November 6, 2024 – Selim SEZER
Aviation is a critical industry that forms the backbone of the global economy and transports millions of people safely every day. The industry’s top priority is to maintain the highest standards of flight safety and security at all times. However, with increasing digitalization and data flows, ensuring security poses a major challenge, especially in terms of information sharing and ensuring the accuracy of data. This is where blockchain technology stands out as an innovative solution that could revolutionize aviation safety.
Blockchain technology, which has innovated in many areas, especially in recent years, basically started with the formation of smart contracts. You can think of a smart contract as an encrypted contract with a key, under which everyone has a signature. Every time a smart contract is modified, it has the signature of the last signatory of the previous contract. This creates a chain link, as shown in Figure, and guarantees that the previous information cannot be changed. The blockchain technology based on this system is now highly developed and its accuracy has been increased with different mathematical formulas.
Safety in the aviation industry is one of the most important elements for smooth and safe flights. This safety process, which relies on critical information such as aircraft maintenance, pilot licenses, spare parts supply chain, and flight records, can only be ensured by access to accurate and up-to-date data. However, since the safety and accuracy of such sensitive data cannot always be guaranteed, there can be a serious security risk in the industry. With blockchain technology, we can expect major developments in the following areas.
- Spare Parts Traceability and Supply Chain Management: Every single part used in aviation must be manufactured in accordance with high safety standards. Blockchain enables transparent traceability of the entire supply chain, from the production stage of the parts to the moment they are used on the aircraft. This facilitates the detection of counterfeit parts and minimizes dangers such as spare parts counterfeiting.
- Secure Storage of Maintenance Records: The accuracy of aircraft maintenance records is of great importance for safety. With blockchain, every maintenance record can be securely stored digitally and added to an immutable ledger. This increases the reliability of maintenance data and minimizes pre-flight risks.
- Flight Records and License Verification: Blockchain can also be used to verify important information such as pilots’ flight hours and license documents. The license and training information of pilots and crew can be stored on the blockchain as immutable records. In this way, situations such as fake licenses are prevented and the competence of each individual becomes verifiable.
- Real-time Data Sharing and Emergency Management: The aviation industry requires data sharing between many organizations and countries. Blockchain enables secure data sharing between different aviation authorities while protecting the safety and confidentiality of the data. In emergencies, safety processes can be accelerated by providing fast access to verified data.
- Obstacle Management and Monitoring: In aviation, monitoring physical obstacles (buildings, mountains, towers, etc.) that threaten flight safety is of great importance. Blockchain can store critical information such as location information, height information, and update dates of these obstacles in an unalterable structure. In this way, aviation authorities and pilots can easily access up-to-date and verified data and plan flight routes safely. In addition, since the records of obstacles are kept in a decentralized structure, the risk of data manipulation is eliminated.
With blockchain technology, the above-mentioned areas can be securely communicated with each other. In traditional systems, critical information such as aircraft maintenance records, spare parts supply chain, disability information, and flight crew license data are often kept in different databases, requiring manual or centralized connections between them. With blockchain, however, all this information can be integrated securely and transparently on a decentralized network.
For example, consider a potential flight obstruction, such as a new high-rise building or radio tower being constructed near an airport. Once the location and height information of such an obstacle is added to the blockchain network, this information is automatically shared with all relevant aviation authorities, pilots and air traffic control centers. This way, routes are updated during flight planning and pilots are alerted in real-time if the obstacle could pose a danger. Likewise, a record of a crane set up for construction can instantly notify all authorities, and when it is removed, the status is updated and flight safety is ensured. This decentralized and transparent structure provided by blockchain enables instant information sharing between all stakeholders while maintaining the accuracy of obstacle information.
In aviation safety, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize safety standards in the industry. From parts traceability to maintenance records, license verification to obstacle management, it ensures data integrity and accuracy while ensuring security in many areas. Aware of this, EASA organized a blockchain webinar in December 2023 within the scope of the VIRTUA program and allocated a budget to develop the aviation industry in this field. As Haritaevi Aviation and Haritaevi Aviation R&D Teams, we continue to work on this issue at full speed.