Intelligent MRO drones take off at Jet Aviation

Jet Aviation maintenance team in Basel has been hard at work bringing more and more applications of drone to life, offering even more choices to customers, and expanding the use of automated maintenance inspections. In addition to ongoing inspections for several aircraft types, including Gulfstream G280 and G550, as well as the Airbus A320 family, the MRO team has performed the first pre-dispatch exterior condition check on a Gulfstream G650. The AI Drone can support services such as 2D and 3D inspections of external aircraft structure, lightning strike and hail damage inspections, paint quality checks, and inspections in insurance or warranty cases.

Jeremie Caillet, SVP Regional Operations EMEA, commented: “As we continue to pioneer AI drone technology in the business aviation industry, I am delighted to offer these services to more and more of our customers. Visual aircraft inspection methods have not evolved much over the last 40 years. As we now start to integrate this cutting-edge technology into maintenance operations across our network, we will be able to enhance our customer experience significantly.

With this expansion of our maintenance services, we also create additional value for our customers by providing a total aircraft coverage. During a manual inspection, pictures are only taken of specific damages. Having data on the entire aircraft allows our customers to create a baseline for tracking future defects and to accurately document the evolving condition over the lifecycle of their asset. 

Thanks to the dedication, persistence, and hard work of the team, we are able to provide our customers with a safe, seamless, and efficient maintenance service as we continue to innovate to meet their evolving requirements. Going forward, this innovative use of AI technology and the experience gained during the drone’s deployment will allow us to reimagine the most challenging inspections, in any location and at any time, safely, with no ground equipment needed, and with the inspection data accessible for remote analysis. I’m very excited to see what’s next."

By capturing detailed records of the aircraft, the technology can also enhance the accuracy of existing services such as Pre-Purchase-Inspections (PPIs), while offering potential for new services centered around predictive maintenance.