Summary AI optimizes flight routes, saving fuel and reducing emissions. Some airlines consider single-pilot operations due to AI. AI helps eliminate error fares and improve predictive maintenance.
The world of artificial intelligence has come so far that some people believe that calling it “artificial” is wrong to begin with . Artificial intelligence has been used by airlines to revolutionize passenger travel . Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is set to introduce an AI security screening , while Eindhoven Airport is using this technology to improve aircraft handling.
From helping with flight connections to finding the next available gate for your aircraft, here's how airlines are using AI tools. At this point, it seems that AI is well on course to change commercial aviation. But how exactly can it do so? Let’s find out.
1 Enhancing route efficiency Airlines spend $215 billion a year, a significant portion of which is for optimizing routes One of the most challenging areas of work in aviation is route planning. Airlines spend a considerable amount of money on this costly endeavor. One of the reasons route planning is so costly is because there are a lot of variables involved.
These include the likes of: Air traffic congestion Fluctuating fuel costs Rapidly changing weather patterns According to an analysis by fareye.com , AI gathers data on the various variables written above (and more) to optimize flight routes: “Based on the collected data, the system formulates the specific routing problem to be solved, such as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) or the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP). The AI system selects the appropriate algorithm for solving the routing problem.
This could be a heuristic algorithm, a metaheuristic, or a combination of multiple algorithms.” After the system generates an initial solution, the optimization process starts. This will be followed by iterative development.
Flyways, is one of the many platforms that uses “scheduled and active flight data to identify less congested flight routes and bypass areas with adverse weather conditions.” Nicole Kylie reported for Simple Flying that Alaska Airlines saved 480,000 gallons of fuel, alongside reducing 4,600 tons in CO2 emissions using the solutions offered by Flyways. 2 A push towards single-pilot operations Pilots around the world call single-pilot operations “a threat to safety" but the rise of AI might change their course One of the hot topics in commercial aviation is the possibility of single-pilot operations .
With an increase in technology, modern aircraft don’t carry the following people who used to be integral to flights in the years gone by: Flight engineer Radio operator Navigator Relief pilot. The growth of autonomous technologies has helped flight crew get considerably smaller. Regarding the use of such technology, Airbus comments : “Over the last 100 years, as the aerospace industry has emerged, evolved and improved, automation and autonomous technologies have played a key role in helping us increase the safety of our products and their operational efficiency.
” And the growth of AI in recent times has led to many people wondering if single pilot operations might be the next change. AI might, as Airbus writes, help “to pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world “ by getting rid of some piloting errors associated with flying, but there are certain challenges such as the threat of thousands of pilots losing their jobs, and possible errors associated with technology. 3 Error fares might be ‘a thing of the past’ Mistakes in publishing air fares have allowed people to book flights for less than 5% of the airfare Many people can’t quite wrap their heads around a wide spectrum of airfares that are often visible.
Some of the extraordinary airfares posted by airlines include: All Nippon Airways once sold business class fares from Jakarta to the US and Canada for $330 . Cathay Pacific sold first-class flights , which are generally more than $16,000, for around $675. These were for flights from Vietnam to the US.
These are examples of what are known as error fares . There are even dedicated portals which notify you of error fares so that you can book flight tickets when airlines offer fares for such extraordinarily low prices. But the use of AI might help airlines save money they lose when they publish such errors.
In fact, the savings have already started. According to Simple Flying, the use of artificial intelligence might render error fares extinct : “ATPCO, an Airline Tariff Publishing Company which stores and distributes almost 90% of the airfares worldwide, has implemented a new feature. The new feature called "Suppression of Sales" allows airlines in the United States and Canada to cancel error fares in as little as 15 minutes, while international airlines can cancel error fares in around an hour.
” 15 minutes might be a significant improvement (from one hour) in canceling error fares, but this time window of one-fourth of an hour does allow people to pounce on such mistakes. The improvement of AI will make the 15-minute window shorter and possibly non-existent. 4 We could see predictive maintenance for engine health soon PEM will allow people to predict if other checks besides the A, B, C, D checks are necessary A survey sample including 300 aviation personnel (such as maintenance, operations, and IT leaders) from the United States Department of Defense and commercial air and rail organizations revealed the following : 73 % of respondents indicated that the “possibility of being the next headline-grabbing example of equipment failure or unexpected downtime keeps them up at night.
” 88 % of respondents said their “organization must improve its ability to predict and prevent equipment failure, but fewer than half have implemented a predictive maintenance solution.” This shows the importance of predictive engine maintenance (PEM) in the aviation industry. AI promises to offer some solutions.
Dr. Michael Bartelt, director of industrial engineering at MTU Maintenance, talked to Aviation Maintenance Magazine how some AI is delivering PEM : “We are working towards the point where developments could be called ‘prescriptive’ in that data gathered from operations — such as operational environments, derate, and engine performance — is getting connected in such a way that we are able to forecast remaining on-wing time and optimal engine and module removal points..
.” University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) conducted research that revealed PEM's potential to cut aircraft operational costs by up to 20%. Lufthansa Technik, for instance, has already implemented Condition Analytics, their AI-driven predictive maintenance system, to help with PEM and save the airline some money.
5 Optimizing fleet operations and operations management Analysis of when spare parts will be needed, expedited boarding etc., are what awaits Some airlines have already used AI to optimize their fleet and improve their operations. Swiss Airlines and Lufthansa are two major carriers that can exemplify this point : “Having applied AI technology for the purpose of improving efficiency, Swiss International Air Lines saved $5.
4 million last year and saw a boost in optimization efficiency for more than half its flights. Lufthansa, on the other hand, is using AI to more accurately forecast wind patterns that blow from the northeast to southwest Switzerland..
the airline had a 40 percent improvement in accuracy, which in turn is helping with flight delays and cancelations at Zurich Airport.” Some of the other ways in which AI can be used in aviation operations include: By expediting check-in (for example, by using facial recognition), AI can streamline airport check-ins, immigration processes, and baggage handling. AI also has the potential to automate the aviation inventory.
According to Vaughan College, AI can “analyze usage patterns and maintenance schedules, so spare parts are available when needed, reducing inventory costs.” AI will be able to analyze real-time data, helping to predict flight delays. AI also has the potential to update departure times alongside re-booking flights.
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