The Impact of Big Data and Automation on Flight Safety and Operation in the Airline Industry: A Case Study

My capstone project was a case study. My case that focused on the impact of Big Data and automation on flight safety and operation in the airline and aerospace Industries. The primary goal was to determine whether the underlying safety issue is in Big Data & automation or pilot error or both or neither.

The first objective was to urge airline and aerospace companies to reevaluate their business strategies in terms of operations, safety, ethics, technology, and purchasing decisions. For example, if the issue of aircraft design flaws is properly addressed, this case study projected that an airline company could save up to $ 350,000 on repairs just for one airplane.

The second objective was to urge FAA administrators to reevaluate their safety regulations that set standards for aircraft designs, aircraft certification, pilot certification, mechanic certification, etc. should the need arise.

For example, title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR), part 23.1323 (f) that sets airworthiness standards for airspeed indicating systems does not address the aspect of a backup system should both pitot probes (airspeed sensors) fail or become damaged (CFR, 2008). As of 2022, 83% of world passengers were optimistic about air travel (Saunders, 2022). This ratio (83%) could possibly go down if the general public discovers that the regulations that are enacted to ensure safety in flight are flawed. Consequently, this would impact the airline business financially.

It should be noted that the degree of implementation of both objectives was contingent on the outcomes of the case study.