How Honeywell Forge for Airlines is helping airlines save big bucks

You might have heard about big data and how it is infiltrating all industries in every aspect. As every part of the blockchain process gets digitalised, all processes can leave a digital trace. Big data is when these massive, diverse and complex traces are collected and analysed to make extremely informed decisions.

In the aviation industry, big data is only getting bigger with Honeywell Forge for Airlines. The advanced software platform collects, cleans and analyses streams of disparate data from a wide variety of airplane, airport, government and Honeywell sources to offer insights and alerts that can help improve an airline’s understanding of its fleet, profitability and passenger experience.

Shashank Shekhar, Director of Sales APAC, Business & General Aviation at Honeywell Aerospace recently spoke to Jetgala about the applications of big data for aviation and how Honeywell Forge for Airlines is able to provide that advantage not just to airlines but for owners of business and private jets as well.

“Honeywell Forge is a melting pot of technologies that leverages on machine learning and other knowledge picked up by Honeywell to serve airlines insights on what to change or fix to directly impact functions like fuel costs,” shared Shekhar.

Honeywell also shared with Jetgala that they have already seen airlines benefit from its Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency software, which is just one component of Honeywell Forge for Airlines. Nippon Cargo Airlines and Kuwait Airways are two airlines that have been using the software. Nippon Cargo Airlines has implemented the software across its fleet of eight Boeing aircraft, while Kuwait Airways has the software on its flee of 25 Boeing and Airbus aircraft,

With fuel usage taking up to 20-40% of an airline’s operating cost, any improvements that can be made can potentially save these airlines millions of dollars each year. The software is designed to collect big data on three major influences of fuel consumption: aircraft weight, engine utilisation and fuel planning. The software also analyses data from a wide variety of sources and combines analytics collected from the two to prompt cost-saving tactics. Honeywell projects that the implementation of this software may reduce fuel costs by up to 3%, which is still a significantly big saving of millions of dollars.

Big data isn’t just affecting the operations of airlines, it is making a difference in efficient flight routes and passenger experience as well. Software enhancements under Honeywell Forge for Airlines will enable airlines to decrease fuel and operational costs while improving the passenger experience with more productive routes that result in fewer delays.

The advantages it provides range from providing the most productive flight plan based on a variety of real-time conditions, assisting in reducing block time (departure to arrival flying times) in a manner that reduces turbulence and flying in poor weather.

Beyond just the physical benefits for passengers, Honeywell is delving into the customer experience on planes as well with inflight connectivity. With business meetings being conducted in all four corners of the world, and jets being called ‘offices in the sky’, Honeywell is meeting the demands of passengers who need to be connected at all times through Honeywell JetWave.

JetWave provides in-flight Wi-Fi that is fast, reliable and available anytime, anywhere and at any altitude. JetWave is the hardware that allows passengers to connect to Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX, the fastest broadband available for business aviation. In relation to big data, JetWave is also used to collect data from the cabin and cockpit for use to feed other data analytical needs.

For those unconvinced by Honeywell’s offerings, Honeywell has a Boeing 757 test aircraft that showcases its latest technology, applications and services for aircraft. At the forefront of the Connected Aircraft are Honeywell’s GoDirect Flight Preview, which gives pilots a highly accurate, three-dimensional preview of the runway and surrounding terrain before take-off, GoDirect Weather, an information service that gives real-time weather data and crowdsources weather information from other airplanes in the sky, and GoDirect Cabin, a comprehensive suite of satellite communication services, including apps for real-time and on-demand TV, highspeed broadband internet and videoconferencing.

There is also JetWave, GoDirect Fuel Efficiency that monitors and analyses fuel optimisation and efficiency across a fleet, and Honeywell Forge Connected Maintenance, while helps airlines be smarter, and be able to predict better how to maintain their fleets.