SEATTLE, March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing Company today announced that Qantas Airways' fleet of 747-400 airplanes will be monitored by Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM), a software system that helps airlines improve the management of unscheduled maintenance events. In addition, Qantas will use Airplane Health Management for future 787 Dreamliner deliveries. Qantas has 65 Boeing 787s on order.
Qantas' 30 747-400s will use Airplane Health Management to gather and evaluate critical in-flight data on the real-time flying condition of its airplanes, information that can be used across the enterprise to identify and address overall efficiency.
"This system will help improve our 747-400 maintenance operations and greatly assist in meeting our customers' expectations for punctuality and serviceability," said David Cox, Qantas executive general manager, Engineering
Airplane Health Management gives airlines significant insight as to the condition of airplanes in the sky, providing in-flight access to fuel-burn information so airlines can identify and correct problems that might be wasting fuel, as well as data that allow preparation for the airline to minimize or eliminate delays through advance preparation for maintenance procedures.
In some cases, Airplane Health Management allows engineers on the ground to monitor the health of an aircraft while it is in the air, which allows airlines to take action before a fault occurs, leading to a more reliable, cost-effective operation. For example, a fault identified by AHM and relayed to ground controllers provides airlines the visibility to turn a potentially costly on-ground maintenance delay into an easily addressable repair that minimizes or eliminates scheduling problems for passengers.
"Qantas demonstrates a strong commitment for efficiency with the decision to subscribe to AHM to monitor its 747-400 fleet," said Dan da Silva, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. "In addition, the use of AHM on its 747 fleet will increase Qantas' experience with the system, which will also be used for the 787."
Qantas joins more than 20 operators from around the world that have committed to Boeing's AHM. More than 44 percent of the world's combined 777 and 747-400 fleet use the technology.
AHM also supports long-term fleet-reliability programs by helping airlines identify and respond to faults before they occur. The system provides fleet-wide information aggregated from other operators, which can be used to determine, for example, the effectiveness of particular maintenance actions in fixing problems. The goal is to help airlines operate at the highest levels of reliability and efficiency.
Airplane Health Management is a key component in Boeing's larger vision of the e-Enabled airline, where information technology, connectivity and strategic integration promise greater efficiency and improved airline operations.
