IATA boosts operational Data Analytics for industry insights

Sunday, December 10, 2023

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the analytical capabilities of the IATA Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) program have been enhanced to drive informed decisions aimed at improving safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability. These advancements leverage big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

GADM sources its data from various channels, including the Incident Data Exchange (IDX) and the Flight Data eXchange (FDX) programs. The FDX program now incorporates data from 15 million flights performed by 7,500 aircraft, capturing hundreds of parameters per second. This makes GADM the most authoritative and comprehensive global aviation operational database. Currently, 198 airlines contribute to GADM, and this database continues to grow with daily additions of new data.

Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety, and Security, highlighted the impact of enhancing GADM’s capabilities on aviation safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability. He emphasized the industry-leading status of GADM as the most comprehensive database and the application of advanced analytical tools to inform critical business decisions. Individual users can now better benchmark their performance against industry standards, while the industry gains more precise insights into operational trends, emerging challenges, and opportunities.

Noteworthy insights gained from GADM’s enhanced capabilities include:

1. Identifying Emerging Safety Risks: Through extensive data aggregation, IATA can pinpoint emerging safety trends at specific airports, regions, or for certain types of operations. This is crucial for airlines exploring new destinations and for regulators formulating aviation safety strategies.
2. Fuel Efficiency Measurement: With nearly a third of an airline’s operational expenses attributed to fuel, IATA, using GADM operational data, aims to enhance fuel-saving opportunities, providing industry benchmarks related to fuel efficiency.
3. Aircraft Emissions Calculations: GADM data analysis enables more granular measurement of aircraft fuel burn, aiding in tracking CO2 emissions. This is pivotal as the industry strives towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
4. Predicting Aircraft Performance: Advanced deep learning models in predictive analytics help inform decisions on aircraft purchases and strategic network planning, particularly in fuel consumption.

IATA’s increased focus on data is evident through its establishment of a dedicated division for data management, expansion of the GADM team, and significant growth in the team of data scientists. This initiative aims to enhance analytics capabilities to assist airlines in their decision-making processes. Additionally, IATA Consulting is geared up to help clients achieve their business goals using GADM and other IATA data collections and expertise. Kim Macaulay, IATA Chief Information and Data Officer, emphasized that data analysis is integral to IATA’s core business and a significant opportunity to strengthen the aviation industry.

« Back to Page