Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Aviation
The aviation sector, as a whole, can gain from the adoption of RPA tools in areas including airport administration, ticket sales, and aircraft navigation.
The aviation industry is ripe for automation thanks to the never-ending flow of data that could be turned into actionable insight. For instance, a single Boeing 737 voyage from New York to Los Angeles generates 20 terabytes of data every hour.1
See how RPA can transform the aviation industry by highlighting its top 8 real-life use cases with case studies:
What is RPA in the aviation industry?
RPA in the aviation industry is using automation software bots to automate the functioning of different areas, such as airport administration, ticket sales, quality assurance, customer relations, aircraft navigation, air traffic control, and more.
What are the use cases of RPA in the aviation industry?
1. Invoicing
Airline companies receive thousands of invoices from international travel agencies, suppliers, and partners every month. These invoices often come in different formats and languages, making manual processing slow and prone to human errors.
How RPA helps
- Automates receiving, approving, and logging invoices.
- Reformats data even when it arrives in unstructured formats.
Case study:
A Norwegian airport operator with only 80 staff automated its invoice processing using RPA technology. The solution processed over 100,000 invoices annually and increased processing speed by 90%. This automation equaled the workload of three full-time employees, freeing staff to focus on more strategic tasks.2
2. Customer relations
Airlines deal with a huge number of customer complaints every year. These complaints vary in form, such as emails, web forms, or letters, and often differ in length and importance. Handling them manually can overwhelm staff.
With Natural Language Processing (NLP), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and RPA, bots can read complaints, categorize them, and prioritize urgent cases. They can then send structured summaries to customer service teams for faster response.
How RPA helps
- Uses OCR and NLP to read complaints.
- Categorizes issues and routes them to the right department.
- Creates tickets automatically, reducing missed or abandoned cases.
Real-life examples
An airport operator automated the handling of 6,000 annual complaints. RPA bots registered each complaint, created a ticket, and forwarded it to the right team. Intelligent automation reduced the number of unresolved cases, improved response times, and boosted customer satisfaction.3
Source: THE PLANE TRUTH 20254
Lufthansa has applied AI and NLP to process customer complaints, sorting them automatically and directing them to the appropriate department. This has significantly streamlined complaint resolution.5
3. Air traffic control
Delays caused by inefficient air traffic management are costly. In 2017, ATC mismanagement cost the European economy nearly $21 billion.6 Many of these delays are due to staff shortages, strikes, or weather conditions.
RPA combined with Online Data Interchange (OLDI) can automate the exchange of real-time flight data between aircraft, weather stations, fueling services, and air traffic control. This helps optimize flight schedules, reduce flight delays, and minimize risks.
How RPA helps
- Shares real-time data between aircraft, ATC, weather stations, and ground services.
- Optimizes schedules to reduce delays and staff workload.
Real-life example
In 2015, the Heathrow Airport used ML technology enabled with RPA to exchange airplanes’ flight data in real time to automatically calculate the most efficient distance that airplanes have to keep between themselves prior to landing on the runway to:7
- First, increase the number of airplanes that can actually land,
- And second, minimize the chance of collisions during unseen circumstances, such as strong headwinds.
4. Aircraft maintenance
Aircraft maintenance needs, carried out by aircraft engineers, is of the utmost important because it can:
- Ensure the useful life of the aircraft,
- Maintain its performance, in terms of speed, fuel efficiency, and maneuvering,
- Reduce costs by tending to issues before they enlarge,
- By the culmination of previous points, ensure a safe and pleasant travelling experience.
How RPA helps
- Connects aircraft data with maintenance ERP systems.
- Automatically generates checklists and assigns tasks to the right engineers.
Case study
A budget-friendly Spanish airline company had to take up the time of 3 engineers daily to create work packages for the maintenance department. Checking a detailed checklist every day was a repetitive task, and coupled with the on-hand workload of the engineers, the department was having difficulty keeping up.8
By creating a detailed script that connected the aircraft’s information with the maintenance ERP software, the RPA bots were able to exchange data in real-time, create the appropriate checklist, and inform the engineers who were concerned.
5. Informing travelers
Travel disruptions such as cancellations, gate changes, or boarding delays can frustrate passengers. Informing travelers quickly is essential to avoid confusion and dissatisfaction.
How RPA helps
- Sends real-time updates through apps, emails, or text messages.
- Explains the reason for changes, improving transparency.
For example, instead of leaving travelers uncertain, the system might explain: “Your gate has changed because a jetway was not available in time.” This builds trust and reduces passenger frustration.
6. Cabin crew scheduling
Assigning flights to crew requires balancing contracts, union rules, safety limits, and availability. Mistakes can lead to compliance risks.
How RPA helps
- Matches the right crew to the right flights automatically.
- Pulls data from HR and scheduling systems.
7. Automated check-ins
Self-service kiosks powered by RPA are now common in airports.
How RPA helps
- Reads passport data.
- Matches it with reservations.
- Assigns seats and prints boarding passes instantly.
8. Ticket sales
Manual ticket sales can be slow and error-prone, especially when handling large volumes.
How RPA helps
Shares real-time sales data with airlines to help decide whether a flight should be canceled if it remains unprofitable.
- Automates the booking and issuing of e-tickets.
- Prevents double-booking of seats.
Other examples of RPA aviation
RPA can streamline many back-office and technical operations in the airfield. Key examples include:
Work packages
Bots create maintenance plans automatically, assigning tasks based on ground-time, staff availability, and materials. This saves time and reduces errors.
Benefit: Engineers spend more time on inspections and repairs rather than administrative tasks.
Purchase orders
Bots generate orders using supplier contracts, prices, and delivery timelines, speeding up procurement.
Benefit: Faster procurement, fewer errors, and improved cost management.
Repair orders
RPA assigns repair tasks by checking supplier capabilities and turnaround times, reducing delays.
Benefit: Repairs happen faster, and operational downtime is reduced.
Airworthiness directives (ADs)
Bots download and process FAA or EASA directives, ensuring compliance automatically.
Benefit: Compliance is ensured without manual effort, reducing the risk of missed safety updates.
Data verification
RPA checks component certificates and documentation to prevent missing or invalid records.
Benefit: Faster inspections, fewer mistakes, and full regulatory compliance.
Why RPA matters in aviation
The aviation industry faces high costs and narrow profit margins. RPA helps by:
- Reducing errors and delays
- Improving customer satisfaction
- Freeing staff for higher-value work
- Speeding up operations without new infrastructure
Airlines, airports, and maintenance providers can all benefit from a structured approach to RPA adoption. The key is to identify the right automated processes, test automation in small pilots, and scale gradually.
For more on RPA
To learn more about different RPA use cases across various industries, read:
And if you believe your business would benefit from adopting an RPA solution, head over to our RPA hub, where you will find a data-driven list of vendors.
We will help you pick the solution that best meets your specific needs:
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Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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