With the continued customer-focused expansion of the independent digital platform AVIATAR, Lufthansa Technik has further integrated the possibilities of digitalization with proven maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. A growing number of new digital solutions and automated processes allows airline customers to benefit from lower cost, more efficient operations and higher aircraft reliability.
Lufthansa Technik is rigorously developing AVIATAR further into the Digital Operations Suite, which is set to contain all of the company's digital solutions. A number of these are currently being renamed to make the purpose and customer benefits of individual digital services more transparent to users. Airlines using AVIATAR will thus find it even easier to obtain not only a comprehensive real-time view of the status of their fleets, but also fast and efficient solutions to problems which arise during operations.
AVIATAR solution for Cyclean Engine Wash under development
Cyclean Engine Wash is a distinguished service of Lufthansa Technik's Mobile Engine Services offering one of the latest innovations available on AVIATAR. Building on a successful MRO product, Cyclean has been popular among airlines worldwide for more than a decade. Cyclean and AVIATAR teams are developing and testing an enhanced digital solution, which will be available for customers in early 2020. In the future, Cyclean customers will be able to order their engine washes online by using an automated process on AVIATAR.
Available on AVIATAR the Cyclean Engine Wash application tracks an engine's individual washing interval and determines the right time for a wash by linking flight schedule data on AVIATAR and globally operated Cyclean stations with one another. If an engine wash is required, the application automatically requests a slot at a destination. Once the local Cyclean partner accepts the request and the customer accepts the time slot, the order is placed automatically. The application also supports teams with technical operations regarding monitoring, planning, and easy online access to certificates and historical data in real time.
30 modules and growing
"It is our declared goal with AVIATAR to further improve the technical reliability of our customers' aircraft," said Robert Gaag, Lufthansa Technik's Vice President Corporate Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, during MRO Europe, the leading European trade show for the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry, which takes place in London this year. "Airlines in Europe face considerable cost pressure, not least due to the high compensation payments for delays imposed by the European Flight Compensation Regulation. The Digital Operations Suite provides them with a valuable tool to take sustainable preventive action, since the platform further integrates digital solutions with traditional maintenance fulfilment better than any other product."
AVIATAR – The Digital Operations Suite has already been chosen by more than 20 partners worldwide who are taking advantage of the digital fleet solutions available on Lufthansa Technik's innovative and independent platform. Today AVIATAR offers more than 30 modules and a further 20 are in development with various partners for different segments of the operational life cycle. Lufthansa Technik's crossfunctional innovation teams are developing new digital solutions for many business segments to continuously optimize technical operations and MRO processes using the AVIATAR digital technology stack. Solutions include condition monitoring, fault analytics, reliability management and prediction as well as marketplaces for components and digital solutions to enhance MRO Services.
Prediction for auxiliary power units
Digital condition monitoring solutions are a current example of the influence of digital technology in aircraft maintenance. They help reduce maintenance costs, such as those for auxiliary power units (APUs), and prevent faults through predictive maintenance. The AVIATAR suite's Prediction Solution APU uses the vast amounts of aircraft and APU data available to inform customers about the condition of their APUs, enabling health management to avoid operational interruptions. The fundamental advantages of ongoing system monitoring were recently confirmed by the airline Eurowings, which is benefiting from shorter ground times, quicker troubleshooting and material supplies, and fewer Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situations.
Fewer disruptions thanks to reliable predictions
A growing number of predictors analyze aircraft data to help operators convert unscheduled maintenance tasks into scheduled ones. To minimize the probability of failures and increase operational efficiency, the digital solutions, which are available online via the innovative AVIATAR Platform, monitor various aircraft parameters, including data on IDGs (integrated Drive Generators), engines, ignitor plugs, brakes, oxygen and hydraulics as well as other critical systems in real time. Proven model-based algorithms calculate and visualize the data of the respective systems, for instance to optimize maintenance and repair processes. The system also provides realistic predictions of the remaining service life of components. For example, AVIATAR user Swiss International Air Lines has reported steady improvements in its processes, thanks to the replacement of components before they fail. This practice helps to avoid unscheduled downtimes like AOGs and unplanned maintenance work, which can also lead to delays and increased MRO cost.
AVIATAR as the basis for digital growth
AVIATAR is the only independent platform that is open to competitors, and the growing number of airlines now using AVIATAR for their operations proves its success. Customers such as the ultra low-cost carrier Wizz Air, which opted for AVIATAR as early as 2017, now have a neutral platform at their disposal that enables them to realize their own digital visions and cooperate with their maintenance and technical operation partners via digital channels.
