GE Aviation is set to supply wireless mini quick access recorders (miniQAR) to assist Utair in meeting its flight data collection requirements from the State Civil Authority of Russia (SCAA).

GE Aviation’s joint venture (JV) Avionica will deliver the miniQAR services.

Deliveries are currently underway across Utair’s fleet of 45 Boeing 737 and 767 aircraft, in addition to the 16,000 unique aircraft and assets linked to GE Aviation’s digital solutions.

GE Aviation chief digital officer John Mansfield said: “The wireless QAR will help Utair to streamline their processes, reduce workload for their maintenance and engineering teams while increasing the amount of usable data available.”

Utair conducted a feasibility study prior to the selection of wireless QAR services.

Utair operations director Andrey Semenov said: “The benefits of the miniQAR are clear. Lower cost of ownership, immediate data available for flight analytics, safety programmes and maintenance troubleshooting are among the top advantages of installing the miniQAR.”

The wireless QARs of Avionica require minimal setup and configuration requirements which can be transformed in the future to new aircraft if necessary.

Until now, nearly 9,000 of Avionica’s QARs have been delivered worldwide, with Supplemental Type Certification (STC) received for more than 300 models of business and general aviation aircraft.

Avionica president Raul Segredo said: “This is another example of GE Aviation digital domain expertise combined with proven Avionica equipment to deliver unmatched customer value.”

Last May, GE Aviation acquired an ownership interest in Avionica for an undisclosed sum, establishing a new JV, which will enable the companies to enhance edge processing and wireless connectivity to maximise the value of aircraft data.