Future-Ready Skies Study identifies AI as biggest driver for change in aviation
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) newly published Future-Ready Skies Study 2025 report reveals that one in three aerospace executives believe artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time decision-making will be the biggest driver of change in aircraft manufacturing by 2035.
TCS Future-Ready Skies is a research initiative focusing on how the aerospace industry is preparing for transformational change over the coming years. It examines how the sector is integrating AI, digital twins, and other advanced technologies into design, manufacturing, maintenance, supply chain relationships and operations.
While AI leads the charge, aerospace executives also identified digital twins and robotics as the key enablers for transformation.
The study surveyed over 323 senior aerospace executives, including aerospace manufacturers, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) companies and Manufacturing, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) providers, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) companies across Europe and North America.
The report, says Washington and Mumbai based TCS, captures an industry in transition, with companies increasingly investing in intelligent, sustainable operations. It highlights how manufacturers expect human involvement to remain essential in 60% of their production processes, on average, reinforcing a hybrid future where human expertise and AI work together.
With the aerospace market projected to surpass $1tn by 2030, and the MRO segment alone expected to reach $137bn, the study offers a crucial “pulse check” on where the industry stands and a look into the future. It also aligns with key developments such as the anticipated certification of eVTOL aircraft and the increasing regulatory and operational complexity across global supply chains.
Anupam Singhal, President, Manufacturing, TCS, said, "The aerospace industry has always been one where ambition is matched by precision and safety. Today, ambition is redefined as AI moves from supporting operations to shaping enterprise strategy—advancing passenger experience, safety, and sustainability. At TCS, we see this as a leadership opportunity to help aerospace enterprises build resilient, adaptive ecosystems and shape skies that are bold, transformative, and future-defining.”
Steve Lucas, Chairman and CEO, Boomi, a software company that specialises in integration platform as a service (iPaaS), said, “The Future-Ready Skies Study shows that the aerospace industry is at an inflection point where the promise of AI depends on getting the fundamentals right. Change only happens, however, at the speed of trust and that trust begins with data. Agentic AI can only succeed when it’s built on a strong foundation of connected, reliable data. By integrating and connecting everything across their complex ecosystems, companies can accelerate decisions, scale innovation, and turn complexity into a true competitive advantage.”
Key takeaways from the survey include:
A striking 63% of aerospace executives are open to adopting agentic AI to manage supply chains, but only 6% currently do so, underscoring both readiness and the innovation gap.
On average, respondents anticipate 40% of their manufacturing operations will be “lights out” within the next 5-7 years – lights out being defined as fully autonomous facilities that operate with minimal to no human intervention.
Over half (51%) of MRO providers – maintenance, repair, overhaul, which covers a range of essential activities crucial for ensuring safety and comfort – on average, anticipate a return on investment in advanced technology in five years or sooner, with nearly two-thirds (64%) expecting predictive analytics and agentic AI to deliver measurable return on investment in that same timeframe.
Only a third (34%) of advanced air mobility companies (AAM) cited public acceptance as an obstacle to such services as urban air taxis; in fact, 70% are already building commercial platforms, reflecting industry momentum.
Just 5% of MRO executives say their digital MRO strategy is already sufficiently scaled for the industry’s next phase. For the rest, 80% anticipate a negative impact from rising operational costs, increased downtime, revenue, and customer churn if their digital MRO strategies fail to scale in the next three years.
Digital thread integration is underway, with 59% of manufacturers reporting at least partial implementation, though full lifecycle integration remains elusive.
Less than a third (28%) of aerospace firms say they could pivot sourcing within 30 days of a Tier-1 disruption, exposing the fragility of today’s supply chains.
In the MRO segment, leaders are beginning to lay the groundwork for advanced automation. However, only 2% of the surveyed leaders anticipate having fully autonomous processes -- from detection to repair decisions – by 2030.
In the fast-growing Advanced Air Mobility sector, including electric aircraft, 70% of surveyed companies are actively building commercial platforms, reflecting a clear industry commitment to next-generation mobility. While challenges around regulation, economics, and infrastructure remain, these barriers are being steadily addressed as the sector advances toward broader adoption.
Crucially, the momentum around digital transformation is translating into measurable expectations, 32% of aerospace leaders anticipate a return on investment from MRO technologies within three years, and 80% acknowledge that accelerating digital adoption is vital to reducing future risks and inefficiencies. This growing alignment between investment and impact points to a sector that is preparing not just to evolve—but to lead with intelligence, agility, and resilience.