LATAM Airlines has been using drones to inspect aircraft since 2019. Now, the airline has begun trialing the use of drones to transport material for its MRO operations more quickly.
The carrier is using drones to transport small maintenance materials, such as screws, seals, gaskets and connectors, between its warehouse and workshops at its maintenance facility in Sao Carlos, Brazil. The 95,000-m2 (1 million-ft.2) facility includes nine hangars and 22 workshops.
LATAM says transport of these types of items was previously performed by ethanol-powered vehicles that only collected materials thrice daily, which increased waiting times. Now, these trips have been reduced from 15 min. to 30 sec. The drone system is currently performing approximately 160 daily operations in Sao Carlos.
Warehouse employees load materials and autonomously launch the drones, which LATAM says follow established safety protocols such as speed and altitude limits. The airline has not yet responded to Aviation Week’s request for comment on whether employees are manually piloting the drones or if paths are preprogrammed.
Another benefit of the technology, the airline says, is that logistics team employees who previously handled the transport of these smaller items can now focus on moving larger materials.
The carrier notes that the drone transport technology shows potential for expansion. LATAM says it will consider the establishment of new transport routes within the Sao Carlos MRO facility and potentially to future warehouses and workshops located elsewhere.
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