How AMOS is Digitalizing All Aircraft Maintenance Processes
The Lufthansa Group’s fleet management team relies on the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering System (AMOS) from Swiss AviationSoftware Ltd. (Swiss AS) for all its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) processes. Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) has been engaged to assist with the development of AMOS in specific respects, providing in-depth expertise on MRO processes and knowledge of the system landscape. Amir Farajollahzadeh, Business Director Aviation Commerce at LHIND, explains in this interview precisely what AMOS can do and the role LHIND plays in this context.
Amir, how exactly is AMOS deployed within the Lufthansa Group? What has made the solution such a global success?
AMOS digitally maps out all planning, monitoring and documentation processes in relation to aircraft maintenance. Swiss AS developed the solution over 35 years ago and has continuously adapted it to increasingly complex MRO processes ever since. Over time, AMOS has been adopted by more than 240 airlines and MRO companies worldwide.
For us in the Lufthansa Group, AMOS represents a core part of our technical ecosystem: It ensures that we can digitally monitor our fleets’ continued airworthiness and implement efficient, transparent and complete tracking of maintenance and servicing activities. It collates all information from manufacturers, technicians, engineers, suppliers and so on without any media discontinuity, which allows everyone involved to view and process this information at all times. Within the Lufthansa ecosystem, AMOS is supplemented by specialist solutions such as AVIATAR and flydocs. While AMOS serves as the fundamental operating system, these solutions provide added value in terms of data analysis, forecasting and digital documentation.
The advantage of using AMOS is that, instead of numerous stand-alone applications, it maps out various core processes in a single integrated system. This results in more precise planning, efficient resource use, more accurate documentation and significant improvements in transparency and stability – especially in complex environments such as the Lufthansa Group’s Technical Fleet Management team.
"The advantage of using AMOS is that, instead of numerous stand-alone applications, it maps out various core processes in a single integrated system. This results in more precise planning, efficient resource use, more accurate documentation and significant improvements in transparency and stability."
Amir Farajollahzadeh Business Director Aviation Commerce at LHIND
What role does Lufthansa Industry Solutions play in relation to AMOS?
Swiss AS doesn’t just supply the software, it also offers its customers the requisite implementation and commissioning services. The software’s increasing success has fueled continuous growth in its global customer base. LHIND provides support with aspects that require additional capacities, knowledge and specialist expertise.
We’ve been a reliable and specialist partner to Swiss AS for many years, engaging with them on a regular basis. At the moment, we’re bringing our expertise to bear within the Lufthansa Group: With our knowledge of Lufthansa Airlines’ processes and MRO activities, we’re making it possible to integrate new LH Group airlines much faster. One example is the operational transfer from Lufthansa CityLine to Lufthansa Aviation, which we successfully supported together with Swiss AS and Lufthansa CityLine.
In addition, we perform data migrations, develop interfaces, provide advice on process design optimization and support 24/7 operations. Many of the day-to-day challenges don’t occur in AMOS itself but at the interfaces with connected systems. And that’s exactly where we bridge the gap between the manufacturer’s standards and real-world airline operations and MRO activities.
AMOS releases two major upgrades per year. What does that mean for the Lufthansa Group? And what does it mean for LHIND?
Swiss AS releases two new versions of AMOS per year, though in practice it is recommended to only implement one release per year. Two releases per year would be operationally challenging as it would result in high testing and acceptance demands.
For the Lufthansa Group – and, in particular, its Technical Fleet Management team – installing a new release means one thing above all: comprehensive testing, careful technical integration tests and extensive coordination with all relevant departments. The aim is to ensure that operations continue unimpeded, all users are able to work, the interfaces function properly and, as a result, the overall system remains stable.
LHIND supports the entire release process – from planning and test coordination to technical assessments and release recommendations. We also work with partners from time to time, such as Test Solutions. We collaborate with them to automate test steps and thereby reduce the workload, time requirements and risks over the long term.
How can other customers benefit from AMOS and the expertise of LHIND?
Obviously, our expertise isn’t limited to Lufthansa Group airlines or Lufthansa Technik. External customers such as DHL (European Air Transport – EAT) can also access our AMOS-related expertise. EAT is currently in the process of migrating from its predecessor system to AMOS. We’re providing support in areas including engineering, logistics, user acceptance testing, training and stabilization.
As a fundamental rule, we offer a complete end-to-end service portfolio: from hosting, data migration and aircraft transition to integration, process consultancy, optimization, test automation and 24/7 support. Given that many airlines face comparable challenges, LHIND offers a valuable combination of expertise in AMOS technology, a deep understanding of MRO activities and years of practical experience gained in one of the world’s largest MRO ecosystems – which complements the services offered by Swiss AS.
