Bridging the Digital Gap in Aviation Sustainability

Andrew Ibsen, Duty Maintenance Manager, British Airways

Andrew Ibsen is the Duty Maintenance Manager at the British Airways. Licensed under B1.1 EASA/UK CAA, he aims to bridge gap between traditional aviation practices and modern digital capabilities. He has experienced in Aviation Management Software solutions such as MRO, Airworthiness, and global regulatory compliance. Proficient in key aviation and business systems, Ibsen supports operational excellence across multiple fleets and carriers.

Andrew Ibsen shared his expert insights and valuable thoughts for the 2025 edition of Applied Technology Review, reflecting on his commitment to innovation, safety, and performance in fastpaced, high-stakes environments.

Leadership Role as Duty Maintenance Manager

As Duty Maintenance Manager at a major international hub, my primary responsibility is ensuring safe, timely, and cost-effective aircraft turnarounds. This involves coordinating line maintenance activities, overseeing engineering teams, and managing third-party work that generates significant revenue for the station. My focus is threefold: safety and compliance, operational efficiency, and developing people. Each shift requires balancing immediate tactical needs in recovering an aircraft from an unexpected defect, aligning manpower to ground times with longer-term goals of embedding continuous improvement and innovation across the team.

My own journey has been about connecting these two worlds. From building digital inventory solutions and real-time dashboards to experimenting with new technologies like block chain for asset traceability, to championing mentorship and team development, the constant thread has been finding ways to make maintenance safer, faster, and smarter. Today, the opportunity for aviation is to scale that mindset across the industry.

Gaps in Aviation Data Ecosystems

The largest gap in current aviation data ecosystems today is the fragmentation of data across platforms that don’t integrate. Too often, maintenance records, tooling systems, parts inventories, and financial data exist in silos, making it difficult to generate real-time insights. In my own projects, I’ve focused on building solutions that connect inventory management with accuracy controls and automated dashboards, while replacing legacy paper and spreadsheet-based processes with fully digital work-order environments. Bridging these data islands, standardizing inputs, and embedding real-time analytics unlock the real benefits: predictive decision-making, smarter resource allocation, and ultimately reduced delays and costs.

Role of Digital Tools in Aviation Data

The heart of aviation maintenance will always be the craft of skilled engineers. Digital tools should never replace that expertise, but rather amplify it. My philosophy is that automation should remove administrative burdens like data entry, paperwork, and reconciliations so engineers can focus on the technical work only they can perform. For example, automating work order flows or integrating tool tracking does not make the engineer less central; it makes their time more valuable. At the same time, mentorship is essential: pairing seasoned certifiers with younger engineers ensures knowledge transfer continues even as the tools evolve.

Shift Towards Greener Aviation Solutions

Sustainability is driving a fundamental rethink of how fleets are maintained. New propulsion systems from geared turbofans to potential hydrogen and hybrid-electric platforms will require fresh training, new safety protocols, and investments in infrastructure. Line maintenance will need to adapt to different inspection intervals, new materials, and unfamiliar failure modes. What will not change is the principle of building robust digital ecosystems around these technologies from day one, so lessons are captured, analyzed, and fed back rapidly. Green aviation will bring complexity, but also an opportunity to embed smarter, leaner maintenance strategies from the start.

Advice to Thrive in Aviation

There are three advices to the next generation of aviation professionals seeking to thrive in an era defined by digitalization and operational excellence. First, never lose sight of the fundamentals: safety and compliance. Those remain the foundation of trust in our industry. Second, be data-curious. Learn to see numbers not as reports, but as tools to tell the story of an operation — whether that’s turnaround performance, parts utilization, or manpower planning. Finally, stay open to change. The pace of digital transformation means that adaptability is just as valuable as technical knowledge. The professionals who thrive will be those who can bridge traditional hands-on expertise with digital fluency.