"This is crucial to the ongoing success of our business, as it allows us to manage our data much more efficiently," said Adrian Hassell, Aircraft Documentation Manager, British Airways. "Because of the scale and scope of its existing BPO operations in the UK, BancTec was the ideal choice for this venture. We look forward to forming a successful partnership with them."

"British Airways is one of the most prestigious airlines in the world, and we are honored to be their selection for this critical project," said Steve Downey, General Manager, BancTec Ltd. "We look forward to working with BA over the next few years and delivering the value and cost savings for which our enterprise-class BPO capabilities are recognised."

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations require all airlines to preserve their engineering records for at least 24 months after the aircraft or component is permanently withdrawn from service. At British Airways (with a fleet of 250 aircraft in service and on order) the majority of this documentation is in hard copy, which creates a significant bank of records to manage over the life cycle of each aircraft.

The new solution enables engineers to perform 'free text' searches, improving both the research facility and the ability to recover records when transferring aircraft or components to future operators. The introduction of this service will also enable BA to move to a fully electronic record database, meeting the requirements of BS 10008.

In addition to solving these issues, BancTec's solution for BA will also help the company reduce hard copy paper storage costs and consolidate supplier contracts. To gain maximum efficiency, the BancTec offering will be built around existing systems and infrastructure within its Heathrow BPO operation-thus conforming to EASA and Eu.Ops regulations within the airline industry.

Specifically, BancTec's enterprise-class scanning solutions will be utilized to image the high-value documents within customer-specified timeframes, with other technology being employed to enable free text searching of scanned documents. This search capability is essential for locating documents related to spare parts.

BancTec will also deploy a secure, three-tier storage archive, which will help reduce business risk from lost data and ensure better compliance with industry regulations.

The company has also invested in three world class operations based in South Wales that are dedicated to delivering heavy maintenance, avionics and interiors.

The extensive maintenance network extends overseas with 'line maintenance' stations established at airports around the globe. Again, these support British Airways and its subsidiaries together with a number of customer airlines.