From Reactive to Predictive: Transforming Airline Flight Planning

With airline profit margins measured in just a few dollars per passenger, every operational decision counts. Aviation Week Network spoke with Zoran Savic of Flightscape – Powered by CAE to learn how intelligent automation is revolutionizing flight planning while preserving the critical human expertise needed during irregular operations.

Zoran Savic
Director of Product Management for the Flight Management Solutions portfolio at Flightscape -Powered by CAE

Q Aviation Week: How has flight planning evolved over the years, and what does the future hold?

A Zoran Savic: The level of integration and automation has increased dramatically. In the past, dispatchers had to manually check weather impacts throughout all flight phases to maintain situational awareness. Today, weather monitoring runs automatically in the background, triggering alerts only when conditions deteriorate—and those alerts are automatically sorted and prioritized by severity. 

The future goes beyond alerts. We’re now using machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze both real-time and historical data, recommending multiple solution options for dispatchers to choose from. The workflow is evolving from manual checks to managed-by-exception to intelligent insights that drive decisions.

Q Aviation Week: Why is flight planning automation so critical to airline operations today?

A Zoran Savic: Airline margins are razor thin—a recent study shows the average profit per passenger is just $6. A single delay requiring a voucher or cappuccino as compensation can completely eliminate that profit.

The two major cost drivers are fuel and labor. For fuel optimization, we focus on continuous route improvements that operate cost-effectively while reducing CO2 emissions. For labor costs, automation increases productivity through streamlined processes and intuitive user experiences. 

Airlines measure success through specific KPIs— flights planned per dispatcher per shift and clicks required to dispatch a flight. Automation eliminates manual, repetitive tasks so dispatchers can focus on higher-value activities that require human expertise.

Q Aviation Week: How has automation transformed flight planning workflows, and what still requires human expertise?

A Zoran Savic: Automation isn’t about removing humans—it’s about enhancing their capabilities. We’ve moved from manual, repetitive tasks to collaborative human-machine interaction where dispatchers focus on higher-value decision-making. 

Transparency is crucial. Users need to understand how and why the system recommends something—we don’t want black boxes. The system enhances oversight by flagging key issues and recommending solutions, but the dispatcher stays in control.

Especially during irregular operations, human expertise is vital. That’s when dispatchers step in to weigh the options and make informed calls that automation alone can’t handle. Their experience and judgment remain irreplaceable for navigating complex, real-world scenarios.

Q Aviation Week: How does flight planning fit in the broader ecosystem of airline operations and the Operations Control Center (OCC)?

A Zoran Savic: Airline operations require system-wide optimization, not isolated efforts. Flight scheduling, aircraft routing, crew assignments, and flight planning are interdependent components that must work in harmony, with full awareness of how each decision affects the broader operation.

Consider a delayed flight. Increasing speed to recover time seems logical, but if the destination airport is congested and the flight enters a holding pattern, the extra fuel burn is wasted. However, if the destination isn’t congested and the crew has another scheduled flight, speeding up prevents duty-time violations that could cause crew timeouts and subsequent delays or cancellations. 

This integration enables OCCs to make informed, collaborative decisions considering network-wide ripple effects, leading to more efficient operations and better resource utilization.

Q Aviation Week: How should airlines adapt their operations and workforce for next generation flight planning systems?

A Zoran Savic: While there’s significant focus on how airlines and OCC teams must adapt, vendors play an equally critical role in driving evolution. Technology providers can’t simply deliver solutions—we must take ownership of leading change. 

Vendors should invest in change management, collaborating with airline stakeholders to transform business processes and workflows. The shift to next-generation solutions isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a transformation. Vendors who actively support this journey, rather than just installing software, will truly enable airlines to unlock their operational potential.

Meet the Expert: Zoran Savic is the Director of Product Management for the Flight Management Solutions portfolio at Flightscape – Powered by CAE. With 20 years of experience in IT and Aviation, he is a business leader passionate about driving innovation and delivering high quality products. He holds an engineer’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA in Marketing.