Artificial intelligence is changing the way the aviation industry takes care of its aircraft, and it is happening faster than most people expected.
For years, aircraft inspections followed a well-known playbook: specialized technicians, hours of manual labor, high costs, and a heavy reliance on the human factor to identify failures.
It is not that this model is bad, but it has clear limits — and the market has started feeling that firsthand.
That is where image analysis tools powered by AI are gaining ground within MRO, which is how the industry refers to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul operations for aircraft.
Well-known manufacturers — including Boeing itself, which has already selected an AI startup to bolster parts inspection — and emerging companies alike are developing solutions that capture images and video, analyze data, and deliver practical guidance so mechanics can work faster and more accurately.
One important point worth highlighting: these tools do not make the final call on whether an aircraft is cleared or grounded. That remains a massive regulatory hurdle. Their role is to help mechanics do their job more quickly and thoroughly, functioning as a support system rather than a replacement.
And in this race, a relatively unknown name is trying to carve out a position with a very specific pitch: being the mechanic’s second pair of eyes during an external inspection.
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The story behind it is pretty interesting — and worth knowing. 👇
What is happening with aircraft inspections today
When an airplane needs maintenance, the traditional process involves a technical crew examining every part of the aircraft structure in an almost artisanal way. That includes checking the fuselage, engines, landing gear, and an extensive list of components that require specific attention. The problem is not with the competence of the professionals — which is extremely high — but with the scale of the work and the time pressure airlines face to keep aircraft in service. The longer a plane sits in the hangar, the bigger the financial hit for the company. And that is where the tension between safety, speed, and cost begins.
In this context, image analysis powered by artificial intelligence emerges as a tool that can shift this equation in a meaningful way. Instead of relying solely on the human eye to detect a microscopic crack in the fuselage or a missing rivet, AI-based systems can process high-resolution images and video, compare them against historical databases, and pinpoint exactly where a technician should focus their attention. This does not remove the professional from the process — it actually puts them in a much more strategic position, making decisions based on richer and more reliable data than ever before.
The MRO sector moves billions of dollars every year worldwide, and any efficiency gain within this ecosystem translates into significant savings for airlines, manufacturers, and fleet operators. That is why investments in technology aimed at aircraft inspection have been growing steadily, especially since computer vision models became mature enough to function in complex industrial environments like hangars, runways, and maintenance centers.
Drones and AI: a combination that makes sense for MRO
Among the recent and long-awaited advances in the sector are drone-based inspections. They combine advanced image capture with the flexibility to reach hard-to-access spots, like the top of a widebody aircraft fuselage, much faster and easier than a human ever could. On top of that, many of these drones use LiDAR, a technology capable of generating high-resolution maps that reveal even microscopic surface damage. Everything captured feeds into an AI-based analysis software.
The numbers are impressive. Delta Air Lines says its general visual inspections performed with drones take two hours or less, while a technician who needs to access the top of the aircraft can spend up to 16 hours completing the same task. That time difference is enormous and shows why so many companies are paying close attention to this technology. A drone can capture data of the same quality in a fraction of the time it would take a person holding a device.
Of course, drones have limitations too. They cannot fly just anywhere at any time, they depend on specific operational conditions, and they face restrictions in certain environments. Even so, the advantages are hard to ignore. What makes this approach even more compelling for MRO is the traceability factor. Every captured image is logged with location data and other parameters, building over time a valuable comparison baseline to track how a specific area of the aircraft evolves from one inspection to the next. This transforms maintenance from a reactive process into an increasingly predictive model.
The startup that wants to be the mechanic’s second pair of eyes
With so many offerings already available on the market, an interesting question comes up: what can still be built that the industry will actually find useful? An entrepreneur named Harish Kumar is betting on a combination of existing technology with a purpose-built AI engine.
His background is pretty interesting. Kumar was previously an automotive program design engineer and spent time developing software in Silicon Valley. His interest in aircraft maintenance came about in an unexpected way: a broken windshield left him stranded at an airport. After a few years of research, he launched ArcheanX with the goal of giving mechanics who perform external inspections a second pair of eyes, as he explained to Aviation Week.
The idea of providing support to mechanics is not exactly new. What sets Kumar’s approach apart is connecting what those eyes capture to a powerful and precise analysis tool. To do this, ArcheanX built a vision-language model and trained it specifically on aircraft — from what a rivet looks like to what the damage tolerances are for specific airplane models.
After that, the company developed software that runs on everyday devices like smartphones and tablets. It captures high-resolution video and three-dimensional LiDAR maps, which are then analyzed by the AI engine. In practice, the mechanic walks around the aircraft during the inspection and the software records everything, flagging potential issues for review.
Using a portable tool that runs on devices people already own brings clear advantages. There is no need to buy extra hardware, and training costs are minimal. Beyond that, the software can be used outside the MRO environment, such as when a pilot has a concern during a pre-flight walkaround inspection.
According to Kumar, the use cases are broad. In his words, you can check the landing gear, assess tire wear, and identify missing rivets, all with the same device. That kind of versatility is what he believes can turn potential prospects into actual customers.
Who is already eyeing ArcheanX’s technology
The data capture element may eventually become less important than what is done with that data. Kumar is convinced that ArcheanX’s combination — high-resolution video, LiDAR mapping, and a purpose-built AI tool — is what will win the market over.
And it looks like the interest is already there. Several MRO providers in commercial and business aviation are evaluating ArcheanX’s solution, according to the founder himself. Among those interested is a major airline that wants to inspect newly manufactured aircraft as soon as they are delivered — a very specific and valuable use case, since catching issues right at delivery can prevent headaches down the road.
Kumar also revealed that a defense contractor working with the United States military has combined ArcheanX’s core software with its own complementary technology. This is part of a pilot program for autonomous visual aircraft inspection at a major U.S. military base. That agreement, however, has not yet been made public officially.
The founder seems confident that formal announcements will come soon. For now, the customers — who, as the saying goes, are always right — have not spoken up publicly. It is one of those moments where the market watches, tests, and decides before making official commitments.
What the future holds for AI-powered aircraft inspection
The trajectory we are seeing in the industry points to a convergence of technologies: more autonomous drones, more precise artificial intelligence models, more sophisticated sensors, and data platforms that integrate all of this into a single workflow. There is no single solution that will solve every MRO challenge at once, but the clear trend is that inspections will become increasingly digital, more traceable, and more grounded in historical data rather than one-off assessments. That is good for safety, good for operational efficiency, and good for the bottom line of airlines — which, at the end of the day, is what keeps the ecosystem running.
Another point worth paying attention to is the impact this transformation will have on training maintenance professionals. Technicians working in the sector will need to develop new skills to interact with these digital tools, interpret AI-generated reports, and make informed decisions based on data that simply did not exist before. This is not a threat to the profession — it is a natural evolution, similar to what happened in other industries when new technologies arrived to automate repetitive tasks and free up professionals for more complex, judgment-based work.
The aviation industry has always been conservative when it comes to safety, and for good reason. But conservatism does not prevent innovation — it simply demands that innovation be solid, tested, and reliable before it goes into real-world operation. What we are seeing right now is exactly that process playing out: image analysis technologies powered by artificial intelligence being validated, refined, and gradually woven into the daily routine of MRO. Startups like ArcheanX, giants like Delta, and manufacturers like Boeing are shaping the future of aircraft maintenance together, each with their own piece of the puzzle. And this is just the beginning. 🚀
