Korean Air utilizes drones for external aircraft inspection

Korean Air Lines Co.has developed a new solution that uses multiple drones to inspect the external condition of an aircraft, replacing the work of mechanics who are required to climb up to 20 meters.

South Korea’s biggest carrier developed the drones that measure about 1 meter by 1 meter and weigh 5.5 kilograms.

The company also developed a video recording program by the four drones simultaneously flying over a preset area.

With four drones operating simultaneously, the fuselage inspection time can be reduced from about 10 hours to 4 hours, helping improve flight schedule punctuality.

The drones are equipped with state-of-the-art cameras that can detect even slight damage as small as 1 millimeter.

The drones also have a collision prevention and avoidance function to ensure a safe distance from aircraft and neighboring facilities and a safe flight zone function to keep them from navigating from the mission area.