Emirates, one of the two flag carrier airlines of the United Arab Emirates, has signed an agreement with Boeing that will integrate drones into its plane inspections – an aerial technique designed to both speed the process and enhance its effectiveness compared to manual checks.
The deal between Emirates and Boeing was one of the many announced thus far at the Dubai Air Show and covered a range of the airline’s operational procedures. Chief among those is the expansion of its use of emerging digital technologies to improve its diverse activities, including the deployment of drones in the inspection of aircraft.
The use of drones in commercial and military plane inspections is not new, with airlines, including Korean Air and KLM, being well advanced in their operation of the craft to check for impact dents, buckles, and even the emerging signs of tiny cracks in wings or fuselage. With Boeing’s support, Emirates is also adopting UAVs for the task, as well as additional related tech like augmented reality to improve checks.
Deployment of UAV swarms in regular examination of aircraft accelerates the process by providing easy access and close, multi-angle perspectives to all surfaces – including those that slower-moving human inspectors need scaffolding to get to.
Meanwhile, onboard sensors linked to ground computer systems also permit exchanges of precise imagery of plane surfaces, which are subsequently used to create databases and generate digital maps that speed and enhance future inspections.
Emirates said that the use of mixed, virtual, and augmented reality (AR) tech allows engineers to assess the functioning and condition of even internal aircraft components, which “deliver(s) more precise and comprehensive aircraft inspections, reduce(s) the risk of human error, and significantly cut(s) down the time aircraft spend out of service.”
Ahmed Safa, divisional senior vice president of Emirates Engineering, said the company’s agreement with Boeing to usher in drones and accompanying tech promises significant improvements in its inspection activity.
“Our partnership with Boeing will enable us to maximize the benefits of advanced technologies and digital excellence to improve operational reliability, minimize disruptions, and ensure our fleet operates at the highest standards, ultimately providing our customers a better travel experience,” Safa said. “Whether its drones conducting inspections with meticulous agility or AR visualizations that help engineers see behind panels or inside ducts to locate potentially defective components not visible to the naked eye, without having to dismantle them, we’re taking significant steps to optimize aircraft maintenance to its full potential on our fleet of Boeing 777s.”
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