A Gold-Medal Performance In Keeping Flights On Time

Air France had a big challenge ahead: making sure thousands of athletes and spectators from around the world arrived in Paris safely and on time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Recognizing the extent of the task – and seeing an opportunity to help – Collins Aerospace proposed an idea: A team of specialists from across the business would work from several locations across the world to make sure none of the Collins products in the Air France fleet caused a delay or cancellation.

“Our approach was to ensure availability of components and services that were critical to airline operations,“ said Rebeca Romero, a senior manager at Collins who oversees performance of the business’ products in the Air France fleet.

The project demonstrated Collins’ ability to reduce the risk of flight delays and cancellations through advanced planning techniques that maintain healthy stock levels of critical replacement parts. Collins, an RTX business, used a similar approach to help Qatar Airways during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Getting ready for the Games

The preparation for Paris began in May 2024, when the team of 21 Collins employees worked with Air France to create a “critical parts list.”

That process included:

• Analyzing stock levels and available inventory
• Noting where parts were and how they would be shipped to their destination
• Mitigating potential roadblocks

The prep work with Air France “was essential to success,” said Matt Wheeler, director of Customer and Account Management for Aftermarket Customer and Product Support at Collins. “It took months in advance to get inventory levels as healthy as possible.”

It also paid off: Not a single Collins-made part caused a flight delay, he said.

“The nature of airline operations is very dynamic, as there are a variety of challenges that could emerge every day,” Romero said. “Having the opportunity to collaborate in solving issues is a fantastic job.”

See more about how this partnership paid off on RTX.com