Aircraft maintenance tracking software keeps the current status of every aircraft, engine and component: hours, cycles, inspections, airworthiness directives (ADs) and life-limited parts (LLPs). From that status it tells you what is due next and records what was done. To choose one, start from your regulatory role and your operation, then test each candidate against the criteria in this guide, using your own data.
This guide is written for maintenance, planning and quality managers at operators, CAMOs and Part-145 or FAA Part 145 organisations. It does not rank products. It gives you the questions that separate a good fit from an expensive mistake.
What the regulations expect you to track
A tracking system is, first of all, the tool you use to keep records that the regulations already require. Both EASA and the FAA define their content.
| Record | FAA (14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)) | EASA (Part-M, M.A.305) |
|---|---|---|
| Total time in service | Airframe, each engine, propeller and rotor | Aircraft, engines and propellers, as applicable |
| Life-limited parts | Current status of each LLP | Current status, with the limit, the life used and the remaining life |
| Airworthiness directives | Current status, method of compliance and next due date for recurring ADs | Current status of ADs and of measures mandated by the authority |
| Maintenance programme | Current inspection status | Status of compliance with the aircraft maintenance programme |
| Modifications and repairs | Forms for each major alteration | Current status of modifications and repairs |
| Deferred items | Defects list until repaired | Deferred maintenance tasks and deferred defects |
Under the FAA rule, these status records are transferred with the aircraft when it is sold. Under EASA, any correction to an entry must show the original entry. A good system makes both easy: complete history, no silent overwrites. Sources: 14 CFR 91.417 and the EASA Easy Access Rules for Continuing Airworthiness.
Start with your role, not with the feature list
"Aircraft maintenance software" covers very different products. What you need depends on who you are in the maintenance chain.
| Organisation | What matters most |
|---|---|
| Operator or CAMO | Maintenance programme, AD and SB status, LLP forecasts, work packages sent to the MRO, airworthiness review evidence |
| Part-145 / FAA Part 145 MRO, line or base | Work orders, task cards, NRCs, authorised sign-offs, stores, tools, hangar or station capacity, customer invoicing |
| Component and engine shop | Incoming inspection, shop work orders, serialised traceability, EASA Form 1 or FAA 8130-3, warranties, rotable pool |
| Business aviation and small fleets | Simple due-list tracking, logbook records and alerts, often as a subscription service |
Many organisations play more than one role. A regional operator with its own line station is both a CAMO and a Part-145. In that case, the system must keep both views consistent: the CAMO plans the work, the MRO executes it, and the status returns to the aircraft record.
Nine criteria to evaluate aircraft maintenance tracking software
1. AD and SB tracking
ADs are mandatory. EASA publishes them in its Safety Publications Tool, and the FAA in its Dynamic Regulatory System. Service bulletins (SBs) are usually optional, unless an AD makes them mandatory.
Check that the system can:
- Determine applicability by type, serial number and modification status, not only by aircraft type.
- Record the method of compliance and the evidence for each aircraft or component.
- Calculate the next due date for recurring ADs, by hours, cycles or calendar, whichever comes first.
- Show the impact of a new revision of an AD on the fleet.
SkyPlannerHub tracks ADs and SBs for each aircraft and component, with due-date alerts.
2. Life-limited parts and component tracking
For each LLP, the system must show the limit, the life used and the remaining life in every applicable parameter. That only works if the component history is complete: every installation and removal, with the aircraft or engine, the date and the hours and cycles at that moment.
Ask how the system handles a part that moves between engines, or a back-to-birth history that arrives on paper with a used part. Ask also how it handles rotables, soft-time components and condition-monitored items.
SkyPlannerHub tracks life-limited parts and warns you before a limit is reached.
3. Maintenance programme and forecasting
Tasks have intervals in flight hours, cycles, calendar time or a combination. The system should forecast due dates from the real utilisation of each aircraft, apply the tolerances of your approved programme and group tasks into work packages. A forecast based on average utilisation is a guess. A forecast based on recorded flights is a plan.
4. Work orders and task cards
Tracking tells you what is due. Execution happens in work orders and task cards. If you are an MRO, this part matters as much as the tracking itself: routine cards, non-routine cards (NRCs), material, tools, hours and sign-offs. We cover it in detail in how to manage work orders and task cards.
The key test is the sign-off. When a technician signs, does the system check that the person holds a valid authorisation for that task and aircraft type?
5. EASA Part-145, Part-CAMO and FAA compliance
No software makes you compliant. The approval belongs to the organisation. The software provides the evidence, and must support the procedures described in your exposition: the MOE under EASA Part-145, the CAME under Part-CAMO, or the repair station manual under FAA Part 145.
Check three points:
- Electronic records and signatures that your competent authority can accept, with user identification, timestamps and a full audit trail.
- Retention for the required periods, with backups.
- Configurable workflows, so the system follows your approved procedures instead of forcing you to rewrite them.
6. Traceability and data migration
Every installed part needs its part number, serial or batch number and release certificate. The system should link that data to the aircraft, the work order and the person who installed it.
Data migration is usually the hardest part of the project. Your current status lives in spreadsheets, logbooks and an old system. Ask the vendor who migrates the data, how it is reconciled against the physical records, and who signs off the opening status.
7. Integration
A tracking system does not live alone. It may need flight data from operations, invoicing in your ERP, parts data from suppliers and, in some cases, data exchange based on ATA Spec 2000. Ask for documented APIs, standard exports and real integration examples, not promises.
8. Cloud or on-premise
| Aspect | Cloud (SaaS) | On-premise |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Managed by the vendor | Your servers, your IT team |
| Updates | Continuous, no migration projects | Planned upgrade projects |
| Access from stations and hangars | Browser and mobile apps | Depends on your network and VPN |
| Data control | Check location, backups, encryption and exit terms in the contract | Full physical control, full responsibility |
| Cost profile | Recurring subscription | Higher initial investment plus internal operating cost |
For organisations with outstations or technicians working on the ramp, cloud access is usually the deciding factor. Whatever you choose, ask how you get your data back if you leave.
9. Total cost of ownership
Compare the cost over at least three years, not the licence price. Include implementation, data migration, integration, training, hosting, support and the cost of each change you will need later. Ask whether custom developments are included or quoted one by one.
Known vendors, by category
The market has many products. These are some well-known names, described from public information by their vendors or owners as of October 2026:
| Product | Category |
|---|---|
| AMOS (Swiss AviationSoftware) | M&E / MRO system used by airlines and MROs; see our AMOS comparison |
| TRAX (owned by AAR since 2023) | Web-based eMRO system for planning, materials and compliance, with mobile apps |
| Ramco Aviation | Cloud aviation suite covering engineering, maintenance, supply chain and finance |
| IFS Maintenix (IFS acquired Mxi Technologies in 2016) | Maintenance software for commercial and defence operators, MROs and OEMs |
| CAMP Systems | Maintenance tracking service for business jets, turboprops and helicopters |
| SkyPlannerHub | Cloud ERP/MRO for aviation maintenance organisations |
There is no single "best aircraft maintenance tracking software". A system built for a large airline can be too heavy for a 20-person MRO, and a tracking service for business jets will not run a component shop. Read our guide on MRO software vs aviation maintenance software vs ERP to place each option.
A practical checklist for the demo
- Bring one real aircraft or engine, with its ADs, LLPs and last work package. Ask the vendor to load it.
- Ask for a recurring AD to be recorded and the next due date to be calculated in front of you.
- Remove an LLP from one engine and install it on another. Check that the remaining life follows the part.
- Raise an NRC from a task card and follow it to sign-off and invoice.
- Try to sign a task with a user whose authorisation has expired.
- Export the full history of one component, as you would for an audit or an aircraft sale.
- Ask for the three-year cost in writing, including migration and changes.
Where SkyPlannerHub fits
SkyPlannerHub is a cloud ERP/MRO for aviation. It tracks ADs, SBs and life-limited parts, with due-date alerts. Its modules cover line and base maintenance with work orders and compliance tracking by aircraft and fleet, shop management for rotables, aircraft and component history with hours, cycles and airworthiness status, inventory with traceability by serial number, batch and certificate, and staff licence and rating control with expiry alerts. Sign-offs check the technician's licence and type rating. HR, CRM and finance with e-invoicing run on the same platform, with web access and native iOS and Android apps.
It fits small and mid-sized MROs, operators and CAMOs that want maintenance and the rest of the business in one system, adjusted to their own procedures. You can see the full scope on our services page.
Conclusion
Choose aircraft maintenance tracking software by your role, your fleet and your procedures. Test AD, LLP and sign-off scenarios with your own data, and compare the cost over three years. If you want to run that test with SkyPlannerHub, contact our team and we will prepare a demo with your cases.