In the aviation industry, every detail matters, sometimes in ways passengers never see. One area where this is especially true is surface inspections. Manual dent checks, though still very common are slow, inconsistent, and highly resource-intensive. The result? Higher maintenance costs, prolonged downtime, and a direct impact on fleet availability.

The Challenge: Manual Inspections in a High-Stakes Industry

The reality is that airlines face significant challenges even before repairs begin, including:

  • High Manual Effort: Inspectors still rely on physical gauges, making the process slow, labor-intensive, and prone to human error.
  • Inconsistent Accuracy: Classifying dent severity into different levels often varies from one inspection to another. This affects not just repair decisions but safety compliance.
  • Time-Consuming Processing: Manually handling scan data and running it through multiple steps slows down results and keeps planes grounded longer.
  • High Operational Costs: Long inspections, repeated checks, and workflow disruptions contribute heavily to airlines' global maintenance bill, estimated at around $93.9 billion.

    • The stakes are real: Aircraft on Ground (AOG) events can cost airlines anywhere from $10,000 to $150,000 per hour.

    The Dent AI Breakthrough

    AIONOS developed Dent AI, an AI-based aircraft surface inspection system to automate, standardise, and accelerate the way airlines conduct dent inspections. Using advanced computer vision and machine learning models, it processes 3D scans of aircraft exteriors to deliver fast, consistent, and actionable results.

    The system works in two key stages. First, the Dent Identification model analyzes the 3D point cloud of the aircraft's surface using depth-map-based segmentation. This allows the system to accurately detect dents and rivets, achieving around 90% accuracy. All of this, while preserving the subtle geometric variations of the surface and reducing computational load.

    Next, the Depth Estimation model comes into play. Using a graph neural network, it measures the depth of each detected dent with precision within ±10%, across a range of 100–1000 microns. This level of accuracy is much greater than what can be achieved manually.

    Together, these two models form a seamless pipeline, converting raw 3D scans into precise, digital reports that airlines can use immediately to make informed maintenance decisions. The result is a faster, more consistent, and highly reliable inspection process.

    Faster, Smarter, and More Cost-Effective Inspections

    By automating dent inspections, airlines can dramatically change how maintenance is performed. Repetitive manual checks are replaced with AI-driven analysis, making inspections 70–90% faster and freeing up skilled engineers to focus on higher-value tasks.

    At the same time, consistent, standardized measurements mean that dent depths are assessed reliably every time. This reduces variability and ensures maintenance decisions are both faster and more accurate.

    The process is also streamlined end-to-end. From scanning to reporting, the workflow is accelerated, cutting the time it takes to produce actionable insights and reducing Aircraft on Ground (AOG) downtime by 20–40%.

    Now, all of this translates into significant cost savings. By linking every step into a single automated pipeline, airlines can achieve $200–$400 million in potential global annual savings.

    AI Inspections with Safety and Regulatory Assurance

    Safety and compliance are at the core of Dent AI's design philosophy. The system has been developed in alignment with international aviation maintenance standards such as EASA Part-145 and FAA AC 43-204, ensuring that AI-assisted inspections meet approved structural integrity and traceability requirements.

    Each digital inspection generates an auditable, timestamped report, allowing maintenance teams and regulators to verify every measurement and decision step. Importantly, Dent AI operates within a human-in-the-loop framework, where certified engineers validate all findings to maintain full oversight and accountability.

    Built on secure, ISO 27001-compliant architecture, the platform safeguards operational data and supports future regulatory certification pathways for AI-driven maintenance technologies.

    From Manual Bottlenecks to Digital Precision

    With Dent AI, airlines are moving away from manual bottlenecks and embracing AI-powered precision. The solution not only ensures safety compliance and operational consistency but also transforms inspection into a value-driven, digital-first process.

    By accelerating maintenance, reducing costs, and maximizing fleet availability, AIONOS is helping airlines set a new standard for efficiency and reliability, proving that smarter inspections today lead to safer skies and more resilient operations tomorrow.

    Showcasing the Future at World Aviation Festival 2025

    At the World Aviation Festival 2025 in Lisbon, AIONOS is showcasing how AI-driven maintenance solutions are shaping the future of the aviation industry. The goal is to demonstrate how automated, data-driven inspections can improve operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance overall fleet performance.