Artificial intelligence has become one of the most overused terms in business aviation. Nearly every platform now claims to be “AI-powered,” yet very few operators can point to measurable improvements in execution.

According to Paolo Sommariva, Founder and Managing Director of FL3XX, that disconnect exists because aviation companies are looking at the wrong problem.

The challenge is not intelligence.
It’s workflow.

Aviation’s Real Bottleneck Is Fragmentation

Most aviation teams are not short on data. They are drowning in it.

Sales teams retype emails into quoting systems. Dispatchers cross-check crew legality manually. Maintenance status lives in a different system. Airport operating hours sit somewhere else entirely.

Sommariva describes FL3XX not as a feature-heavy product, but as a platform designed to remove that fragmentation. The goal is simple: allow teams to operate from a single operational truth without jumping between tools.

That is why FL3XX emphasizes integrations rather than building every function in-house. Over 130 external systems connect directly into the platform, allowing users to work without opening multiple browser windows or duplicating effort.

In practice, this means fewer handoffs, fewer errors, and faster response times.

Why “AI Features” Miss the Point

Sommariva is deliberately cautious about the term AI. He rarely uses it unless necessary.

From his perspective, many so-called AI features simply replicate existing tasks with new labels. That does not move the industry forward.

What does matter is automation that removes low-value manual work. Parsing inbound quote requests automatically. Cleaning unstructured email data. Generating pricing based on availability rules. These are not glamorous functions, but they change outcomes.

When technology handles repetitive tasks in milliseconds, experienced salespeople and dispatchers can focus on judgment, relationships, and exceptions. That is where humans still win.

Natural Language Is the Real Interface Shift

One of the most significant changes Sommariva sees is not intelligence, but interaction.

Traditional aviation software requires users to click through dense menus and dashboards. Natural-language interfaces change that dynamic entirely.

Instead of searching timelines and status pages, a dispatcher can ask a system whether a flight is ready, what is still pending, and what actions are already in motion.

This is not about replacing people. It is about reducing cognitive load in an industry where mistakes are costly and time matters.

Why Execution Will Separate Operators

Sommariva believes the next two to three years will create a lasting divide in business aviation.

Operators who streamline workflows, integrate systems, and automate quoting will compound efficiency gains. Those who delay will struggle to keep up, regardless of fleet size or market position.

The lesson is clear.
AI is not the strategy.
Execution is.

Listen to the full episode now: What’s Really Happening in AI and Aviation
https://flyironbird.com/private_jet_podcast/whats-really-happening-in-ai-and-aviation

See how innovative operators run flight ops. Start a 30-day FL3XX trial → https://lnkd.in/ge6J4dTu

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