Aviation 4.0: More Safety through Automation and Digitization

The world is talking about the Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution, that is, the current trend of higher level of automation, digitalization and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things and cloud computing among other technological assets. With more than 5000 sensors, which generate up to 10 GB of data per second, modern aircraft engines are an exponent of what digitalization and the Internet of Aircraft Things could furnish, as part of the upcoming Industry 4.0 revolution, in the aviation industry. This new era has the potential to improve air transport key performance areas. Particularly, in an industry where safety levels are so high and the margins for improvement are extremely tight, this upcoming era might imply a shift in safety improvement. In an attempt to define Aviation 4.0, this chapter discusses the stages of aviation development from basic VFR flight rules at Aviation 1.0 up to Aviation 4.0 where cyber-physical systems are designed to assist humans’ unkind or hazardous work, to take decisions and to complete tasks autonomously. It illustrates the current and future cases of application of Aviation 4.0 to increase the aviation safety, while outlines how they might increase aviation safety levels.