Airbus develops new aircraft “e-Delivery” process

A new aircraft hand-over and “e-Delivery” virtual process has helped Airbus guarantee continuation of Airbus’ delivery stream, while integrating the required health and safety requirements during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first customer to adopt the remote end-to-end process is Pegasus Airlines, which received three brand new ‘e-delivered’ A320neo Family aircraft in April. Since then, several airlines have followed suit, including VivaAerobus, the first Latin American airline to take an e-Delivery - its first A321neo in June. 

This new e-Delivery approach comprises three main stages: (a) Technical Acceptance Completion (TAC) tasks delegated to Airbus (or to a local third party appointed by the airline); (b) electronic Transfer-of-Title (electronic ToT); and (c) ferry-flight and subsequent reception of the aircraft at the customer’s base.

For the TAC (which is a prerequisite for ToT) the airline can delegate Airbus to perform, on its behalf, all the necessary actions. These include the ‘ground-check’, the acceptance test flight, acceptance manuals and procedures, as well as minor cosmetic rework if needed. Then for the ToT completion, Airbus’ and customers’ teams take benefit from a new secure collaborative platform: “e-Sales Contracts”. This brings them all together – wherever they happen to be – into one real-time virtual environment where they can optimize and simplify all the contractual transactions, from the paperless drafting and commercially negotiating the delivery documents up to the remote ToT digital signature. This platform eliminates the need for any of the customer’s own staff to be physically present at the Airbus Delivery Centre. After the TAC and ToT formalities are complete, the subsequent ferry-flight is also performed in a health-wise safe manner whereby the customer’s own flight crew (or an appointed third party) can pick-up the sanitized aircraft and fly it straight back from the delivery center to the airline’s home base.

In addition to providing safe business continuity during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the e-Delivery process could become the blueprint for Airbus and its customers going forward thanks to enhanced workflow and environmental efficiencies, flexibility and transparency.

VivaAerobus' first A321neo

Written by:
Damien Sternchuss
Airline Marketing Director
damien.sternchuss@airbus.com