A fledgling blockchain-based company which aims to improve flight safety is gearing up to launch an upgraded version of its app for pilots – software that has been designed to replace the old-fashioned paper logbooks currently used by aviation enthusiasts and professionals.

Aeron estimates that 57 percent of aviation accidents can be attributed to human factors – and poor record keeping is often to blame. The company says it is possible for pilots to manipulate records and exaggerate their experience, while airlines may underreport flight hours to save on maintenance costs.

Aeron has been working to implement blockchain into existing aviation safety protocols to stop vital data from being lost, distorted or forged. Over time, it is hoped that this will help to reduce the number of fatal accidents in the world’s skies substantially.

In March, Aeron launched the first iteration of its mobile app for pilots on Apple’s App Store and Google Play – enabling them to record their flight hours on blockchain instead of paper and earn the full confidence of prospective employers and aviation authorities. This month, new features are being added so the pilots can create and submit flight plans – detailing the intended route and other flight details, bringing convenience to the pilots of small aircraft and flight school students. In a blog post, Aeron said that this upgrade was in response to suggestions from the community, adding: “Furthermore, statistical summaries will be introduced, offering more insights into the pilot’s experience.”

The company has also revealed that it has had “intensive interaction with aviation authorities in various jurisdictions, primarily in the European Union.” It is hoped that a specialist portal where a pilot can submit logs online, with authorized officers viewing and processing records, will be launched in the spring of 2019.

Negotiations and deals with authorities are expected to be forged in 2019 as Aeron pursues business development in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Marking a milestone

Aeron’s token, ARN, took off on Nov. 1, 2017 – and since then, the company says its currency has been flying high. On the anniversary of its launch, the company revealed that ARN had achieved a global monthly volume ranking of 39, based on CoinMarketCap stats.

This, in part, is because of its utility as a payment method in the Pilot Shop powered by Aeron, where customers can buy branded accessories and aviation supplies. It is expected that fresh merchandise is going to be added to the platform later this year – and other payment methods in the online shop include Bitcoin, Binance Coin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash.

Aerotrips.com, which is the name of its subsidiary website, is also a marketplace for reserving private flight experiences, with Aeron describing the platform as “an online portal and aggregator for aviation that gives special attention to private flights and individual pilots.”

Broadening horizons

The company is also widening its scope further and aims to offer benefits “to anyone who flies, including passengers of commercial airlines.” Aeron introduced a new platform called CryptoBonusMiles (CBM), which will enable frequent flyers to collect bonus miles in a single unified wallet and receive crypto rewards whenever they hop on a plane, in addition to the perks they receive from conventional loyalty programs offered by major airlines.

Ahead of the release of an alpha version of the CryptoBonusMiles platform, Aeron has announced an airdrop of CBM for current holders of Aeron (ARN) tokens.