Aerospace
DEKRA supports the entire aerospace value chain
The civil and commercial aerospace industry is evolving rapidly. Increasing regulatory demands, global supply chain complexity, digital transformation, and sustainability targets are reshaping how aircraft are designed, manufactured, operated, and maintained.
DEKRA is your trusted partner for the civil and commercial aerospace and aviation industry. Decades of experience enable us to support organizations across the entire value chain – from aerospace manufacturers and developers to service providers. We ensure regulatory compliance while helping to strengthen supply chains, secure digital systems, and enhance performance through tailored consulting, testing, certification, and training.
Our Approach
Integrated solutions for today’s aerospace challenges
Aerospace and aviation organizations operate in a highly complex and regulated environment. This environment is shaped by supply chain disruptions, cost pressure, workforce shortages, digital transformation, and increasing sustainability requirements. At the same time, manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers must meet strict regulatory standards while delivering safe, high-performance, and value-driven solutions.
DEKRA takes an integrated approach, combining certification, testing, digital trust, cybersecurity, and sustainability expertise to help aerospace partners manage risk, ensure compliance, and adapt to evolving industry standards with confidence.
DEKRA supports aerospace organizations through certification, surveillance audits, and gap assessments aligned with AS9100 (manufacturing), AS9110 (maintenance, repair and overhaul), and AS9120 (distributors). These certifications demonstrate effective control of aerospace-specific quality, safety, and risk management processes.
In addition, DEKRA supports the integration of aerospace quality management systems with related standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001, enabling consistent and auditable management systems across complex organizations.
AS9100 certification is critical because it basically extends ISO 9001 requirements with aerospace-specific controls for product safety, configuration management, risk management, and traceability. It is widely recognized by all OEMs and regulatory bodies as a prerequisite for participation in aerospace supply chains.
DEKRA supports you in achieving and maintaining AS9100 certification by conducting independent audits. Thereby, we identify process weaknesses, improvement potential, and compliance risks across engineering, production, and supplier management functions.
DEKRA supports aerospace cybersecurity through a combination of audits, technical assessments, and system validation activities. This includes cybersecurity audits of processes and management systems, as well as penetration testing, vulnerability analyses, and security testing of avionics software and embedded systems.
Being aligned with AS9110, DEKRA provides risk assessments, threat modelling, and cybersecurity maturity evaluations to identify and prioritize potential vulnerabilities. We also support the implementation and verification of cybersecurity management systems and processes, aligned with relevant aviation and information security frameworks.
By combining audits, testing, and process-oriented services, DEKRA helps aerospace organizations protect safety-critical systems, ensure data integrity, and build long-term resilience against evolving cyber threats.
We support maintenance, repair, and overhaul organizations through certification and audits aligned with AS9110, which addresses the specific risks associated with aircraft maintenance activities.
These audits focus on maintenance planning, human factors, tooling, equipment control, documentation, and continued airworthiness processes. DEKRA helps MRO organizations demonstrate compliance, improve operational reliability and meet the expectations of operators and aviation authorities.
We support sustainability in the aerospace industry by helping organizations systematically reduce environmental impact – while maintaining safety, performance, and regulatory compliance. Our services address sustainability across manufacturing, supply chains, operations, and lifecycle management.
This includes energy audits and efficiency assessments for aerospace facilities, carbon footprint calculations, and lifecycle analyses of aircraft components and materials. We also conduct ESG audits and management system certification aligned with standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, enabling structured environmental performance management.
In addition, DEKRA supports supplier sustainability assessments and traceability reviews to improve transparency across complex aerospace supply chains. By integrating requirements into certified quality and operational processes, aerospace organizations can align decarbonization goals, regulatory expectations, and customer requirements without compromising safety or reliability.
DEKRA supports the safe and compliant adoption of digital technologies. These could be software-defined systems, digital twins, and data-driven engineering tools. Our assessments focus on safety, reliability, cybersecurity, and regulatory acceptance.
By validating digital systems against aerospace quality and safety expectations, DEKRA helps organizations integrate innovation into existing certification and compliance frameworks without compromising operational integrity.