by Elsie Clark | Dec 1, 2025 | Innovation, MRO IT
Airbus has reported that the majority of A320 and A320neo aircraft have returned to operation after being grounded suddenly on 28 November.
A safety alert was issued after a JetBlue A320 experienced an uncontrolled descent lasting for several seconds during a flight from Newark to Cancun on 30 October. Airbus’s subsequent investigation found that intense solar radiation was corrupting critical flight control data, forcing thousands of A320s across the world to be recalled for updates.
The manufacturer said on 1 December that fewer than 100 of the 6,000-strong fleet were still undergoing upgrades. For most aircraft, a simple software update was all that was required, but some older models require a more time-consuming hardware installation.
Around 60% of the world’s 9,900 active A320s and sister models were affected by the grounding. 2025 is a peak year in the solar weather cycle, which caused the unusually intense solar radiation that affected JetBlue’s flight.
In the wake of the disruption, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury issued an apology on LinkedIn, stating:
I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now. But we consider that nothing is more important than safety when people fly on one of our Airbus Aircraft – like millions do every day.
Our teams are working around the clock to support our operators and ensure these updates are deployed as swiftly as possible to get planes back in the sky and resume normal operations, with the safety assurance you expect from Airbus.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026, where Airbus Chief Technology Officer Dr Sabine Klauke will be speaking.
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by Elsie Clark | Nov 11, 2025 | Innovation, MRO IT
British Airways (BA) have chosen MRO-PRO to digitise and manage the airline’s entire line maintenance network.
The partnership represents a significant advance in BA’s modernisation strategy. Thanks to MRO-PRO’s cloud-based software, the carrier can now tap real-time visibility and forecasting maintenance management. Integrating inbound flight data with engineer availability, the platform also helps optimise staff allocation to address MRO issues more efficiently.
MRO-PRO will be rolled out across BA’s international hubs, including London Gatwick, Manchester, New York, Delhi, and Sydney. Gavin Shearer, Head of Operations – Line Maintenance at British Airways, explained the benefits the airline has already realised:
The system has enabled simplified aircraft workflows with enhanced performance visibility for managers, through improved data insights, and delivered smarter work allocation using flight radar feeds to track any aircraft delays and reprioritise tasks.
He also noted that all of BA’s engineers were now using the system after a full onboarding and training process.
Scott Wells, founder and managing director of MRO-PRO, said that his company was advancing ‘[a] new standard in digital MRO management’. He commented:
MRO-PRO is proud to announce that British Airways, one of the world’s most recognised and prestigious airlines, has chosen our platform to manage the MRO requirements for all its customer line maintenance network. This new partnership represents a significant milestone for MRO-PRO in our growth ambition to deliver digital and AI-enhanced solutions to leading airlines and maintenance providers across the world.
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by Elsie Clark | Oct 29, 2025 | Innovation, MRO IT
The aviation industry continues to struggle against high labour costs and skilled workforce shortages. And as the aircraft order backlog only goes up, effective maintenance and repair is more crucial than ever in keeping older aircraft in service for longer.
Robotics could play a crucial role in filling these gaps, able to service aircraft to a high standard in collaboration with human overseers. At Aerospace Tech Week 2025, we sat down with Okan Ozkan, R&D and Business Development Director for myTECHNIC, to discuss developments in the industry so far, and where robots could be deployed next.
The challenge facing maintenance workers is considerable. The industry is expected to add 45,900 new aircraft by 2043, but ongoing supply chain challenges have frustrated delivery. Moreover, the influx of new aircraft and keeping old aircraft in service places increasing strain on technicians. Scaling recruitment of these key personnel is a top priority, but with every staff member requiring years of training, other complementary solutions are needed.
Ozkan believes robotics are key to supporting and even improving human output, offering better reliability and accuracy. However, several key adoption challenges remain.
The main difficulty is regulation. If you’re using any robot in the hangar space, you have to ensure that it’s not damaging the aircraft. Safety comes first.
As well as securing regulatory approval, robot capabilities for maintenance remain in the early stages of development. Ozkan explains how deploying robots for autonomous aircraft repair and overhaul remains a long-term goal as the industry explores the full potential of robotic arming technology. In the future, smart robots could service and repair aircraft completely independently.
I like Star Wars, and I remember seeing the robotic technologies on screen for the spacecrafts there. And now I am seeing that time coming in real life because of how robotic technology is growing.
🎥 Watch the interview to hear Okan Ozkan’s full insight on how robotics is developing in aviation MRO.
Questions asked include:
- How are you seeing robotic technology impact aircraft maintenance activity?
- How do you see innovation in robotics having an impact on sustainability?
- How do events like Aerospace Tech Week help drive the industry forward?
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss the cutting-edge technologies transforming MRO, including AI and robotics.
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by Elsie Clark | Oct 22, 2025 | AI & ML, Innovation, MRO IT
Back in April, our Aerospace Tech Review Awards 2025 honoured a range of cutting-edge startups, speakers, and collaborations across the aerospace industry. Most Disruptive Startup went to AIXI, an innovative data and analytics company that is giving aviation MRO data a much-need upgrade.
To learn more, we sat down on video call with AIXI’s CEO, Cameron Byrd. With aviation continuing to depend on legacy systems, AIXI’s data-cleaning AI represents a significant advancement. Information that might previously have been buried in spreadsheets or hidden behind reference numbers can be brought to the fore through AIXI’s industry-specific large-language model (ILM).
It’s impossible to extract reliable information from maintenance data without cleaning it first. That’s where everyone’s failing, and where AIXI focuses.
Byrd believes airlines’ extensive maintenance data backlogs airlines represent an untapped ‘gold mine’ that could be leveraged far more effectively. AIXI’s ILM extracts, cleans, and standardises this data, while additional tools can identify repeat defects by aircraft or by fleet. The startup’s ultimate goal is to provide the aviation industry with strong data foundations, which they can build upon for true prescriptive and predictive maintenance.
With an accuracy rate of over 95%, the AIXI model can review 3,000 records a day and save 15,000 hours of labour. Real-world use cases have demonstrated these high-performance capabilities: AIXI have been working with Southwest Airlines since 2022, and upon installation immediately freed up five full-time employees.
Southwest also tried to have humans verify the results of the autocoder. And what happened was the autocoder would beat the humans.
AIXI is currently tailored to manage Boeing 737s, but in the future Byrd hopes to refine the ILM so it can be applied to more aircraft records. He also hopes to build an industry-specific chatbot tool, where engineers can input questions on maintenance procedures or the number of delays due to certain causes, and receive accurate answers based on the airline’s data.
When it comes to MRO, AI is a transformative tool that will become essential to the running of the aviation industry. Byrd concludes:
AI is the way to unlock the power of data, because if you know the history of your fleet, you can predict the future of your fleet.
🎥 Watch the full interview to get the full lowdown on AIXI’s game-changing technology, and why they won Most Disruptive Startup at the ATR Awards 2025.
Questions asked include:
- Aviation is known for being dependent on legacy tools and methods. What systems have traditionally been used to aggregate MRO data? What are the challenges that come with using these?
- How is AIXI disrupting this field? Tell me more about your AI-powered solutions and how they are a game-changer for MRO.
- What are your plans for the future? How would you like to grow your business/develop the product?
- How do you see use of AI changing aerospace and aviation over the next decade?
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026, where our Startup World Cup will gather the most innovative new businesses from across the industry.
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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.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss the future of avionics.
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