In order to achieve the sustainable development objectives, it has set for 2030, AFI KLM E&M partnered with aviation industry partners Schiphol Airport and JetSupport and knowledge & educational institutes to form BrightSky. The goal of this new type of ecosystem is to reduce the environmental impact, both by introducing new technologies and by providing support for their teams during the transition.
BlueLink
BrightSky: an aviation ecosystem dedicated to sustainable development
BrightSky
An aviation ecosystem dedicated to sustainable development
Created in the Netherlands, the BrightSky ecosystem brings together twelve partners to address key environmental challenges in the aviation industry – an ambitious project in which AFI KLM E&M plays a central role.
“The various partners in the BrightSky ecosystem have all set ambitious sustainable development goals. Instead of everyone carrying out their own research, the idea of joining forces via a single collective project just makes sense – not only in terms of sharing the cost of these developments, but also in order to work toward a shared vision and ambition that benefits the aviation sector.”
Linda Bos
Director of the Technology Hub at AFI KLM E&M Amsterdam & program leader for the BrightSky partnership.
Most of the aviation industry partners in the BrightSky ecosystem do not have their own R&D labs, which would enable them to work on technologies such as cutting-edge robotics or artificial intelligence. For this reason, agreements have been signed with research centers such as the Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR), scientific institutions such as the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), and universities (TU Delft). There are now twelve BrightSky partners working together, each one connected to the aviation industry to one extent or another.
An initial achievement: the BrightSky Mobility Fund
In the summer of 2021, BrightSky decided to respond to a call for innovation projects issued by the Dutch government. The ecosystem presented its BrightSky Mobility Fund initiative, which is the result of a two-year examination of potential strategies for sustainable development, social innovation and digitization in the aviation sector. The following November, the project was officially selected as a winner and was awarded a €24 million grantof which € 7 million is awarded to AFI KLM E&M.
The BrightSky Mobility Fund encompasses five synergistic programs, three of which are being led by AFI KLM E&M. The first, Smart MRO, aims to determine how we can introduce state-of-the-art technologies in repair and inspection programs; for example, by introducing new sensors capable of inspecting difficult-to-access (engine) parts, or getting insights into human-machine interactions in a robotized environment, or insights on regulations and legislations.
The second program, Smart Availability, is being led by the AFI KLM E&M team responsible for overseeing the Prognos® predictive maintenance solution. The goal is to create digital tools to improve fleet availability. It includes a proof of concept for ‘PROGNOS-on-edge’ prognostics for predictive maintenance for components and a tool for line maintenance shift planning. This approach results in achieve resource optimization, greater aircraft availability, and also enhanced safety and security.
Finally, the third program being led by AFI KLM E&M is Smart Training, which focuses on the construction of a digital-reality cockpit that will be used to train technicians (thereby avoiding the need to carry out all their training directly on an aircraft).
Tangible results beginning to emerge
With the four-year program set to run until 2025, it is still too early for a full appraisal of the BrightSky ecosystem and its Mobility Fund project. However, the project is beginning to produce tangible results:
“Remote maintenance support solution with AR/VR technology will be presented during the MRO Europe in Amsterdam; the digital cockpit is also under construction and the prototype will be ready sometime in 2024. Prognos®, meanwhile is making very promising strides.”
Linda Bos
Director of the Technology Hub at AFI KLM E&M Amsterdam, and program leader for the BrightSky partnership.
Come and see the intermediate results during the MRO Europe in Amsterdam from 17th – 19th of October and let’s start a conversation if this made you curious!
