Japan Airlines (JAL) and Donecle have officially launched the first joint project of its kind in Japan using drones to complete fully autonomous exterior aircraft inspections.

The initiative aims to improve efficiency by replacing manual visual inspections with autonomous drone technology.

This project uses Donecle’s Iris GVI drones, which are approved for use in various aircraft manufacturer maintenance manuals. The Iris GVI can fly autonomously while detecting obstacles, eliminating the need for making contact with the aircraft.

This enables:

• Consistent operation regardless of operator
• High-resolution images with consistent standards
• Precise mapping and measurement of defects with image analysis technology

By achieving fully autonomous exterior inspections, the project could offer benefits like:

• Reduced inspection time
• Improved safety
• Reallocated time for predictive maintenance
• Overall improved aircraft quality

In the new workflow JAL and Donecle are developing, drones would take high-resolution images of aircraft’s exterior that mechanics could then inspect, rather than working at height on a large airframe.

To ensure quality and compliance are maintained, JAL has been comparing results from traditional visual inspections with drone-captured images.

Currently, the initiative is conducting demonstration tests inside hangars, but there are plans to expand the project to goals like:

• Reduced flight delays
• Faster unscheduled lightning strike inspections
• Regular aircraft paint condition monitoring

JAL and Donecle are completing this project in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).