SEATTLE, Dec. 15, 2005 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Thai
Airways International have signed a contract to implement
Boeing’s innovative in-flight monitoring system to
help the airline operate at peak levels of safety,
reliability and efficiency.
THAI is implementing Airplane Health Management (AHM), a
new data-monitoring and prognostic maintenance service
developed by Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. The
system monitors the health of an airplane in flight and
relays relevant information in real time to the ground.
When the airplane arrives at the gate, maintenance crews
are ready to make necessary repairs quickly.
Thai Airways becomes the third carrier to sign up for
AHM. Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines signed
agreements in November. THAI will use AHM to monitor its
fleet of 777 and 747 airplanes – currently 32
airplanes in all.
"What a terrific honor it is to have THAI as an AHM
customer,” said Dan da Silva, vice president of
Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Aviation
Services. “Clearly, there is momentum building in
the marketplace for this game-changing technology. Our
AHM team has done a great job building this new system
and the team will continue to work to make sure THAI and
our other customers are absolutely satisfied.”
During a flight, AHM gathers data about systems on the
airplane and relays the information in real time to the
ground. Based on that data, maintenance crews can be
ready to make repairs when the airplane arrives at its
airport gate. AHM can therefore help operators reduce the
number and length of airplane dispatch delays and convert
certain tasks from non-routine to scheduled maintenance.
AHM communicates with ground systems via ARINC
Communications and Reporting System (ACARS).
In addition, AHM will support long-term fleet reliability
programs by helping airlines identify recurring faults
and trends, and by serving as an early-warning system for
potential future problems.
AHM is a key technology in Boeing’s effort to
e-Enable the air transport system, in which data,
information and knowledge are shared across the entire
enterprise to allow airlines to make the best decisions
to operate their fleets at the highest levels of safety,
security and efficiency. AHM is designed to integrate
seamlessly with other e-Enabled products from Boeing,
such as the Class 3 Boeing Electronic Flight Bag,
MyBoeingFleet and the Maintenance Performance Toolbox.
Based in Bangkok, Thai Airways serves 75 airports
throughout Thailand and around the world, carrying nearly
20 million passengers annually. It has a fleet of 86
airplanes, with over half the fleet consisting of Boeing
737, 747, 777 and MD-11 models.
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