Everyone agrees that sharing aircraft operating and maintenance data has strong advantages in improving both operations and maintenance. But questions remain about how to transmit the data most efficiently and securely.

Now Rolls-Royce has become the launch customer for SITAONAIR’s e-Aircraft DataHub, a neutral aircraft data management service that SITAONAIR say changes the landscape of data sharing.

Further, airlines are usually reluctant to adopt solutions requiring new IT projects and new costs for each OEM asking for data. DataHub lets them share data with all OEMs without a new IT project for each. The new tool, a secure, cloud-based data-brokering service, enables airlines to share data from different fleets and models and in different formats with OEMs at no cost to the airline.

It works this way. The OEM signs a DataHub contract with SITAONAIR and a contract with the airline wishing to share data with the OEM for analysis. The OEM then tells SITAONAIR to connect the airline to the DataHub, as the neutral data broker and initiate collection, processing and dispatching of select, airline-approved data.