by Elsie Clark | Sep 19, 2025 | Avionics, MRO IT
Avionics on IndiGo’s fleet of 430 A320 Airbus aircraft will now be maintained by Thales.
The new agreement lasts for 11 years, and includes IndiGo’s growth plans to increase its fleet to 800 craft. Thales’s Repair By The Hour (RBTH) and Avionics By The Hour (ABTH) solutions will be deployed to reduce downtime and ensure critical components are available.
The repairs will take place at IndiGo’s new avionics MRO facility near Delhi Airport in India. An additional 5-year contract has been signed with AvioBook Flight, a Thales company. AvioBook is the only Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution authorised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for paperless EFB, and provides pilots with essential digital tools to manage their crews.
Parichay Datta, Senior Vice-president, Engineering, IndiGo, said:
We are pleased to partner with Thales, a leading aerospace company trusted worldwide for its expertise in avionics support, to augment IndiGo’s maintenance and repairs capabilities.
With IndiGo’s growing scale and fleet, this association aligns with our commitment to offer a hassle-free and safe flying experience to our customers, while ensuring operational excellence and reliability
India has surpassed Brazil and Indonesia to become the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. Earlier this week, IndiGo announced plans for a route to Athens from January 2026, as it expands its European strategy.
Since its founding in 2005, the airline has become the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size. The partnership with Thales represents a significant step forward in the company’s efforts to guarantee its growing number of pilots and passengers with safety and efficiency.
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by Elsie Clark | Sep 12, 2025 | AI & ML, Innovation, MRO IT
Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has introduced a new solution for real-time monitoring emissions from auxiliary power units (APUs).
The Danish airport has rolled out Assaia’s EmissionsControl technology across its stands. Airports often struggle to reduce APU emissions due to a lack of data on how runtime is influenced by locations and weather conditions. Through this new development, CPH claims to have become the world’s first airport to utilise the innovative monitoring solution.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Assaia’s system deploys cameras to track APU usage during aircraft turnarounds. This provides CPH with comprehensive data on APU usage patterns that can then inform effective carbon reduction strategies.
CPH’s chief operating officer Kristoffer Plenge-Brandt said:
The use of APU contributes to noise and emissions of CO₂ and air pollution, including ultrafine particles, which are a concern for both our employees and our neighbouring communities.
That’s why we aim to reduce APU usage as much as possible. With this new tool, we can identify when our operational guidelines are not being met and understand the reasons behind it
Weather conditions are key to understanding APU runtime. Extreme cold temperatures require longer warmup times, while hot weather necessitates internal cooling systems. CPH’s data-centric approach means they can optimise APU usage without relying on assumptions, as has previously been practice.
Alongside improving ground operations, the initiative contributes to CPH’s 2030 net-zero emissions target. Airlines flying into the airport will also benefit from decreased fuel consumption and lower operational costs.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss the future of operational sustainability in aviation.
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by Jessica Brownlow | Aug 15, 2025 | MRO IT
Supply chain strain. Aircraft on the ground. Rising costs.
The aviation industry is still dealing with the long tail of disruption post-COVID-and effective MRO inventory management may be the key to resilience.
In this conversation, Micheál Armstrong, CEO of Armac Systems, breaks down the challenges airlines are facing today, and how smart use of data, systems, and people can unlock huge gains in efficiency and availability.
“Some parts come back quickly, others might as well be scrapped. You can’t rely on old provisioning models anymore.”
With lead times increasing on both new parts and repairs, airlines are being forced to hold aircraft longer, delay retirements, and extend leases. But forward-thinking organizations are fighting back with smarter planning and more collaborative supplier engagement.
“It’s not just about average lead times anymore. You need real-time insight and supplier-level collaboration.”
From applying engineering strategy to part interchangeability, to making better decisions around upgrades and modifications, Micheál shares how operators are shifting from reactive to proactive.
He also discusses how technology is making this possible:
- Proactive data analysis to detect issues early
- Advanced planning with platforms like ReASSIST
- Using inventory systems as decision-support tools, not just process managers
And the next frontier? AI, machine learning, and data science.
“These algorithms aren’t new-what’s new is we finally have the people, the mindset, and the computing power to apply them.”
He explains how the rise of digital natives, data science teams, and cloud computing is driving real-world adoption of AI in aviation-not just buzzwords, but actual, scalable value.
🎥 Watch the full interview to learn how airlines and MROs can shift from lagging to leading in supply chain resilience and tech adoption.
Questions asked include:
- What’s the current state of the aviation supply chain?
- How are repair and replacement delays affecting operations?
- How can inventory management systems help mitigate risk?
- What role does technology play in improving visibility and planning?
- How is AI transforming decision-making in MRO and parts management?
- What role do events and collaboration play in driving industry innovation?
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by Jessica Brownlow | Jun 23, 2025 | AI & ML, MRO IT, Video
Onsite at Aerospace Tech Week Europe, five winners of the Aerospace Tech Review (ATR) Awards were announced for the first time. The awards celebrate individuals and companies for their outstanding contributions to the aerospace industry in 2024. Each category featured three deserving finalists and the winners were selected by an expert panel.
Among the winners were Kquika, whose ground breaking Trakt System won the prize for Most Creative Product Applying AI. Kquika’s Trakt System is an AI-powered predictive maintenance platform designed specifically for the aviation industry. Using a proprietary multi-model AI architecture, it achieves 92-95 per cent accuracy in predicting component failures, significantly outperforming industry standards.
In this interview, Victor Oribamise, CEO, Kquika shared deeper insight into the technology that is helping airlines anticipate issues well before they occur. Explaining the company’s goal, Oribamise said:
“We are an AI powered aviation technology company that my co-founder and I founded in 2021. Our mission is very simple but very, very transformative: we want to make air travel enjoyable, stress-free, without any cause of delays, maintenance problem for airlines, and ultimately their passengers.”
The system applies multiple AI models to analyse aircraft data and predict potential faults before they occur. To find out more about the technology powering Trakt System and how it achieves accuracy scores of between 92 and 95 per cent, watch the full interview below.
Questions asked include:
- Can you tell me about Kquika Inc and what the company does?
- Could you talk me through the Trakt System and how it works?
- I understand the system achieves 92–95% accuracy in predicting component failures, significantly outperforming industry standards. How is this level of accuracy achieved?
- How does the Trakt System transform reactive maintenance into proactive fleet optimization?
- What kind of real-world results have you seen from implementing the Trakt System?
- What’s next for Kquika Inc, and what are your personal goals moving forward?
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by Jessica Brownlow | Jun 17, 2025 | BUZZ, MRO IT
The International Paris Air Show has been the meeting place for global aerospace for over a century. The event gathers manufacturers, airlines, lessors, and more to showcase the latest tech and sign major commercial deals.
This year, Airbus bagged nearly $10 billion in orders within the first day. The Europe-based plane maker secured commitments for up to 238 new aircraft in day one of the seven day show.
Confirmed orders included (132):
- AviLease, the Saudi-backed leasing company, confirmed purchases of 10 A350F freighters and 30 A320neo jets.
- Riyadh Air announced a significant commitment for 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
- ANA Holdings (Japan) finalized an agreement for 27 Airbus planes – 14 A321neo for All Nippon Airways (ANA) and 13 narrowbodies (10 A321neo and 3 A321XLR) for its low-cost subsidiary Peach Aviation.
- LOT Polish Airlines (Poland) placed its inaugural Airbus order, securing 40 A220s, split evenly between the A220-100 and A220-300 variants.
Potential orders (106):
- AviLease holds options to scale up its order to 22 A350Fs and 55 A320neos.
- Riyadh Air may double its commitment, with rights to acquire up to 50 A350-1000s.
- LOT Polish Airlines has indicated plans to expand its A220 fleet to as many as 84 aircraft over time.
Speaking specifically on the Riyadh Air partnership, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business said:
“We are proud to extend our strategic partnership with Riyadh Air as it continues to build a pioneering carrier for the Kingdom. As the long-range leader, the A350-1000 will provide unrivalled efficiency, range and passenger comfort, making it the ideal choice to support the airline’s ambitious growth plans and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives to enhance global connectivity and economic diversification.”
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by Jessica Brownlow | Jun 11, 2025 | MRO IT
Originally published World Aviation Festival
Delta Air Lines, one of the most profitable airlines in the world, raised concerns about the impact Trump’s tariffs could have on the industry. Late last week, these warnings came to light.
With tariffs of nearly 10 per cent impacting almost all imported planes and parts, Delta warned against the disruptive impact this will have on both airlines and their passengers.
Reuters shared the US carrier’s caution, saying “tariffs on imported airplanes and parts could force the airline to stop buying foreign-made planes and eliminate flights that serve about 10 million customers a year.” Delta’s comments were made as part of a US Commerce Department filing that had previously gone unreported. The airline warned of the impact on ticket prices and supply chains, adding:
“Delta would likely be forced to cancel existing contracts and reconsider contracts under negotiation […] it would also reduce manufacturing in the United States by both Boeing and Airbus.”
Yesterday, a second Reuters article showed five nations (Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, and Switzerland), the European Union, and major airline & aerospace manufacturers have formally urged Trump to abandon the proposed tariffs.
The EU said:
“As reliable trading partners, the European Union and United States should strengthen their trade regarding aircraft and aircraft parts, rather than hinder it by imposing trade restrictions.”
As the industry tackles the uncertainty that comes with these changes, leaders are making it clear, the stability of aviation is imperative and further disruption to the global supply chain will come with severe consequences.
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