More Than Chatbots: AI’s Role in Safety, Sustainability, and Efficiency

When it comes to artificial intelligence in aviation, most people are familiar with customer-facing use cases, such as chatbots. Many airlines have already offloaded lower-level customer requests such as seat upgrades from agents to AI-powered chatbots, such as Air India, which we highlighted in our first issue of this newsletter. OpenAI is also touting that its new agentic model, Operator, can book flights for users. 

 

While organizing flights is understandably a highly publicized use case—any frequent traveler knows that it is a major pain point—the next era of AI in aviation will focus on the back-end. In this second issue of Cockpit Innovation’s newsletter, appropriately titled, More Than Chatbots: AI’s Role in Safety, Sustainability, and Efficiency, we will go behind the scenes, so that you gain insight into how AI will transform traditional aviation operations.

 

Operational tech that elevates the passenger experience

Every traveler has been there: A layover that was supposed to take sixty minutes for refueling is now taking substantially longer due to unexpected maintenance. While this experience is frustrating, travelers also understand that safety is paramount. 

 

The next wave of innovators in predictive maintenance and aircraft monitoring will balance efficiency with security. One notable example is IntellAct, a company that Cockpit Innovation has worked with from the very beginning because we recognized the value of its technology. Leveraging computer vision, IntellAct is able to see, visualize, and understand the actors in a turnaround process, including tractors, loaders, steps, and more.

 

With this understanding, the platform can measure different turnaround activities, raise alerts for bottlenecks, and even suggest remediation. With this technology, airlines are able to reduce the frequency of delays. The passenger experience is also improved: Airlines can more accurately depict when flights will depart, saving travelers the hassle of the usual guessing game.

 

IntellAct’s value proposition provides a thesis to which back-end operations will be prioritized for transformation: Solutions must have an impact on not only cost savings, but also the passenger experience. This accounts for why IntellAct has already partnered with Indra to offer a joint solution combining IntellAct’s middleware monitors and Indra’s airport operations platform to reduce flight delays. Other leading brands, in short, understand and trust IntellAct’s positive impact on the passenger experience.  

 

Other AI-powered companies that also have this two-pronged impact include Donecle and Odysee. Donecle uses drones to conduct automated inspection of aircraft for damage from lightning strikes, oil leaks, and other issues, which makes these planes safer and also acts as social proof: Passengers can rest assured in knowing which airlines are pushing to bring safety to the cutting-edge. Odysee optimizes schedule planning through AI simulations and analysis, improving planning for airlines, and most importantly again, travel for passengers.

 

Flying greener: sustainable aviation through AI 

Travelers are increasingly conscious of how travel impacts the environment. This trend is especially evident in the online watchdogs that track the private jet travels of Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, and other celebrities to calculate their carbon footprint. This generation of consumers cares not only about traveling the world, but doing so sustainably.

 

Another pillar of AI-powered startups in aviation are focusing on fuel optimization. For example, Avix Aero, which counts more than 27 patents to its name, has created a proprietary system for calculating the weight, balance, and center of gravity for each airplane based on its current load. This understanding helps aircraft fly more efficiently, decreasing fuel consumption.

 

A related sector are solutions targeting crew and resource management. While many might assume crew management relates only to human capital, it also has a direct impact on sustainability: Airlines with poorly managed workforces have more delays and other inefficiencies, wasting fuel and other resources.

 

One popular solution is Raido by Aviolinx, which empowers airlines with better crew management over everything from training to documentation. Companies keen on improving efficiency and sustainability will look at Raido and solutions in other segments: Operational areas once viewed from a purely business perspective will be reevaluated from a ESG lens.

 

Together, Avix Aero and Raido are showing how the need for sustainability is creating broad change across the entire value chain through AI.

 

Unlocking AI’s True Potential in Aviation

While AI-powered chatbots that handle even the most disgruntled customers may dominate headlines, the true potential of AI in aviation lies beneath the surface. As stakeholders in this space, it is our prerogative to look beyond consumer-facing implementations and explore the non-sexy yet transformational aspects of the business.

 

From smarter planning and scheduling to predictive maintenance, aircraft monitoring, crew and resource management, and fuel optimization, AI is already driving meaningful change. Airlines should prioritize two guiding principles: first, adopting technologies that not only enhance operations but also improve the passenger experience; and second, ensuring that AI-driven efficiencies contribute to a reduced environmental footprint.

 

By following this mandate, airlines can avoid implementing AI for the sake of AI and instead focus on areas where it adds the most value.

 

At Cockpit Innovation, we are excited to explore these developments with you each month. We hope this newsletter serves as a trusted resource for insights and inspiration across the aviation sector. Here’s to navigating the future of aviation together!