Rob Griffiths, senior vice president for commercial engines operations at Pratt & Whitney.
Pratt & Whitney acquired Dutch startup Aiir Innovations in July. Aiir Innovations’ technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline engine borescope inspections. Rob Griffiths, senior vice president for commercial engines operations at Pratt & Whitney, spoke with Aviation Week about the strategy behind the investment and how AI fits into its long-term aftermarket services roadmap.
How did Pratt & Whitney first link up with Aiir Innovations, and what led to the decision to acquire the company?
Pratt & Whitney’s acquisition of Aiir Innovations is a part of strategic investments the company is making in AI, automation and digital tools across our MRO business to improve turnaround times, increase time on wing and reduce operational disruption for our customers.
The maturity of Aiir Innovations software and its use cases with commercial customers and MRO providers, which have significantly reduced inspection times on V2500 engines and for recently completed pilots on GTF and F135 engines, led us to invest in this capability. AI-assisted borescope inspection is reshaping how engines and components are inspected, maintained and supported throughout their life cycle. We plan to scale its use.
Aiir Innovations was selected due to the team’s technical expertise, results delivered for customers and entrepreneurial culture. Pratt & Whitney has been actively engaged in the Netherlands, where Aiir Innovations is based, given its vibrant aerospace ecosystem comprising a strong mix of established OEMs, startups and leading universities. Pratt & Whitney’s Netherlands-based European Technology and Innovation Center, which opened last year, provides a local hub for members of the Aiir team.
Aiir Innovations has previously told Aviation Week that its technology analyzes borescope video 75% faster than manual reviews and provides borescope analysis that is correct the first time 50% more often than traditional inspections. What key performance indicators are you seeing with the technology as you incorporate it into shop workflows?
Aiir Innovations software has already demonstrated impressive results by improving the speed and accuracy of borescope inspections, in terms of both identifying and recording defects. The time savings varies by application; for example, lessors have recorded instances of up to 75% faster analysis of borescope videos, while for MROs, the software has reduced overall inspection time by more than 30%, including a reduction in report-generation time from hours to minutes.
The impact of more accurate analysis can also be substantial; we have recorded cases where the software helped avoid quality escapes, which could have resulted in significant costs for operators. Broadening the integration of AI-assisted inspection capability strengthens our ability to detect issues earlier, improve turnaround times, increase time on wing and reduce operational disruption for our customers.
Will Aiir Innovations’ technology remain available to other MRO providers and engine platforms outside Pratt & Whitney’s network?
We plan to continue offering Aiir Innovations inspection tools to the aviation industry as a whole, including MROs, lessors and operators across various engine models. We are also rolling out the tool across Pratt & Whitney and utilizing it in the GTF MRO network shops. This will add to the many examples of how we are driving cooperation, sharing best practices and deploying new technologies such as automation, robotics and AI to increase MRO output.
A few years ago, Pratt & Whitney debuted an AI tool called Percept that performs image- and video-based engine inspections using mobile devices. Could you tell us a bit about how Aiir Innovations’ technology will be rolled into Pratt’s greater AI and technology ecosystem?
Developed in collaboration with Indian startup Awiros, Percept is an earlier example of an AI-based engine analysis tool based on computer vision which allows users to capture images and videos of engines on their mobile devices and receive real-time response on parts availability. This helps enable faster and cost-efficient turnaround of leased engine assets. Instead of an inspector having to examine an engine, Percept automates this inspection, reducing time taken by nearly 90%.
Aiir Innovations’ capability in accelerating AI-assist visual inspection will form a key part of Pratt & Whitney’s AI technology ecosystem. AI inspection software is a key technology to augment borescope inspections with better defect recognition, speed of inspection and digitized report production. Rolling out this AI technology across other visual inspection processes will transform how inspections are performed, enhancing quality signature, reduce documentation workload and unlock new analytical tools.
As artificial intelligence continues to gain traction in the MRO industry, what other potential use cases or developments is Pratt & Whitney considering?
Pratt & Whitney continues to build upon lessons learned, scaling the use of digital technologies and AI across the enterprise. Increasing the connectivity of our digital thread across the entire product life cycle will enable real-time visibility into the operation of our products, optimizing the speed to respond to, and even predict our customer’s needs. As digital tools are further refined and AI continues to advance, models will move into the next phase to prescriptive and autonomous maintenance.
Over the next decade, AI will become more fully embedded across global MRO operations, fundamentally reshaping how engines and components are inspected, maintained and supported throughout their lifecycle, and shifting the industry toward more data-informed, predictive maintenance practices.
Ultimately, we will be using AI to augment expert judgment, especially where volume and repeatability matter so we can increase inspection speed, consistency, quality and traceability.
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