MRO Monday 2025
With the MRO Monday 2025 we're hosting a scientific networking event dedicated to exploring the future of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) solutions in the aerospace industry. MRO Monday 2025 promises to be a unique gathering of industry leaders, innovators, researchers and experts who will share insights on the latest trends, challenges and technological advancements shaping the future of MRO. The event will be hosted at ZAL TechCenter Hamburg, and will include a series of sessions, keynote speeches, and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration and innovation. The event will be held in English.

Agenda - Monday 12.05.2025
1 pm
Arrival and Welcome Note
Opening words by Director of Institute Gerko Wende
Session 1: Digitalization
12.5.2025, 1:30 pm
Amidst rapid technological advancement, the aviation industry is embracing innovative solutions to improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Digitalization in aircraft maintenance plays a pivotal role in this transformation, utilizing cutting-edge technologies like Digital Twins, the Asset Administration Shell, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These tools enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and seamless data integration across systems, ensuring optimized asset management and reduced operational costs.
This session will delve into the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in aircraft maintenance, highlighting how these technologies are shaping the future of aviation.
Session 1: Agenda
Keynote
"Daily MRO Challenges"
Atlas Air Service
Keynote
"Challenges in Component Maintenance Management"
Swiss International Air Lines - Clemens Grof
Keynote
"Twinstash - Maintenance Perspective"
DLR MO/FX - H. Meyer & C. Pätzold
Keynote
"Digital Tools for the Hangar of the Future"
MHW Consulting - M. Heinecke-Wolter
Keynote
"DaMapper - Damage assessment on the basis of ultrasound images"
DLR SY - M. Garbade & Team
Panel
Digital Transformation
Session guests in conversation with the session chair H. Meyer
Session 2: Technology Transfer
12.5.2025, 3:30 pm
Innovation plays a crucial role in enabling economies and societies to tackle significant challenges. Companies that prioritize research and development today are better equipped to adapt and succeed in the future. Technology transfer serves as a vital link between the untapped potential of intellectual properties, such as patents, and their practical market applications. To support this process, our institute and DLR actively engage in various initiatives, including contract research, third-party funded projects, innovation partnerships, licensing, startup development, and training highly skilled personnel for industry.
This session will explore the opportunities and challenges of successful technology transfer while highlighting the diverse collaboration and innovation strategies offered by DLR-MO.
Session 2: Agenda
Keynote
"Technology Transfer at DLR"
DLR WK - Dirk Beckmann
Keynote
"Aviation Industry Innovation Processes"
Airbus - Markus Durstewitz
Panel
Chances and Challenges of Technology Transfer
Session guests in conversation with the session chair Alireza Dadashi
Exhibition
open both days
Our scientists and invited guests will present their exhibits as part of an exhibition. The topics range from automation and robotics to digital tools for the hangar of the future.
Exhibition Vernissage with Demonstrations
12.05.2025, 5pm
Exhibitors
endoscopic robot
ELISE
DLR MO - Florian Heilemann & Marc Bestmann
robotassisted repair
FUTAMA
DLR MO - Adrian Ricardez Ortigosa
ultrasonice picture data
DaMapper
DLR SY - Marc Garbade & Team
dynamic resource evaluation and assessment model
DREAM
DLR MO - Johanna Aigner & Christian Trapp
flight data platform for digital twins
TWINSTASH
DLR MO / FX - H. Meyer & C. Pätzold
relative pose estimation
REPOSE
DLR MO - Andreas Wilken
Agenda - Tuesday 13.05.2025
9 am
Kick.Off: „MRO 2035+: AI, Automation, and the End of Downtime?“
Flug Revue - Ulrike Ebner
Session 3: Maintenance Concepts
13.5.2025, 9:30 am
Achieving climate-neutral aviation by 2050 will require a rapid shift to innovative, climate-friendly aircraft concepts, such as hydrogen-powered flight. To accelerate adoption, operators need clear insights into operating costs, with maintenance—accounting for up to 20%—being a key factor. Furthermore, safe and certified future air travel will require considerations beyond economic assessments to ensure a continued airworthiness.
Consequently, in this session, we will explore the maintenance challenges associated with sustainable energy aircraft concepts, examine the economic impact of maintaining these innovative designs, and discuss regulatory development guidelines that could facilitate compliant and efficient design processes.
Session 3: Agenda
Keynote
"Economic implications for battery-electric aircraft concepts from a maintenance perspective"
DLR MO - Jan Wolf & Ricardo Dauer
Keynote
"Standardization hydrogen-powered aircraft"
NLR - Rogier Filippo
Keynote
"Structural Health Monitoring"
TU Delft - Dimitrios Zarouchas
Keynote
"Maintenance Planning and Optimization"
TU Delft - Marta Ribeiro
Keynote
"Guidelines for certifiable health management solutions"
DLR MO - Robert Meissner
Session 4: Human Focused MRO
13.5.2025, 11:30 am
In order to keep up with modern processes, the standard working structures in the hangar need to be modified. Switching to digital technologies enables faster processes that reduce the monetary burden and allow improved accessibility and documentation of repairs. However, new technologies and the associated changes in everyday working life often lack acceptance by workers.
The session on Human Focused MRO deals with the psychological background of process-related adjustments and technological options that promote constructive cooperation between humans and machines. Applications must be developed in close cooperation with users in order to enable people to participate in physical maintenance work in the best possible way in the future. We will explore these and other backgrounds with our guests.
Session 4: Agenda
Keynote
"The importance of users in the design of future maintenance"
DLR MO - Thore Keser
Keynote
Collaboration of Aviation Systems and KI
DLR ME - Carmen Bruder
Keynote
"Integration and Acceptance of New Technologies"
MTU - Thomas Staak
Panel
Human Focused MRO
Session guests in conversation with the session chair Rahel Schmied-Kowarzik
Session 5: Sustainability
13.5.2025, 1:30 pm
Aviation faces numerous challenges on the path to greater sustainability. However, these challenges also bring exciting opportunities for businesses: sparking innovative ideas, visions, and possibilities. Many of these opportunities lie within the MRO sector, making it essential to explore sustainability both within and through MRO.
This session will therefore focus on strategies to enhance sustainability in maintenance, a critical factor influencing the operational phase. It will cover how to approach sustainability in both theory and practice while highlighting broader opportunities that go beyond just reducing CO2 emissions.
Session 5: Agenda
Keynote
"Pitch: Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) in Aviation"
DLR MO - Joana Albano
Keynote
"Sustainability in Component Maintenance"
Mara Lunemann Martinez
Keynote
"Sustainability in Engine Maintenance"
DLR MO - Anne Oestreicher
Keynote
“From Sustainability to Circularity”
DLR MO – Tim Hoff
3 - 3:30 pm
Final Round
Director of Institute Gerko Wende with thanks and conclusions