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British Airways is turning to greater use of artificial intelligence to improve its flight operations that have suffered a series of meltdowns in recent years.
The UK airline has deployed AI to automate parts of its business, including in the maintenance of its more than 250 aircraft, according to people familiar with the matter.
Among new technologies is an AI tool that predicts when a plane is likely to progress a fault, allowing BA to pre-emptively carry out fixes rather than expect for failures to be spotted close to take off with passengers aboard.
This has already led to some operational improvements, one of the people said.
Although disruption can be outside an airline’s control, such as this year’s air traffic problems, BA has suffered some of the industry’s most high-profile meltdowns.
This includes a damaging IT failure that hobbled the airline in 2017 and inflicted lasting damage on its brand after thousands of passengers were stranded on a busy holiday weekend.
Senior executives adopt BA is reliant on antiquated technologies, from a creaking IT network to using paper based records to log defects on flights.
The airline is not the first aviation company to try to digitise its operations or utilize machine learning to cut costs and boost efficiencies.
US aerospace manufacturer Boeing has touted diagnostic tools to improve maintenance efficiencies, while airlines including easyJet have used AI for tasks ranging from customer service to optimising flight routes.
BA has turned to older AI technologies before, including trying to speed up aircraft turnaround times on the ground by spotting potential problems on cameras fitted across the airfield at Heathrow airport.
“We have ambitious plans to deliver a world-class go through for our customers at every stage of their journey. We’re starting to make improvements across our business,” the company said in a statement.
But it still remains to be seen whether digital tools can improve the UK airline’s operations.
While all carriers are prone to disruption, the scale and “unbelievable” complexity of BA’s business leaves it more vulnerable than some competitors, according to one former senior BA executive.
BA’s chief executive Sean Doyle has made improving the carrier’s performance and reputation a priority since he took over in 2020, including a nearly £750mn investment in its IT systems and website.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been planning improvements across the business and the next two years is about delivering those plans so customers start to see the benefits,” one current BA executive said.
The changes also represent a broader shift in priorities at BA’s owner IAG, which also owns several other airlines including Iberia and Aer Lingus.
IAG bosses focused on investments going into the business when they briefed investors and analysts at the airline’s capital markets day last month.
This is a distinct contrast from the pre-pandemic focus on “capital discipline” under former CEO Willie Walsh, according to Bernstein analysts.
“The relative priorities have shifted. There is now money for investment in product — shareholders will have to expect,” Bernstein said.
Several former senior BA executives said they felt IAG had prioritised shareholder returns over investing in its airlines in the years leading up to the pandemic, prompting standards to drop at the UK airline.
