SkyThread and Wingleet recently struck a strategic alliance to overhaul how aviation parts data is shared and secured, marking a major development in the push to digitize the global commercial aviation supply chain.
The partnership combines SkyThread’s independent data network with Wingleet’s blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, seeking to eliminate paper-based processes, enhance system compatibility and address long-standing gaps in parts tracking and maintenance operations.
The partnership aims to replace paper-based documentation—still prevalent across more than 100 million serialized parts—with secure, interoperable digital processes. “This collaboration marks a pivotal step in our mission to redefine how aviation stakeholders share and authenticate data,” says John Rassieur, CEO and chairman at SkyThread. “By joining forces with Wingleet, we will accelerate the adoption of blockchain and AI technologies, driving trust, efficiency and safety across the global aviation supply chain.”
Wingleet’s Aero-Chain powered data vault will be integrated with SkyThread’s platform to enable seamless authentication, validation and sharing of aircraft, engine and component data. The joint solution is designed to support real-time access for multiple stakeholders while preserving data sovereignty and security.
“Immutability is guaranteed by a series of controls and processes across the entire value chain,” Chuck Marx, co-founder at SkyThread, tells Aviation Week Network. “Ultimately, data integrity is preserved through final anchoring on a public blockchain, ensuring tamper-proof traceability and long-term authenticity.”
The operational impact is expected to be significant. According to Marx, 30% of aircraft-on-ground and irregular operations events are linked to parts and maintenance issues, costing airlines approximately $1 million per tail annually. “We project SkyThread causing or accelerating $100,000 in cost reduction per aircraft tail or engine,” he says. The collaboration also targets improved aircraft availability, faster maintenance turnaround and reduced risk of installing unapproved components.
Interoperability across legacy enterprise resource planning and MRO systems is a central pillar of the initiative. The companies say Wingleet’s integration expertise will help eliminate manual data submission and part quarantines—such as the 1,000 CFM International Leap fuel nozzles currently sidelined due to missing data. “Interoperability solves for these issues,” Marx emphasizes, citing lost information on advanced exchange nozzles and the inability of legacy systems to interact with regulatory databases such as the FAA’s Suspected Unapproved Parts list.
The partnership also seeks to enhance predictive analytics and maintenance planning. By digitizing service bulletins, component upgrades and incident tagging, operators can better manage removals and re-installs while reducing scrappage and improving visibility across the used serviceable material market, the companies say.
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