However, behind every flight lies a complex network of decisions and data points. These range from software that provides pilots with actionable insights on safety and fuel efficiency to advanced engine maintenance programmes that reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Through flight data analytics platforms such as Safety Insight and Fuel Insight, GE Aerospace dissects each flight into a series of patterns and actions. This approach helps enhance flight safety while reducing emissions.

“We’re really embedded in the aviation industry alongside our customers,” says Denise Dekker, solutions architect at GE Aerospace and a seasoned pilot. “Before I started working on software like Safety Insight, I just knew GE Aerospace for their engines — I had no idea the company was doing so much more.”

For Dekker, aviation safety is more than a statistic. At the age of six, she lost a close friend in a tragic aviation accident, an event that coincided with her family’s relocation so she could attend the same school as her friend.

With a pilot father flying long-haul for KLM weekly, this experience was deeply personal. “Each time he’d walk out the door, suitcase in hand, I’d feel an uneasy knot in my stomach,” she recalls. “He turned it into a teaching moment, explaining that everything comes with risks and how learning from incidents can make flying safer.”

That early lesson left an indelible mark. A decade later, Dekker found herself in the cockpit of a Cessna 152 trainer plane, control columns in hand, determined to conquer her fears. “When we landed, the instructor told my father to brace himself, as things were about to get very expensive for him!” she laughs.

Using the Swiss Cheese Model to Improve SafetIn films, aviation safety is often portrayed as investigators piecing together black box data after an incident. In reality, safety is considered during every flight.

In 2023, GE Aerospace achieved zero engine-related events, improving on an already impressive five-year record of 0.04 incidents per one million departures. This accomplishment is remarkable, considering that an aircraft powered by a GE Aerospace engine or one of its partners takes off every two seconds.

“Air travel and cheese may seem like an unlikely pair, but we often talk about the Swiss cheese model to understand how incidents can occur,” explains Dekker. “Each slice of cheese represents different aspects of our operations — like maintenance, air traffic control, or pilot training. Usually, the holes (or errors) in these slices don’t align. But when they do, it can lead to a chain of events that compromise safety.”

To improve safety, pilots rely on information about fuel usage, routing, and risks encountered on previous flights. Software like FlightPulse enables them to compare flight data from past journeys with current performance. This data-driven approach allows pilots to identify risks proactively and recognise trends before issues arise.

“Instead of just learning from incidents, we want to learn from flights that had potential risks and from standard flights,” says Dekker. “This way, we can learn from more data — not only understanding what went wrong but also what went well.”

By monitoring each flight, pilots can detect emerging trends and identify higher-risk scenarios. The same data can optimise efficiency by analysing fuel consumption, weather patterns, and routes to reduce emissions. When aggregated across thousands of pilots, this creates a continuous feedback loop that enhances safety and sustainability with every journey.

Making Flying Safer with Each Flight

Today, Dekker is far from the anxious child who worried every time her father left for a flight. Her career has been dedicated to making aviation safer and more sustainable, from her early roles as an incident investigator to her current position working with customers like KLM to develop engineering solutions tailored to their needs.

One of her career highlights was the recent SkyTeam Aviation Challenge, where airlines collaborated to conduct increasingly sustainable flights. “It was exhilarating to sit alongside our KLM partners and see the flight crew in action with FlightPulse on the flight from Amsterdam to Singapore, especially as a former commercial pilot,” she shares.

“At GE Aerospace, we often talk about our mission to ‘lift people up and bring them home safely.’ I can’t think of a better way to honour my friend and her family than dedicating my career to making flying safer with each flight. Behind every statistic is a name and a story that deserves to be told.”