In the 1970s, Airbus pioneered ‘fly-by-wire’ technology. The latest watchword is ‘fly-by-code’. The company is investing in an R&T-led digital transformation that will turn its aircraft into hyper-connected software platforms. The shift aims to make the business of flying even safer and more efficient, in the air and on the ground. The automotive industry has adjusted to the reality that vehicles are no longer just engines and metal. They are computers on wheels. Aerospace is on the edge of an equally profound transformation, even if its R&T and certification cycles are longer. The sector is moving towards a generation of products designed to be networked digital natives, where code plays a more and more prominent role. These are software-defined aircraft, capable of natively processing and intelligently interpreting terabytes of data to support and protect pilots and operators. In the air: scaling up modular software into an ecosystem To understand the software-defined aircraft, it helps to look at modern platforms such as the Airbus A350. It already features modular digital systems that consolidate separate hardware units hosting multiple applications. These applications are concentrated on the aircraft’s core operational systems. Modular avionics is small in scale, typically managing only 20 to 30 functions such as maintenance diagnostics, cockpit displays, cabin environment and engine control. In addition, for most commercial aircraft, digital capabilities are rigidly stuck at the factory gate. Upgrading or retrofitting a system demands heavy physical modifications and costly downtime. Airbus’ emerging Next-Generation System Platform – NGSP – breaks the ceiling. Rather than limiting software to a few distinct tasks, this major R&T programme is scaling up digital aircraft architecture to an ecosystem that bridges safety, flight operations and ground operations. The NGSP folds all three domains (including access to Skywise’s data lake for predictive aircraft maintenance and more) into a