Airbus and Delta to partner
03/12/2019
Airbus and Delta Air Lines are forming a digital alliance designed to provide predictive maintenance for mixed fleets of aircraft.Both companies are teaming to leverage Delta’s predictive maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) and mixed-fleet operational experience with Airbus’s Skywise platform and a significant investment in data analytics.
This new portal, Predictive Maintenance Services, will span predictive maintenance for airframes, component and engine MRO, while allowing customers to work in a more integrated way with Skywise. It should be available in the first quarter of 2020.
Don Mitacek, Delta’s Senior Vice President Technical Operations, said the airline prevented 2000 delays in 2018 based on its predictive maintenance actions. While Delta’s internal predictive maintenance actions have a 95% accuracy, he claims the new alliance with Airbus “will leapfrog [Delta’s] capabilities to further decrease aircraft delays.”
Part of the team’s internal success involves telling the technician who pulled a component before it failed whether the predicted maintenance action was warranted based on the test-bench results. Delta has also noted in log books if a component is being pulled for predictive reasons.
Airbus and Delta will seek other members to work on this Skywise portal and are open to discussions. Potential members will be evaluated based on the value they could add.
Over 90 customers operating 8000 aircraft use Skywise and Airbus will take the sales lead on Predictive Maintenance Services.
