Returning to the skies

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Friday 3 July 2020 09:41 AM

Returning to the skies

Many of our fleet of engines have spent the past few months in hangars, runways or workshops, under covers and waiting to return to flight. Like everything else this year, it’s in stark contrast to normal times. But while there’s still a long way to go, some aircraft are beginning to take off again.

Here are some of the ways the industry is beginning to recover, and the role we’re playing in returning aircraft to the skies.

There are tentative green shoots of recovery, with a long way to go

There are now more aircraft in service than in storage*, after several months where the majority of the world’s aircraft were parked. While this is encouraging, it’s the start of a long and difficult journey. During May, according to IATA**, air passenger demand was 91.3 per cent less than May 2019. Individual aircraft are being utilised less than they were before COVID-19, and while some are no longer in storage, there are days when they don’t fly. During May, on average, flights that took off were half full.

Growth in passenger numbers will vary around the world, depending on where countries are in the different stages of the pandemic. The tentative recovery so far has been driven by small improvements in domestic travel in the Asia-Pacific region, where the peak of the pandemic happened earlier, suggesting that as travel restrictions ease, other regions will follow. Air bridges and reciprocal travel arrangements between countries are also helping to boost demand, but international travel remains at very low levels. Passenger demand for international flights during May was down 98.3 per cent compared to May 2019; there is still a very long way to go.

Jacqui Sutton, Chief Customer Officer – Civil Aerospace says: “It’s going to be a long journey, but there are small glimmers of hope, with gradual increases in commercial flights each week. After a period of grounding, it’s good to see some aircraft coming back into service. It’s clear that the industry will take several years to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels, but aviation is a resilient industry, and we’re working hard to make sure that when we come out the other side of the pandemic, the world will still enjoy the many benefits that global aviation brings.”

Data will help airlines plan their fleets

When planning fleets, good quality data is crucial to making the best decisions. We collect incredible amounts of data from our engines, and we use it to accurately predict when they’ll need to be maintained, ensuring engines are available for airlines when they need them, and minimising any maintenance-related delays. We can show airlines how reliable an engine is, its overall health, how efficient it is, and how much ‘life’ it has left – in other words, how long before it needs to be maintained.

We also use digital twins to model how an engine behaves, predict maintenance schedules and costs, and forecast how much life each part has, and we use that data to increase the availability of engines for our airline customers.

By having good quality data about their fleet, including the engines, airline fleet planners can prioritise aircraft based on efficiency and maintenance schedules, ensuring that when passengers return to flight, their plane will take off on time.

Engines will need some help to come out of storage

Taking an aircraft out of storage isn’t as simple as just taxiing it out of a hangar. Airline engineers have been working hard while aircraft are grounded to make sure engines are maintained properly, and we’ve been giving them expert advice on how to keep their engines in the best possible condition so that they’re ready for take-off.

When coming out of storage, engines will be inspected, and Rolls-Royce experts will be available to make sure there’s a seamless return to service. In many cases we’ll inspect engines remotely with new digital technology.

We’ll use even more digital technology

The world has adapted to working remotely, with the benefits and challenges it brings. “For us, it hasn’t just been about video calls being interrupted by our dogs, it’s been about keeping our supply chain moving, keeping cargo aircraft flying, maintaining engines and monitoring our fleet while keeping our people safe,” says Jacqui.

“We’re increasingly using digital technology, in some cases accelerating projects so we can help customers despite not being able to travel. We’ve been using technology to inspect engines remotely: airline engineers insert a probe with a camera into an engine, and our experts look at the images in real-time and provide instructions.”

While many of these technologies were already being developed, some have been sped up, and some teams have come up with completely new ways of working. Our customer training team, who provide training for airline engineers so that they can service Rolls-Royce engines, have created a socially-distanced training programme. They’re using digital technology, smaller class sizes and have stopped using paper altogether, instead using digital tools.

We’re working hard to build confidence in flying again

“Returning to flight isn’t just about border restrictions lifting, it’s about people having the confidence to fly again. We’ve been working with industry groups to discuss how aviation can restart effectively, ensuring passengers feel safe,” says Jacqui.

New procedures are in place to protect passengers, from check-in to landing.

Modern aircraft cabins have state-of-the-art high efficiency air filters similar to those used in hospital operating rooms. They capture more than 99.9% of the airborne microbes in the filtered air (IATA). Paired with enhanced cleaning, face coverings and good personal hygiene, the industry is working hard to lower the risk of transmission during travel.

Tracking and tracing passengers on a flight is much easier than other forms of transport, because all passenger details are logged.

Sustainable, net zero carbon power will matter more than ever

As we emerge from the pandemic, the task to create cleaner, more sustainable forms of power is more urgent than ever. There are few companies on the planet better placed than Rolls-Royce to help achieve this goal. We recently joined the UN Race to Zero campaign, pledging to become net zero carbon in our operations by 2030 and, more fundamentally, set an ambition to play a leading role in enabling the sectors in which we operate to reach net zero carbon by 2050, through the development of new products and technologies.

In aviation, we’ll continue to drive step changes in the efficiency of engines, as well as working together with the fuels industry to significantly ramp up the availability of lower-carbon alternative fuels.

We’ll continue to accelerate the development of disruptive new technologies and capabilities for future low-emission products, including pioneering the electrification of flight.

And we’re planning to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from our operations and facilities by 2030, by using 100% renewable energy, pioneering closed loop manufacturing techniques on high value metals, and deploying our cutting-edge microgrid capabilities to support our estate.

*Cirium: navigating the flight plan to recovery
** IATA May Air Passenger Market Analysis: Industry-wide revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) contracted 91.3 per cent year-on-year; average load factor 50.7%; international RPKs contracted 98.3 per cent year-on-year.

Returning to the skies

There are tentative green shoots of recovery, with a long way to go

Engines will need some help to come out of storage

Sustainable, net zero carbon power will matter more than ever

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