AIMS

AIMS is an airline management suite spanning crew, flight operations and commercial planning. It is aimed at airlines and other aviation operators coordinating those functions, rather than teams looking for a narrow scheduling tool. Its broad scope and flexible deployment are compelling, but buyers must weigh custom pricing and a PC-only crew check-in function.

Overview

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Dubai, AIMS serves passenger, cargo, charter and business jet airlines, along with helicopter operators. It brings workforce administration together with aircraft movement and maintenance planning, schedule construction, disruption recovery and commercial scenario planning. That breadth can support operators managing interdependent planning tasks; an organization that needs only crew scheduling may find the wider system more than it needs.

Airlines can run AIMS as SaaS on AIMS Cloud, hosted on Amazon AWS in Frankfurt, Germany, or install and maintain it in-house. Cloud hosting avoids internal system maintenance, while in-house deployment puts that responsibility on the airline. AIMS says it holds ISO 27001 Security Standards certification and is approved by more than 50 National Civil Aviation Authorities, including EASA and FAA. Its privacy policy also says it cannot guarantee absolute security of personal data.

Key features

Crew administration and access

Crew management covers manpower planning, pairings, leave administration, training planning, assignments, legality checks and statistics. Duty-time rules, qualification tracking, fatigue management, trip assignment and availability management are supported. This range makes AIMS relevant to operators coordinating compliance and workforce planning alongside day-to-day assignments.

The eCREW portal gives crew members access to personal and flight information, leave requests, messaging and duty swaps. The AIMS Web Portal is accessible through mobile-device apps, and e-Ops lets staff monitor operations on mobile devices. However, Crew Check-In / Check-Out is a notable exception: it can be accessed through a web browser only on PCs located in crew rooms. Operators expecting crew to check in or out from personal phones should account for that restriction.

Operations and commercial planning

Operations Control handles aircraft movements, maintenance planning, schedule construction and disruption recovery. Commercial Planning compares schedule scenarios and estimates revenue, cost and profit statistics. Together, these functions extend AIMS beyond crew allocation to operational response and commercial evaluation; airlines seeking only one of those capabilities may not need the full breadth.

AIMS processes SITA movement and load messages, ACARS messages, and IATA ASM, SSM and SSIM data. It also offers training, implementation, audits, crew planning services and software customization, useful for organizations that need support adapting or deploying the system.

Pricing

AIMS is paid software with custom pricing. The AIMS airline software plan requests airline crew and aircraft counts as part of pricing and system inquiries, so buyers should expect a quote shaped around their operation rather than a published per-seat rate. No free plan or trial terms are given.

Platforms

AIMS lists Android, iOS, web and self-hosted platforms. Mobile access supports portal use and e-Ops monitoring, while the crew check-in/check-out restriction means those capabilities do not make that particular function mobile or remotely accessible.

Who it's for

AIMS is best suited to airlines and aviation operators that need crew administration alongside operations control and commercial planning, and that can justify a tailored system inquiry. Its stated clientele spans passenger, cargo, charter and business jet airlines, plus helicopter operators. Teams seeking a focused scheduler, transparent pricing or unrestricted mobile crew check-in should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Crew planning, legality and qualification support sit alongside operations control and commercial scenario analysis, which may suit operators coordinating these functions.
• Pros: SaaS hosting in Frankfurt and in-house deployment give airlines a choice of operating model.
• Pros: Support for SITA, ACARS and IATA schedule messaging is relevant to airline operations, while training, implementation and customization services provide deployment support.
• Cons: Custom pricing requires a quote based on crew and aircraft counts, making costs harder to compare upfront.
• Cons: Crew Check-In / Check-Out is limited to browsers on PCs in crew rooms, a poor fit for operators expecting mobile or off-site access.
• Cons: In-house customers must maintain the installation themselves.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of crew scheduling options, browse Crew Scheduling Software.

• CrewLogic is a paid option on Android, iOS, web and Windows; consider it if Windows platform support is a priority.
• HASTUS is a paid option for Android, iOS and web; it may suit buyers comparing other cross-platform paid software.
• Martide offers a free plan and an Operations plan at $249 a month for 50 onboard seafarers, with $4.80 / month per extra seafarer and unlimited users. Consider it if a free entry point or published monthly plan matters more than AIMS's airline-focused scope.
• Optibus is paid, supports Android, API, iOS and web, and has no stated price on the reviewed pages; it may suit buyers comparing another paid option with API support.
• ProVerne Crew Management System is a paid option for Android, iOS and web.
• Signal is paid and supports Android, API, iOS and web.
• E-CMS is a paid web option.
• ShipManager Crewing is paid, has no free plan, and supports web, iOS and Android.

Verdict

Choose AIMS if your airline or aviation operation needs crew administration tied to flight operations and commercial planning, with a choice between cloud and in-house deployment. Its integrated scope is the main reason to consider it; custom pricing and the crew-room PC restriction are the clearest reasons to look elsewhere.