Description
Frequently Asked Questions of CA - AHMS Market
An AHMS (Aircraft health monitoring system) is a hardware and software system, which includes sensors and network processing units for monitoring data of an airplane to access their current and future performance and serviceability. These systems are also called Aircraft condition monitoring systems (ACMS). An AHMS is directly related to the maintenance, repair, and overhaul segment of the airline industry. There is a decrease in operational costs and maintenance costs when using AHMS and it also improves the overall safety of the aircraft. AHM is considered one of the important parts of the aviation system. Information of components, knowledge, and data gathering is shared quickly between the organizations.
These systems are widely used by many aircraft owners to facilitate predictive serviceability, prevent future system failures and reduce aircraft downtime. The system enhances overall carbon emission performance, fleet performance, and fuel performance. It is integrated with real-time monitoring, data mining, wireless sensor technology, failure diagnosis, and artificial intelligence. AHMS uses real-time data captured with the help of sensors for the reliability of an aircraft, improving the safety, and reliability of its components to avoid onboard system failure in the diagnosis-ready situations.
These systems increased the lifespan of the aircraft this by reducing the retirement age of the aircraft by proper predictive of downtime. IoT and wireless technology emergence will fuel the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. The aircraft structural health monitoring system uses non-destructive inspection principles and sensors, which are built-in, that remotely and automatically assess the structural condition of the aircraft in real-time.
Major factors driving the growth of the market
There is a rising demand for next-generation aircraft that fuel the growth of the market. The increasing demand for next-generation aircraft carriers such as 777X, A350, 787, and A320 rises the growth of the market in the forthcoming years. Since air, passengers prefer short-distance air travel, the domestic aviation industry holds a strong and largest market share. According to Boeing’s market outlook, there is a rise in passenger growth globally by 4% every year until 2040.
The increase in passenger traffic on international and domestic routes owing to affordable flights is propelling the aviation industry’s growth. The security and safety of the passengers are the highest priority of airline companies and government authorities. Various airlines and MRO companies are adopting integrated real-time monitoring systems for different aircraft components such as hydraulics, landing gears, and engine components. According to Boeing’s market outlook, the global commercial fleet size is expected to touch 48,400 units by 2039.
Trends influencing the growth of the market
Presently, the commercial segment has the highest share in the market in the aircraft health monitoring system market. The increased aircraft deliveries in the past few years resulted in an increased share. With the growing destination of airlines and aircraft fleets, the airlines are making investments in the real-time health monitoring system that will help in reducing the cost of MRO, by reducing inspection times. Around 30% of the delay times are due to unplanned maintenance.
To avoid these delays, the airlines in partnership with the MRO, are replacing the traditional inspection procedures such as non-destructive inspections, such as X-rays, and general and detailed visual inspections. Continuous monitoring may result in overcoming time-consuming steps, like the dismantling process to gain access to the inspection areas. The R&D in the development of new health monitoring systems with advanced sensors and technology is expected to support the growth of the market in the future period. The aircraft engine health monitoring techniques is based on the three aspects, Flight parameters recording, Development of vibration model and thermodynamic model, and development of an integrated system.
Market Dynamics
Repair and maintenance operations done through predictive analytics, consider parameters such as lead times, turnaround time, fleet availability, working capital, maintenance resources, maintenance costs, and aircraft operational speed among others. Based on historical data these parameters are analyzed and maintenance requirements are planned and predicted to prevent sudden downtime.
The predictive maintenance is facilitated by the integration of AHMS. The increase of airline carriers and companies toward the predictive management and monitoring of aircraft enhances the demand for AHMS around the globe. The main restraint of AHMS is the lack of data standards, which are uniform, and susceptible to work in harsh conditions. Aircraft operators focus on aircraft maintenance services by converting disparate data into single comprehensible data. The lack of uniform data causes the cost of IT infrastructure and leads to inefficiency in the analysis of aircraft health monitoring systems.
Recent Developments
GE Digital joins hands with Delta TechOps and Airbus in a digital alliance for Diagnostics solutions and fleet health monitoring. These aviation leaders together will combine their respective industry expertise in aircraft systems, airline and maintenance operations, and digital analytics to provide network efficiencies and cost savings to 140 commercial aviation operators. Bombardier announced that the company service centers are ready to start free modification of in-service challenger 300s and 350s with a health-monitoring unit, which is designed to enable a more streamlined process for sharing and acquiring flight data between maintenance technicians and aircraft systems.
Transport Canada, EASA, and the FAA have now approved Bombardier’s Smart Link Plus aircraft health monitoring system for installation on most Challenger and Global models. The approvals allow operators to install Smart Link Plus on all in-service Challenger 300/350/3500s, Challenger 605/650s, and Global Express/XRS/5000/6000s. The Challenger 604 and Global 5500/6500 are expected to be approved by early 2024, according to Bombardier. According to Bombardier, Smart Link Plus collects critical aircraft data that enables flight and maintenance crews to quickly prioritize and proactively troubleshoot critical in-flight alerts, increasing operational efficiency. Additionally, aircraft operators can track, troubleshoot, and dispatch a technician based on information received from the system, reducing downtime due to maintenance issues, according to the company. Smart Link Plus was first introduced on Bombardier’s flagship Global 7500, and many of these customers are now subscribers. Bombardier has gradually expanded the program to include retrofit options for existing Challengers and Globas. Smart Link Plus will also be standard on the Global 8000, which is scheduled to enter service in 2025.
