AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings will launch Aerofleet Coatings Management, a new digital, data-driven service that helps airlines and other large operators to tailor and optimize the coatings’ replacement and maintenance schedule for individual aircraft within an airline fleet. Aerofleet Coatings Management captures the data from both manual inspections and drone-operated inspections, creating a database of every aircraft in a fleet. The history includes details of the coatings used (e.g. single or basecoat/clearcoat coatings) along with flight path data (e.g. weather conditions etc.) which affect the integrity/longevity of the coating applied.

“Put simply, it becomes easier and more accurate to determine when an aircraft needs to be repainted, rather than simply using time or flight hours,” said Michael Green, segment business services manager at AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings. “Schedules can be created that balance the practical performance of a coating and where the aircraft in a fleet are being operated (i.e. the different flight paths, distances, heights, environment etc.) against the aesthetic/marketing (i.e. branding) and business needs of the airline.” 

Ideally suited for fleets in excess of 100 aircraft, the inspection service is provided by experts within AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings using a digital application. The App stores the information collected, such as dry film thickness, color variation, gloss, and general appearance, as an Audit Report on an iPad or tablet. The data is then fed back to a database which tracks the fleet's performance over time. 

“Often, planes are repainted whilst the coating still has life left in it,” Green continued. “Using our service will reduce costs while increasing aircraft availability by anything up to a year. Over time, the frequency with which aircraft need to be repainted will fall, which is significantly better for an airline’s bottom line, and better for the planet.”

Aerofleet Coatings Management is being launched as part of a range of support and enhanced training services through AkzoNobel Aerospace Business Solutions, a new entity bringing further structure and rigor to many of the services already provided by AkzoNobel’s Technical Support teams.

For more information, visit: https://www.akzonobel.com/.