COLOGNE, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Aviation–The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has awarded the contract to conduct a research project on assessing blockchain technologies for the management of approved aircraft parts and components to FPT Software Europe. The project, named VIRTUA (Digital Transformation – Case Studies for Aviation Safety Standards – Virtualisation), employs an alliance of organisations, including FPT Software, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SkyThread, and PwC France. It aims to evaluate the blockchain capacity to improve the safety management processes used by aviation authorities, operators, and a variety of industry stakeholders.
The project will assess the benefits and constraints of blockchain implementation, considering the different stakeholders involved in the management of aircraft parts and components. It will investigate different types of blockchains and different use cases for their implementation along the lifecycle of approved parts and components. If the benefits are confirmed, the project will assess the main changes to be introduced in regulations, standards, and working processes, as well as the preparation of guidelines and supporting materials for regulatory evolutions and the deployment of the related solutions.
“The implementation of blockchain technologies for the management of approved aircraft parts and components could impact the whole lifecycle of certificates, from their issuance by production organizations to the changes introduced by design or maintenance organizations,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior VP Operations, Safety and Security. “We believe that this project will provide a comprehensive vision on how blockchain solutions could contribute to addressing the issue.”