European Agency to Explore Blockchain for Aviation Parts

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has designated blockchain start-up FPT Software Europe as the lead organisation for a project known as VIRTUA.

The project involves FPT and fellow start-up SkyThread developing a blockchain solution in consortium with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and PwC France.

At its core, the VIRTUA project seeks to evaluate how blockchain technology can streamline existing processes related to the tracking, authentication, and oversight of aviation parts and components throughout their entire lifecycle.

This initiative responds to the aviation sector's ever-increasing complexity and global reach. A significant safety concern within the aviation industry is the use of unapproved parts. Between 2010 and 2016, nearly two dozen accidents were linked to unapproved aviation parts in the United States, resulting in seven fatalities.

Furthermore, the aviation industry grapples with issues related to the limited shelf life of most parts and a thriving market for used components. Historically, tracking the lineage of these parts has been paper-based, making the digitalisation of this process a pressing need. With its transparency and secure tracking capabilities, blockchain is emerging as a viable solution to these challenges.

While blockchain alone cannot eradicate counterfeits, it can become a potent tool in addressing this issue when coupled with specialised etching and traceable invisible inks.

Nick Careen, IATA's Senior VP of Operations, Safety and Security, underscored the potential impact of the project, stating that the implementation of blockchain technologies for the management of approved aircraft parts and components could influence the entire parts certification lifecycle, from the issuance of certificates by production organisations to the changes introduced by design or maintenance organisations. This project will offer a comprehensive vision of how blockchain solutions could address these critical challenges.

The US Air Force and Air New Zealand have also explored blockchain, whilst several significant players in the industry, including Honeywell, GE Aviation, and Thales, have already taken steps to implement blockchain for managing aircraft parts, underscoring the growing acceptance of this technology in the sector.

In the IATA study 'Future of the Airline Industry 2035', blockchain has been identified as one of the technologies that may significantly impact the future of aviation, among other drivers of change, such as new modes of consumption or the privatisation of infrastructure.

One aspect not explicitly outlined in the VIRTUA project but highly relevant to the aviation industry is the remote production of aircraft parts using 3D printing. Ensuring the integrity of the 3D design and preventing tampering is paramount.

Bogus engine parts storm aviation industry

These developments cannot come too soon, given the recent media reports of fake engine parts storming the aviation industry, with United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Virgin Australia Airlines being the carriers so far affected by these fake parts.

United spokesperson said, ‘the fake parts were discovered on two planes during a maintenance check, and the engines were removed and replaced before the aircraft could re-enter the air’.

The leading supplier of the faulty parts is AOG Technics. The parts consist of spares utilised on older-generation engines from CFM International – known as the CFM56 engine – that were installed on Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. Aviation regulators have said that AOG knowingly supplied spare jet engine parts backed by falsified airworthiness documentation. What is not yet known is the total quantity of parts distributed.

Southwest Airlines was the first to discover AOG Technics parts on its aircraft. In September, the Texas-based airline announced it had pulled a pair of low-pressure turbine blades from one of its Boeing 737 NG aircraft. The AOG part in question was immediately replaced out of a matter of caution.