Building Reliability: How Next-Generation Software Will Deliver Solutions for Tomorrow with Legacy Dependability

No business can operate in 2024 without advanced computers and software but following recent significant technology failures in the global commercial aviation market, software developers are met with increased scrutiny and skepticism. Less than two years after the world-famous failure of IT systems forced U.S. low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines to cancel more than 17,000 flights at a cost of $825 million, airlines and airports across the world were again gripped with massive failures in software systems that brought backlash from news media, political leaders, and civil courts alike.

While these IT failures have become more prevalent, Sensus Aero, a next-generation aviation software expert and part of the Avia Solutions Group, is running a complex testing regiment alongside the use of a trusted enterprise backbone to build upon years of experience proving increased operational reliability. These reliable technologies have been combined with cutting-edge components to build the software that the company is developing for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) organizations.

Edmundas Sostakas, Chief of Technology Officer at Sensus Aero, shares how the company has leveraged a trusted and modern technology stack, combined with the next generation innovations to build a robust software solution for MRO and ground-handling companies. After a decade of development, the company is now launching its MRO application ahead of global expansion.

“We have engineered reliability as a core design priority in our application, which enables us to guarantee up to a 25% increase in MRO efficiency along with trusted modern technologies and real-time data integration. These combined factors enable our software to provide crystal-clear visibility into process gaps, empowering businesses to make informed decisions with greater agility,” Sostakas said. “Our rigorous testing process and incorporation of proven frameworks have strengthened the trust we've built as more customers adopt our modular ERP software.“

While Sensus Aero’s application is new to the industry, the developer has already proven the technology through experience within its parent company, Avia Solutions Group. Sensus Aero’s team of developers worked with Avia Solutions Group to develop an understanding of aviation businesses’ needs and implement software solutions that have enabled the group to expand globally in the last decade. When the company began building competence and different aviation solutions for the group to become the world’s largest provider of aircraft, maintenance crew, and insurance (ACMI) services, the product architects chose to build on technologies with proven dependability to bring this software to the market as a comprehensive, stand-alone enterprise resource planning application covering all business processes.

Sostakas added that the experience from Avia Solutions Group made sure that scalability was a part of the applications design. Given the applications original field experience for MROs that are expanding across the world, every subcomponent and feature of the application was selected for the ability to keep pace with industry growth.

“Our application is powered by Oracle, the largest and most commonly used Database Management System (DBMS) in the world, ensuring trusted reliability that users are familiar with in enterprises,” Sostakas said. “To enhance user experience, we also turned to trusted yet modern technologies like Meta’s React framework to create intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces. Originally developed by Facebook and now backed by Meta, React is a reliable framework that will drive product growth while delivering a top-tier user experience.”

“We understood that the React framework would continue to become more widespread when we adopted it, and I am happy to incorporate it, giving the reassurance of a familiar interface to our customers,” Sostakas said. “The React components in our application have a proven track record, powering some of the largest networks in the world.”

Now powered by a robust technology stack, including Oracle and React, Sensus Aero has initiated multiple layers of testing to further prove its reliability. The application is already deployed at MROs across the world such as FL Technics, Sensus Aero is conducting unit, automated integration, functional, performance, and security testing to mitigate the possibility of future disturbance. While these testing practices are common in software development, Sensus Aero leverages its insights into efficiency to accelerate the progress of its testing processes.

“Our team is now able to complete regression testing with only one-sixth of the man-hour costs, paving the way for us to test more with less time, this optimization is exactly what we aim to deliver to our customers, helping them reduce man-hours while maintaining quality” Sostakas said. “This is crucial because we have developed a modular system with optional microservices that can be tailored to various customers. Enhanced testing capabilities help prevent the kind of challenges presented during the recent Crowdstrike disruption.”

Sostakas added that the Sensus Aero software was designed for deployment on either a customer’s existing on-premise systems or cloud infrastructure as a Service (SaaS) solution. This flexibility is crucial as it ensures compliance with heightened security standards required for sensitive locations and government facilities.

Sensus Aero has already applied its systems for some of the largest MRO groups in Europe, and has agreements to expand to additional locations in Asia next year. The company said that it would continue to test and build its system for the MRO and ground-handling industry so the increased efficiency can spread further into the market.