Swiss-AS: 35 years of developing and delivering a quality, trusted solution

Could you share with us a bit about your personal journey in the aviation industry and what drew you to join Swiss AviationSoftware (Swiss-AS)?

My own journey in aviation started as an apprentice with an airline / maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, Air UK Engineering, based in Norwich, UK back in 1991. After joining Thomsonfly, I was asked to be part of the team that was responsible for implementing AMOS and, as part of the training team, I had the opportunity to not only learn AMOS but to work with many other roles and begin to expand my knowledge of the industry over and above the role of the technician.

In 2009 I joined Swiss-AS as a Software Trainer and had the privilege to be involved in many AMOS implementations around the world. After progressing to Team Leader, I decided to make a change and since 2019 I have worked in the marketing and sales team. In January 2024 I celebrated my 15-year anniversary with Swiss-AS and consider myself very fortunate to work with such a great team within such a successful company.

How does the 35 years of experience that Swiss-AS has help customers with their MRO efficiency?

The very first customer that bought AMOS was Swiss Air-Rescue Rega, operating both rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. The fact that we were born from an airline and remain firmly embedded within one of the largest aviation groups, the Lufthansa Group, means that as well as having 35 years of experience we remain firmly in touch with the needs of the industry that we serve.

Of course, those 35 years encompass various different aviation segments: heli operators, airline (scheduled, charter, ACMI, cargo, etc.), MRO (both airframe and component) and any combination of all of these. Having implemented AMOS in excess of 280 times, we have a wealth of experience to continuously learn from every customer’s needs and challenges when implementing AMOS. The AMOS community plays an active part in driving AMOS ever forward. This allows us to not only rely on experience, but also to continue to innovate, and set new standards in the digitalization of aviation data and processes.

To allow customers to realize efficiency in MRO processes means that data from different areas of the customer business must come together to deliver tangible results. AMOS is a fully integrated solution. By managing not only the core aircraft and component data to determine the required maintenance, but additionally available staff and their skills and scopes, shift plans, required material and tooling, AMOS allows the customers to accurately plan and execute their maintenance plans. To further drive efficiency and digitalization, AMOSmobile/EXEC and AMOSmobile/STORES can be utilized to put real-time data in the hands of the end users.

To have 35 years of continuous experience is one thing; to continue to use this experience and deliver a best-of-breed solution remains a primary focus of Swiss-AS.

What makes Swiss-AS’ AMOS software stand out in the MRO software market?

We have built upon very strong foundations over the past 35 years to develop not only a market-leading software solution for aviation, but also the means to implement and support AMOS.

How does Swiss-AS stand out? A reputation that has been built over the last 35 years of developing and delivering a quality solution and implemented according to the customer’s needs.

The fact that our first ever customer still uses AMOS should not be overlooked, and yet the fact that the AMOS community can harness and utilize fully digital processes and technology, such as a fully integrated eTL, shows that we do not rely on our success alone; Swiss-AS continues to innovate and deliver.

When customers select AMOS, they are selecting one of the most trusted solutions on the market today and trusting Swiss-AS to work with them on their digitalization journey.

Swiss-AS provides solutions for air ambulance companies and other special missions operators. What makes AMOS so suited for these types of operations?

AMOS can be configured to meet the needs of all the various operators and maintenance organizations that rely on AMOS. So, whilst the air ambulance, police, SAR, and VIP transportation operators have similar requirements to track maintenance requirements and time tracked components as airlines and other aircraft operators, they have additional specific challenges such as strict configuration control, which, whilst similar to any other airline, may well change from flight to flight depending on the mission the A/C has been assigned to. AMOS allows the user to not only book component changes in real time using AMOSmobile/EXEC, these bookings then update the configuration of the A/C in real time, which will in turn determine the applicability of assigned maintenance requirements. When coupled with rotor-wing customers’ specific requirements such as lateral center of gravity tracking for the basic weight and balance calculations, Swiss-AS is able to demonstrate that not only was the first customer a heli operator, AMOS is a fully capable tool regardless of the nature of operation.

The customer can also adopt the AMOSeTL, ensuring that the pilot becomes an integral part of the AMOS landscape. With flight logs and subsequent defects, existing defects and flight limitations being viewed and created directly in AMOS via AMOSeTL, the back office has complete visibility of the A/C status regardless of where the A/C is operating, and can respond and prepare any additional data or support for the A/C as required. This is a critical requirement when operating the A/C without the scheduled flight plan a standard airline would normally employ.