Why Engaging Pilots With Flight Data Monitoring is the Next Leap in Airline Safety and Efficiency

The aviation industry has never had more data—or used less of it where it matters most.

At Fliant we’ve seen firsthand the disconnect: airlines collect enormous amounts of data from QARs, OFP, and operational systems, yet most of that information never reaches the people flying the aircraft. Frontline professionals like pilots, dispatchers, and line safety leaders operate without access to insights that could elevate both performance and safety.

And that’s a missed opportunity.

From Compliance to Culture

Most airlines today operate robust Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) programs. These systems are powerful and required by regulators, but they’re often designed for reactive analysis—focused on identifying exceedances and building reports for safety teams.

Rarely is this data transformed into personalized, actionable feedback for pilots. That gap isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a cultural one.

When we treat data like a policing mechanism instead of a professional development tool, we discourage the very people we depend on to deliver safe, efficient flights. Sharing clear, non-punitive post-flight insights with pilots is a cultural shift: from top-down oversight to two-way trust.

The Cost of Inaction

Consider the trends. According to the IATA Safety Report, unstable approaches contribute to 65% of all landing-related accidents. Hard landings, tail strikes, and runway excursions often follow. These incidents not only jeopardize safety—they disrupt schedules, ground aircraft, and can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million per occurrence.

Then there’s fuel. For many airlines, it accounts for 20–30% of total operating costs. According to ICAO, behaviorally driven changes in flight profiles can save 0.5–1% in annual fuel spend—potentially translating to millions saved.

But if pilots don’t receive data about their own performance or see how they contribute to these outcomes, how can they improve?

The Business Case for Data Empowerment

At Fliant, we analyzed the operational impact of giving pilots access to personalized, secure post-flight reports. The results are staggering:

• Safety Improvement: 20–50% reduction in repeat exceedances and unstable approaches (Flight Safety Foundation)
• Fuel Efficiency: $1.5–3M annual savings for mid-size airlines (ICAO)
• Maintenance Costs: Up to $250K saved per year by reducing wear from exceedances (FAA)
• Retention & Culture: Reduced pilot turnover saves $100–200K of backfill costs (ALPA, Embry-Riddle)

Across a fleet of 50 aircraft with 600 pilots, this adds up to $3–5 million per year, or roughly $5,000–8,300 per pilot.

This is not speculative—it’s achievable today with the right tools and mindset.

What Pilots Want (and Don’t Get)

Most pilots care deeply about doing their job well. But they’re often working in the dark.

Their performance insights come via simulator sessions or periodic safety reviews—not after the actual flights they operate. They want feedback on things like:

• Was my descent profile efficient?
• How did I perform compared to SOP on landing?
• Did I have any exceedances, and why?

Sharing this data in a structured, accessible way—without punishment or ambiguity—is one of the fastest ways to create a more engaged, consistent, and safety-conscious pilot group.

It’s also what regulators are encouraging. EASA and ICAO both support non-punitive feedback loops as key enablers of proactive Safety Management Systems (SMS).

From Silos to Systems

Why doesn’t this happen already?

Because most legacy systems aren’t built for engagement—they’re built for oversight. They’re desktop-bound, complex, and require specialists to extract even the most basic reports. In many cases, safety teams spend hours each week manually building PDFs or PowerPoints to share with their crews—if they share anything at all.

Modern platforms must:

• Automate post-flight insights
• Respect pilot data privacy
• Support mobile, secure delivery
• Integrate with flight data seamlessly
• Build trust through transparency and usefulness

It’s not about replacing your FDM tool—it’s about getting more value from it and turning raw data into operational intelligence for every stakeholder, including pilots.

Fliant’s Approach

At Fliant, we built FlightAdvise with one question in mind:

“What would it look like if pilots actually had access to the same performance data their airline sees—without extra work for the safety team?”

FlightAdvise automatically generates per-flight insights that pilots can review on their mobile devices. They see trends, event data, environmental conditions, and comparisons—all in a private, secure format. Airlines using it don’t need to change their existing systems. We sit on top and make them work harder… and smarter.

Because we believe pilots deserve better tools, not more complexity.

Conclusion

The conversation about flight data needs to shift—from managing risk to unlocking potential.

Yes, this is about reducing accidents. But it’s also about flying smarter, reducing costs, building stronger teams, and creating a culture where pilots are collaborators—not just operators.

Airlines that succeed in the next decade will be those that harness the data they already collect and deliver it where it can make the biggest difference: in the cockpit, post-flight, where learning happens.

If you're still treating flight data like a compliance checkbox, it's time to reframe the mission.