Boeing, Southwest Airlines and Aeroexchange have completed the aerospace industry’s first ever parts shipment accompanied by a digital 8130-3 certificate.
In a statement, Boeing said the “milestone” shipment advances supply chain security by preventing unapproved spare parts from entering the aerospace aftermarket.
"This industry-first shipment reflects Boeing's dedication to pursuing game-changing solutions through teamwork and partnership," said William Ampofo, senior vice president of parts, distribution and supply chain at Boeing Global Services.
“Together with Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange, we are transforming how the industry ensures part authenticity and supply chain security.”
The electronic 8130-3, as governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), certifies the airworthiness of aircraft parts, components and articles.
It replaces the traditional paper certificate with a secure, encrypted file that authenticates the authorised signer's identity and ensures document integrity.
Boeing led a pilot project to generate and gain authorisation for this digital solution.
A battery serviced at Boeing's product repair services centre in Davie, Florida, was the first part shipped using the electronic form, transmitted using the Aeroxchange eARC platform.
Southwest Airlines received the battery at its Dallas facility, verifying its authenticity and airworthiness through the new digital process.
Leveraging X.509 security protocols, public/private key encryption, and blockchain-ready formats, the digital 8130 certificate creates an immutable, verifiable record of part authenticity throughout its lifecycle.
Al Koszarek, president and CEO of Aeroxchange, said: "This landmark event is a milestone on the industry's journey to prevent unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain."
Boeing said it will continue rolling out use of the digital 8130 certificate across all nine of its product repair services centres, as each centre receives authorisation from the FAA to use electronic systems for recordkeeping, electronic signatures and electronic manuals.
Expanding the use of digital authorised release certificates is a key recommendation of the Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition (ASCIC), a cross-industry group dedicated to preventing unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain.
Boeing, Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange are active members of the ASCIC.