Emerging Challenges of Digital Aircraft Operations and Maintenance: A Knowledge Management Perspective

Abstract

Aircraft operations and maintenance is heavily regulated to ensure safety. This necessitates a large volume of paperwork as evidence of due process. The paperwork flows through the multiple stakeholders including Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Lessors, Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Organizations (MROs), Suppliers and Airlines. Each has to manage their process and data according to regulations in their registration authority. The established process of aircraft operations and maintenance is gradually being updated with digitisation. As stakeholders adopt these new technological solutions, the volume of information generated will further increase and therefore its value. While key enabling solutions and initiatives such as Digital Aircraft (also referred as paperless aircraft), Operations and Maintenance, e-Signature and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are implemented, there are additional emerging challenges. This include harmonising information of the technological solutions, which can be achieved by adopting universal requirements and unified information standards. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has created an implementation guideline for Paperless Aircraft Operations to assist partners and researchers alike.

This paper presents the emerging challenges of Digital Aircraft Operations and Maintenance (DAOM) from a Knowledge Management perspective and discuss the potential of formal knowledge representation of the MRO domain to make the best use of the underlying reasoning technologies or systems.

Keywords: Digital Aircraft Operations and Maintenance (DAOM); Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO), Knowledge Management (KM); Ontologies