British Airways to Feature Airplane Health Management

• Real-time fault management module to help airline optimize operations

(Seattle, March 4, 2010) -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and British Airways today announced that the airline will feature Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM) system to monitor the in-flight condition of more than 100 Boeing twin-aisle jetliners. AHM will be used on the airline's current 777 and 747-400 fleets and future deliveries, including 787 Dreamliners.

Through the MyBoeingFleet.com portal, British Airways will be able to track in-flight faults and make real-time operational decisions regarding maintenance, in order to deploy the necessary people, parts and equipment to address the issue before the airplane arrives at the gate.


"We are always looking for the most innovative and effective tools for improving our management and maintenance of BA's fleet," said Garry Copeland, engineering director, British Airways. "The Boeing AHM system will allow us to continuously improve aircraft downtime, minimize delays and analyse aircraft performance trends. The system has proved very effective during our testing, so we are pleased to be rolling it out across the long-haul fleet."

Airplane Health Management will allow the airline to gather and evaluate critical real-time data on the flying condition of the airplanes with enhanced decision support, troubleshooting and historical fix success information that British Airways technicians can use to minimize schedule interruptions and increase maintenance efficiency.

"AHM Real-Time Monitoring is a great technology to help our customers manage their maintenance to be more efficient during the valuable time between flights," said Dennis Floyd, vice president, Technical Services, Commercial Aviation Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The endorsement of a world-class airline like British Airways is a testament to the vital need for this type of service."

Airplane Health Management is a key component in Boeing's larger vision of Lifecycle Solutions -- improving airline efficiency with digital productivity tools, product and industry expertise and the power of aviation's leading integrated supply chain -- supporting Boeing airplanes from order placement through retirement.

Source : The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)