Imagine running an airline where 2 out of every 5 supplier invoices land on your desk and you have no way to check if they're correct — so you just pay them. That's the reality today. SHOGANAI built a small hardware box that plugs into the airplane's data systems, tracks every cost in real time (fuel, landing fees, navigation charges), and sends it all to a cloud dashboard. Think of it like a smart meter for your electricity, but for an entire airplane — now the finance team can instantly spot when a supplier overcharges. They even use blockchain to make the data tamper-proof, so airlines and suppliers can settle invoices automatically without arguing over the numbers.
Airlines operate on razor-thin margins of just 5.6%, yet 70% of their costs — fuel, ground handling, airport and navigation taxes, crew — cannot be verified against actual operations in real time. The result: 2 out of 5 supplier invoices are paid without verification, leading to estimated overpayments of 0.5% to 2.5% across the industry. For a single Airbus A320 with €4.7M in annual operating expenses, that means €84K to €136K per year wasted per aircraft.
A proprietary hardware device that connects to aircraft data buses to capture real-time operational data, plus a cloud-based SaaS platform with dashboards for airline finance and operations teams. The system includes blockchain-based data verification to enable automated invoice reconciliation via smart contracts. The SaaS service reached General Availability status.
If you are an airline dealing with unverifiable supplier invoices and no visibility into real operating costs — this project developed an onboard hardware device and SaaS platform that tracks Direct Operating Costs in real time. With estimated industry overpayments of 0.5% to 2.5%, an Airbus A320 with €4.7M annual operating expenses could save between €84K and €136K per plane per year.
If you are a ground handling or fuel company tired of invoice disputes and slow reconciliation with airline clients — this project developed a blockchain-based ledger that records real-time operational data from aircraft. This creates a shared, tamper-proof record so that smart contracts can automatically reconcile invoices, cutting dispute resolution time and improving cash flow.
If you are an aircraft lessor or finance company that needs accurate operating cost data to assess airline creditworthiness or asset performance — this project developed a real-time cost monitoring SaaS service with verified blockchain records. Reliable per-aircraft cost data helps you price leases more accurately and manage portfolio risk based on actual rather than estimated operating expenses.
The project does not disclose specific pricing. It operates as a SaaS model with hardware installed on each aircraft, so expect a per-aircraft subscription fee. Given the claimed savings of €84K–€136K per plane per year, the business case likely works if the service costs significantly less than those savings.
The architecture is designed for scale — cloud-based SaaS with onboard hardware per aircraft. The deliverable confirms a generally available SaaS service. Airlines like Easyjet with 7M+ monthly expense items were specifically referenced as the target use case, suggesting the system was designed for large fleet operations.
Airplane Solutions SL, a Spanish SME, is the sole consortium partner and owns all IP. The solution is delivered as a SaaS service, meaning airlines would subscribe rather than purchase outright. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the company.
All operational data captured by the onboard hardware is recorded in a blockchain ledger, creating a tamper-proof audit trail. This allows airlines and their suppliers to automatically reconcile invoices using smart contracts based on verified real-time data, rather than relying on each party's separate records.
Based on the project data, SHOGANAI tracks all Direct Operating Costs including fuel, ground handling, airport taxes, navigation taxes, and crew costs. These categories represent approximately 70% of an airline's profit and loss statement.
The project developed working hardware that connects to aircraft data buses, and the SaaS service reached general availability. However, the project data does not explicitly confirm aviation authority certification (EASA/FAA). Any buyer should verify current certification status directly with Airplane Solutions.
Based on available project data, the system requires installation of a proprietary hardware device that connects to the aircraft's data buses, plus onboarding to the cloud platform. Specific installation timelines per aircraft are not disclosed in the project documentation.
SHOGANAI was executed by a single company — Airplane Solutions SL, a Spanish SME — with no university or research partners. This is a 100% industry-driven project, which is typical for SME Instrument Phase 2 funding aimed at scaling commercially viable products. The €2.2M EU investment went entirely toward product development and market preparation. The absence of academic partners signals this is an engineering and commercialization effort, not basic research. For a potential buyer or partner, this means the team is business-focused with direct airline industry experience, and all intellectual property sits with one company — simplifying any licensing or partnership negotiations.
Airplane Solutions SL is based in Spain. Use Google AI search or LinkedIn to find the founding team — they highlight extensive airline industry experience.
Want an introduction to the SHOGANAI team? SciTransfer can arrange a briefing call to explore how this cost control solution fits your fleet operations.
