Coleman: It really helps if we have an industry partner, like the Canadian Association of Mold Makers where we can meet with a cross section of their members and the actual job that’s in demand. That’s because our government funders want to make sure that we’re not just speaking out of our hat and that the need is actually out there.

Once we can prove the need is there, we can create the training they’re looking for through our in-house development team. Then we work with that industry partner to approach the government for money through different funding channels. If we get approved, then usually they’ll give us 18 months or so to develop and deliver the test pilot course. And if the test pilot is good, say we do 10 or 20 people through it, then we can go for funding for delivery.

Aviation Maintenance: Now, what sort of results have you been able to achieve so far? Because, of course, this is a good news-sounding story to the readers, but they’re going to want to know what results you are generating to validate the concept.

Stomphorst: We’re measuring the trainees going through the program. We routinely find that we’re getting more than a 90% success rate; that’s somebody who successfully completes the program and stays employed with their employer. And interestingly, in the current funding that we have, one of the requirements is we have to go back to the employer six months after the completion of the program and assess the trainees. There has to be some lift; they’ve either got a salary increase, they have a new position, and/or new responsibilities.

One thing we haven’t mentioned is we’ve also developed a recruiting selection and assessment process guided by our industrial psychologist. So, if the employer needs someone new, we work with national recruiters to go the first mile to attract candidates. Then they follow our interview process to put the candidate through an online psychological assessment, resulting in a candidate assessment report that really lays out who this person is for a potential employer. This also sets the stage for our high degree of success. And because of that, we’ve been able to demonstrate that people who normally would not have been considered for, say, a CNC machinist job, will be successful.

Aviation Maintenance: Do you have any numbers, in terms of people graduated?

Stomphorst: We’ve successfully put over 750 people through our programs and we’ve worked with over 80 companies to date. And we’re being conservative with those numbers.

Aviation Maintenance: Clearly, you’ve been able to achieve good results in Canada, where WBLC is based, and what about the rest of the world? Would our readers outside Canada be able to get in touch with you and pick your brains about how they might do the same thing in their countries?

Stomphorst: We’d be happy to speak with them. Yeah, absolutely!

Aviation Maintenance: So where can they reach you?

Stomphorst: Via email: Rick.Stomphorst@workbasedlearning.ca

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility and inadequate depth of many industry supply chains, none more so than in the Aerospace & Defense sector. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the backlog (cumulative number of unfulfilled orders) for new aircraft has reached 17,000 planes, a record high. At present delivery rates, the current backlog would take 14 years to fulfill, double the six-year average backlog for the 2013-2019 period. However, the waiting time is expected to shorten as delivery rates increase according to IATA’s document, “Supply Chain Issues Continue to Negatively Impact Airline Performance into 2025.”

Furthermore, labor shortages, skillset reductions and material availability (down to the raw material level) issues have reduced visibility of supply, supply quality, predictability of on-time delivery and increased lead times (which have now been reduced, to some degree). The resulting impact on OEMs and top Tier 1 suppliers has been a lack of in-depth understanding of the drivers of supplier challenges, especially at the sub-tier level, and most importantly, very poor visibility of potential critical-part disruption.

As we move further into 2025, the looming threat and reality of tariffs and other economic hardball situations have the potential to create further instability, just as the aerospace supply chain is attempting to stabilize.

Much of the efforts of OEMs and Defense Primes to recognize supply chain weaknesses focus on big Tier 1 suppliers that provide very large, very expensive, complex systems and sub-systems like landing gear, avionics, engines and aerostructures. This is understandable to a degree; however, most of these highly engineered systems are made up of hundreds, if not thousands of sub-assemblies and individual parts that come from huge numbers of smaller companies that do not necessarily have the same robust systems to manage demand and production as effectively as Tier 1s themselves. Limitations arise when OEMs attempt to gain direct, on-site access to sub-tiers; sub-tier relationships are largely directly managed by the Tier 1 suppliers and there can even be specific privity clauses in the contracts between Tier 1 and sub-tier suppliers.

Impacts of Supply Chain Visibility and the Production Readiness Audit Process

While most OEMs and Primes have supplier quality and vendor management systems (and many have highly structured production readiness processes) in place, the problem that often materializes is that there are simply too many suppliers and too many assessments to be done in a given year to keep up with. Coupled with inconsistent training and poor adherence to rigorous process, this tends to lead to assessing through ‘pencil whipping’ and copy / paste when it comes to vital processes. Often, thoughtful, deeper probing of supplier production readiness is set aside as readiness audits press for speed and conclusion.

In an effort to raise quality and production rates so that they can get their parts, many of the largest Aerospace & Defense OEMs and Primes are known to send dozens of their own engineers and production leads to a Tier 1 supplier for months at a time to correct design, engineering, production and supply chain issues. This is obviously an expensive effort; however, it can be worth the cost IF they can get the critical parts and systems to meet their own demand. It is not uncommon for Tier 1s (especially larger ones) to apply a similar methodology to their sub-tiers to simply keep their own supply chain moving. The problem with this approach is that the cost makes it a short-term fix at best, and even though the supplier’s quality and production may go up while they are there, once the OEM or Tier 1 leaves, things quickly go back to what was being done before and sub-tier suppliers are right back where they started. The question is, why?

The reason this approach is both short-lived and limited in effectiveness is that there is not a specific, clear approach to determining the root cause of the issues, aligning on a course of action to correct the issues, and subsequently implementing an operating model change driven by strong KPIs and sustained by intensive training in order to ensure the change sticks in the long term. The other important issue that comes up is that this approach is typically only applied to critical parts, which leaves other sub-tier suppliers untouched by the OEM and mainly left to improve on their own.

Communication and Data Clarity Challenges

The complexity of this supply chain visibility weakness really begins (as in most cases of breakdowns in production maturity) with lack of clear, concise communication and poor data. First, OEMs and Defense Primes can get very frustrated with the lack of communication between their Tier 1s and sub-tiers (and likewise between themselves and the sub-tiers); however, if you were to ask most sub-tier suppliers they will tell you that they are just as frustrated with the lack of a clear demand signal from their customers (both the Tier 1 and OEM). This is an especially difficult situation for smaller Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers as frequently they simply do not have the capital to invest in more robust systems and processes, nor capacity to quickly raise production rates, or conversely simply slow their production due to the OEM having a sudden slowdown in their production. This churn in demand creates a rollercoaster of fluctuation that can be very difficult for suppliers to respond to as they plan their own production schedules.

In addition to communication, poor data is the second piece of this puzzle that must be addressed. Often OEMs and Tier 1s may have many different sources of information coming from several disparate ERP systems and even from Excel spreadsheets. This lack of a ‘single source of truth’ can create confusion when it comes to delivering accurate, reliable, and timely information to sub-tier suppliers they depend on to ensure that they are scheduling the right work at the right time. The same disconnect often happens from the sub-tier to the Tier 1 and OEM, which leads to the OEM not trusting that the supplier will be able to deliver on time and in full, which then, you guessed, starts the cycle all over again.

Moving to a Predictive Supplier Quality Process

The entire process can quickly become a downward spiral of quality and production that gets out of control fast and can have a significant impact on Cost of Poor Quality (CoPQ) for both the supplier and the OEM. But what can be done to turn this around in the near term?

The first thing for the OEM is to create a very robust supplier performance program that includes multiple elements in a process that eliminates visibility issues and gives them confidence that suppliers can deliver on time and in full. Some of the critical criteria include: supplier data consolidation; supplier risk rankings; critical parts analysis; prioritization & stratification criteria to determine highest priority sub-tiers; and a clear supplier production readiness assessment process that goes beyond just ‘checking off boxes.’

Moving from a reactive to proactive to predictive supplier quality process requires a rigorous Supplier Risk and Quality Assurance process, which includes:

• Developing a Risk & Capabilities Matrix (integrated with digital enablement)

• Analyzing and enhancing current data to refine prioritization measurements and define risk landscape

• Determining current percentage of Supplier of Concern issues related to sub-tiers

• Determining an effective supplier communication strategy to engage and prepare sub-tiers for assessment

• Consolidating data, supplier risk rankings, critical parts analysis, prioritization & stratification criteria to determine highest priority sub-tiers for the Wave 1 on-site assessment

• Jointly developing a rollout plan that includes specific supplier initiation, analysis timing, logistics, etc.

• Analyzing each supplier for critical production process criteria: quality, capability, capacity, metrics, KPIs.

While it is very easy to see the potential benefits of a robust, comprehensive and cohesive supplier risk and quality assurance approach for the OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, the upside potential for the sub-tier supply chain could be even more pronounced. Many sub-tier suppliers continually struggle with labor, material and cost impacts just like the OEMs. Aligning sub-tier suppliers with OEMs through increased visibility, open communication, and clear supply and demand signals, and supporting with reliable data to drive confidence in decision making, has the potential to enable OEMs and the supply chain to ensure predictability of supply while reducing cost and improving profitability.

Christopher Brumitt is managing director, Aerospace & Defense for Maine Pointe, a global supply chain and operations consulting firm. He has worked in the implementation consulting industry for more than 30 years, with a proven track record of delivering improvements in operational execution, top-line growth, pursuit & capture acceleration, procurement, logistics, supply chain optimization, and organizational development; and helping Aerospace & Defense senior executives realize the accelerated execution of significant strategic and operational goals. Contact Chris at CBrumitt@MainePointe.com

According to the Transportation Security Administration, a staggering 904 million passengers were screened in 2024, marking a 5% growth from 2023 and an impressive 17% increase since 2022. Despite this rapid growth, the aviation industry is facing significant challenges, particularly in workforce shortages and rising training costs. If left unchecked, these issues could hinder industry growth and impact passenger experiences.

To remain competitive, the aviation sector must explore forward-thinking solutions, with modern technology playing a pivotal role. One of the most promising yet underutilized advancements is the integration of extended reality (XR). No longer just a futuristic concept, XR is now a practical tool that has the potential to reshape workforce training, enhance operational efficiency, and address the industry’s most pressing financial and labor challenges.

The Critical Challenges Facing Aviation

One of the most urgent challenges is the growing skills gap among maintenance technicians. The industry is losing experienced professionals to retirement and replacing them with adequately trained new technicians is proving difficult. As highly skilled workers exit the field, the industry struggles to replenish its workforce with technicians who meet modern maintenance demands.

At the same time, the cost of entering and remaining in the field is escalating. Training and certification expenses range from $8,000 to $80,000, creating a significant financial barrier for new technicians. Ongoing recertifications further strain both individuals and airlines, adding to the financial burden of maintaining an adequately trained workforce.

These workforce constraints are exacerbated by increasing operational demands. Airlines must maintain aging fleets for longer while simultaneously introducing more technologically advanced aircraft to meet growing passenger expectations. Addressing these workforce and training gaps is critical — XR offers a scalable, cost-effective solution.

Modernizing Training for a High-Demand Industry

Traditional training methods rely heavily on bulky manuals, classroom instruction, and limited hands-on experience, leaving trainees underprepared for real-world maintenance scenarios. XR bridges this gap by providing an immersive, interactive learning experience.

Using high-fidelity 3D models, XR enables technicians to practice maintenance procedures, troubleshoot issues, and simulate complex repairs in a controlled virtual environment. A study by PwC on the effectiveness of VR for training found that virtual learners felt a stronger connection to the content compared to classroom learners, and 40% of the virtual learners saw improvements in their confidence compared to their classroom counterparts. Both a strong connection to the content and confidence are essential components of knowledge retention, making XR learning a far more effective approach to skill development.

Beyond effectiveness, XR training is significantly more cost-efficient. Rather than grounding aircraft for training or relocating technicians for instruction — both of which are expensive and disruptive — XR-based training can be conducted remotely, anytime, anywhere. This reduces operational downtime and optimizes training investments.

Maximizing ROI with XR Training

As training costs continue to rise, organizations need solutions that maximize return on investment. XR not only enhances learning outcomes but also provides measurable cost savings.

With XR, technicians can repeatedly practice complex procedures in simulated environments, eliminating the need for physical aircraft and minimizing costly training disruptions. This hands-on, repeatable practice leads to better retention, stronger performance, and a more confident workforce.

Fostering Collaboration Across the Aviation Industry

Beyond workforce development, XR creates new opportunities for collaboration. Airlines, MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) providers and regulatory bodies can work with technology developers to build standardized, scalable training solutions.

This collaborative approach accelerates industry-wide adoption, ensuring that XR training meets regulatory requirements while also addressing workforce shortages. By aligning industry stakeholders around XR-driven training initiatives, aviation leaders can implement a unified, high-impact strategy.

Reinforcing Safety with Immersive Training

Safety is the foundation of aviation, and XR is redefining how airlines and MRO providers approach safety training. Through realistic, scenario-based simulations, aviation professionals can rehearse critical situations in a controlled, risk-free environment.

Technicians, pilots, and cabin crews can practice responses to system failures, emergency landings, and other high-risk scenarios. This not only improves preparedness but also raises overall industry safety standards by ensuring personnel can handle real-world emergencies with confidence.

Flying Higher with XR

The aviation industry is at a turning point. Passenger demand continues to rise, but workforce shortages and increasing training costs pose significant challenges. Traditional training methods alone can’t keep pace with the complexity of modern aviation. New approaches are needed to ensure efficiency, safety, and workforce readiness.

XR is emerging as a powerful tool to meet these demands, offering a more effective, scalable way to train aviation professionals. By adopting immersive training methods, the industry can build a workforce that is better prepared, more adaptable, and equipped to meet the demands of the future.

Investing in smarter, more immersive training will be key to ensuring a skilled workforce that can sustain the industry’s growth and evolving needs.

Billy Webb is the senior director of business development at Mass Virtual. Webb has more than 30 years of distinguished military service and extensive industry leadership. Prior to joining Mass Virtual, he served as the field marketing representative for Boeing with a focus on Army, Special Operations and NASA programs.