IMAGINE if technology could predict technical faults on an aircraft before they happen.
Or drones could be used instead of people to carry out millimetre-by-millimetre inspections of passenger jets in a fraction of the time.
This is not science fiction, but some of the cutting edge innovations unveiled in Italy last week by the budget airline Easyjet.
The carrier has already pioneered volcanic ash detection technology which it expects to eventually roll out industry-wide to prevent a repeat of the aviation gridlock which struck Europe during the 2010 Icelandic eruption.
Innovation has become a cornerstone of Easyjet's business model - the thinking being that if technology can be used to cut out disruption then that will ultimately lead to savings that can keep fares low and, of course, boost profits.
When you consider that the Eyjafjallajökull eruption cost airlines an estimated £1 billion and technical faults are likely to cost them billions more in compensation for delays and cancellations, it is easy to see the financial appeal of minimising disruption. Time is, literally, money.
So on June 4, 128 journalists from 40 countries descended on an aircraft hangar at Milan's Malpensa Airport to see the latest developments in the works.
Among them was a new collaboration with manufacturing giant Airbus to develop "in-flight telemetry" which predicts technical faults up to 48 hours before they occur, enabling ground staff to troubleshoot the problem as soon as the plane lands or schedule the work into the aircraft's regular maintenance.
It "supports our aim of eliminating technical related delays", said Easyjet, adding that these have already been cut from 10 in every 1000 flights to six in the last five years - with a 2020 target of two per 1000 flights.
The technology is being developed for the Airbus A320 - of which Easyjet is Europe's largest operator - but would be used across the entire A320 fleet worldwide, not only those flown by Easyjet.
Also making its press debut was the new 'Riser' drone - a "game changer" for aircraft inspections. The idea was the brainchild of Easyjet's engineering director, Ian Davies, as he wrestled two years ago with how to speed up checks on an aircraft which had suffered multiple damage from a lightning strike.
Last week, Easyjet announced that it had finally carried out its first aircraft inspection using an automated drone and now aims to roll them out at engineering bases across Europe within the next 12 months.
The device can be pre-programmed to analyse every square millimetre of aircraft, using laser tracking to identify defects and infra-red to 'map' its environment. The airline said it has cut inspection time from ten hours, to just 30 minutes.
Also in the pipeline is an increasing move on 3D printing to cut the manufacturing time for small aircraft parts such as fuel nozzles and fan blades, and a mobile phone app that displays an airport's layout and transmits real-time flight updates, such as gate alerts, straight to their smartphone.
Now if someone could only invent an app warning me when I'm veering dangerously close to the giant Toblerones, I'd be truly impressed.
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