CASE STUDY: SolitAir embraces digital-first maintenance and engineering from day one

Author: Sandeep Kumar, Director – Engineering & Maintenance, SolitAir

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B2B Cargo airline SolitAir’s paperless operation is setting an industry benchmark that Sandeep Kumar, Director – Engineering & Maintenance, is keen to share.

SolitAir is a young UAE-based airline operating in the cargo and logistics field. We have gone from a start-up to operating seven aircraft this year, and this case study shares how our maintenance and engineering (M&E) operations are supported by our strong partnership with Commsoft to implement its OASES (Open Aviation Strategic Engineering System) software.

DIGITAL VISION FROM DAY ONE

Like many organizations, meeting digital challenges is an important part of our Vision. Our priority from day one was to be paperless, which is easier said than done, the reason why it was so important for us to have the right partner on board. As part of our approach in establishing the airline, we measure our progress against a yardstick that reflects our Vision, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and objectives – the look and feel of SolitAir – as you can see in figure 1. We also used this yardstick as a benchmark in establishing our digital and compliant M&E framework.

Figure 1

Ensuring scalability

For SolitAir, M&E software scalability is also a priority. It was important that our service provider had a footprint and proven case studies of end-to-end M&E systems that are suitable for a business like ours, as we expand our operations in the Middle East and Africa.

PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

The partnership-first approach in our Vision meant finding an M&E system provider who would be both a strategic partner as well as a software vendor. I’ve worked for several airlines, and I know that your software vendor needs to have a combination of good R&D competencies, the right people and a service-led approach. OASES’ competency, from the first point to the final stages of implementation, impressed us.

CHOOSING OASES

In figure 2, you can see how OASES measured up on our yardstick by being able to align closely with our Vision. The firm’s proven track record with start-up and growing airlines was a significant factor in our decision-making. OASES’ service-led approach was clearly evident in the way the company gave us the same level of attention as it does to much larger customers.

Figure 2

MITIGATING RISK

Once we were satisfied that OASES met our yardstick requirements, we moved quickly to implement its M&E tools, applying our risk mitigation approach for making all necessary corrections at every milestone in the process, see figure 3. Regarding risk mitigation, I always emphasize the 1-10 rule: fix it right at the beginning, and it will cost you $1; fix it further down the line, and it’s going to cost you $10.

Figure 3

GCAA compliance

Another major consideration in selecting OASES was its compliance readiness, which was essential as we intended to be both paperless and compliant from day one, including with GCAA (General Civil Aviation Authority) and EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) regulations. In fact, we found the GCAA was very adaptive and open to the way we were setting up SolitAir as a paperless operation.

TRAINING PRIORITIES

At the same time as the implementation, we paid close attention to training. For SolitAir, sustained learning is the bedrock for building confident and capable teams, see figure 4.

Figure 4

It was imperative for us to have a learning platform for our automated solution. I would advise other airlines who are considering a digital-first M&E solution to focus on creating a learning platform that works for them, as we are such a heavily regulated industry. By having a solid learning platform, we are able to respond rapidly to every change or variation set by the regulators.

GOING LIVE

With training and implementation completed, our phased launch began in August 2025 with a full go-live in September, achieving the first complete maintenance cycle with zero disruptions. I would highlight here the synergy between the SolitAir and OASES teams, with everyone focused on a common understanding and shared KPIs. We were impressed by OASES’ responsive account management and continuous enhancements to the system based on operational learnings and our feedback. In effect, OASES is an extension of our operations team.

Figure 5

The positive measurable impact of the new system was immediate, with a 50% reduction in maintenance planning time and administrative overhead, and 100% compliance achieved from the first day of full operations. Not only that, but we also have the benefits of automated documentation and compliance trails, better cost control and greater operational efficiency, which is essential for handling time-sensitive cargo.

Delivering strategic value

With such an agile operational foundation in place, SolitAir is now ready for rapid fleet scaling and growth, based on our digital-first culture and confidence in the paperless process. We believe that our M&E capabilities deliver a competitive operational advantage and are a template for the industry. Indeed, our proactive, partnership-driven approach to digital M&E design demonstrates that start-up airlines can achieve operational excellence from inception.

LESSONS LEARNED

With the growing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI), the days when the aviation industry could be slow to adopt new technologies and adapt to change are gone – agility is very much required. Choosing our partner carefully was a key success factor in our digital-first implementation and a major lesson learned, see figure 6. Aligned with this are having a sustained learning platform and ensuring our partner is agile, which was evidenced by OASES’ ability to adapt to our evolving requirements.

Figure 6

Overall, having a genuine partnership made all the difference to us. OASES didn’t just provide us with software – they gave us support for an impeccable implementation. Their team became an extension of our organization, helping us build not only systems, but also operational capabilities and confidence during the implementation phase

LOOKING AHEAD

Now we have such a strong foundation in place, we look forward to future collaboration with OASES during the next phase of our development. This includes advanced analytics integration to enable predictive maintenance, mobile capabilities to provide real-time operations, and developing AI-driven operational insights to deliver efficiency gains.

Figure 7

We have shown that this type of partnership model with software vendors is successful, sets best practice for digital-first airline operations, and is an approach that we are keen to share with the airline community.