Run a more connected, resilient airline with Business Central for aviation

Unify airline finance, maintenance, inventory and projects with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central so your teams can control costs, protect margins and keep aircraft flying.

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Why airlines should be using Business Central

Airlines operate on thin margins and complex operations. Business Central helps aviation finance and operations teams move away from disconnected systems and spreadsheets, giving them a single cloud ERP that connects routes, fleets, suppliers and cash flow.

Airlines today face a difficult balance. Demand can shift quickly, operating costs are unpredictable, and any disruption can have a knock‑on effect across the entire network. Teams often rely on a mix of legacy systems, manual processes and incomplete data, making it hard to understand true costs, manage cash flow or make timely decisions. These pressures affect everything from fleet planning to spare parts availability to reporting accuracy.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central helps airlines bring structure back to their operations. By connecting finance, procurement, inventory, projects and operational workflows in one cloud platform, it gives teams a single place to manage data and make decisions with confidence. With clearer visibility, better control and more reliable information, your airline can improve efficiency, reduce delays caused by poor data and support growth without adding complexity.

The benefits of Business Central that help airlines work smarter

Discover how Dynamics 365 Business Central gives airline finance, maintenance and operations teams the connected data they need to improve control, reduce risk and protect margins in a fast‑moving aviation market.

Real‑time visibility of route and fleet performance

Business Central brings together revenue, cost and operational data so you can understand route and fleet performance with confidence. By linking financial postings to routes, aircraft, projects and cost centres, finance and commercial teams can see where they earn money and where they lose it. This clarity supports better decisions on pricing, capacity and aircraft deployment.

End‑to‑end control of maintenance, inventory and spares

With Business Central, you can manage purchasing, inventory and work orders for maintenance activities in one connected system. Parts can be tracked from purchase order to warehouse bin to issue against a job, so engineers and planners know what is available, where it is stored and what it costs. This helps reduce aircraft‑on‑ground time, avoid stock‑outs for critical spares and cut spend on excess or obsolete inventory.

Stronger financial control across entities and currencies

Airlines often operate multiple legal entities across different jurisdictions. Business Central supports multi‑company, multi‑currency accounting, consolidation and intercompany postings. Finance teams gain consistent processes for general ledger, payables, receivables and cash management, so they can close periods faster and produce reliable, group‑level reporting without heavy manual work.

Better planning, budgeting and forecasting

Because Business Central connects operational data with finance, budget owners can work from a single set of numbers. Actuals flow through in real time, and integration with tools such as Microsoft Excel and Power BI makes it easier to build and share forecasts.  This gives Finance Directors and route planners a clearer view of future cash flows, capital requirements and the impact of schedule or fleet changes.

Compliance, security and auditability you can trust

Protecting financial and operational data is critical in aviation. Business Central benefits from the security, compliance and reliability of the Microsoft cloud, including role‑based access controls, audit trails and ongoing platform updates.  This helps airlines demonstrate control to regulators and auditors, reduce the risk of fraud and maintain the trust of customers, partners and investors.

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Discover how Microsoft Dynamic 365 Business Central works

Why your business needs an ERP

82%

of businesses are utilising an ERP

1 in 5

businesses are dissatisfied with their current ERP

96%

of businesses say using an ERP has contributed to achieving business outcomes

Data taken from a survey we commissioned in December 2024

How Business Central empowers airline teams

Dynamics 365 Business Central is designed for finance and operations teams that need to stay in control as the airline grows. Its familiar Microsoft interface supports quick adoption, while integration with Microsoft 365 and Power BI creates a connected workspace for finance, maintenance and commercial teams.

The platform is flexible, so you can configure workflows around how your airline actually operates, whether that is tracking heavy checks as projects, managing spares across multiple locations or allocating shared costs across routes and fleets. With Business Central, you gain a unified ERP that supports day‑to‑day operations while giving leadership the insight they need to plan the next phase of growth.

Finances and revenue management

Use Business Central to manage your core financial processes, from invoicing and supplier management to cash flow, fixed assets and consolidations.  Route, aircraft or region‑based dimensions make it easier for airline accountants to analyse revenue and cost, understand profitability and support revenue management with accurate, trusted numbers.

Project and capital expenditure control

From cabin refresh programmes to hangar upgrades, Business Central helps you manage capital projects with budgets, commitments and actual costs tracked from start to finish. Finance teams can see how spend aligns with plan, while stakeholders get transparent reporting that supports business cases for future fleet or infrastructure investments.

Inventory and spare parts optimisation

Business Central gives supply chain teams the tools to manage complex spare parts catalogues, minimum stock levels and multiple warehouses or stores.  With clear visibility of stock by location and value, buyers can make smarter decisions about what to order, when to replenish and where to hold critical items so operations are protected without locking up unnecessary capital.

Maintenance and engineering coordination

Maintenance planners can treat major checks and modifications as structured projects, with labour, materials and external services captured in one place. Inventory and purchasing are linked directly to work orders, helping engineering and finance see the full cost of maintenance activity and the impact on availability. This supports better planning of heavy checks and helps reduce unplanned aircraft‑on‑ground events.

Why airlines choose Dynamics 365 Business Central

A single ERP for finance, fleet services and ground operations

No two airlines are the same, but they all need connected data. Business Central brings finance, purchasing, projects, inventory and basic service management together in one ERP platform.  Whether you operate scheduled routes, charter services or cargo operations, you can adapt the system around your processes so your ERP supports your teams instead of forcing them to work around fragmented tools.

Effortless integration with the tools you already use

Dynamics 365 Business Central integrates with Microsoft 365, Power BI and other Microsoft business applications, so your teams can use familiar tools such as Outlook, Excel and Teams as part of their daily work.  You can also connect to specialist airline and operations platforms through APIs and connectors, helping you build a single, coherent data landscape instead of more silos.

Role‑based workspaces your teams will actually use

Business Central provides role‑based home pages and dashboards so accountants, controllers, procurement managers and maintenance coordinators see the tasks and insights most relevant to them.  This reduces the learning curve and helps new users become productive quickly. The result is higher adoption, fewer manual workarounds and better quality data to support the rest of the business.

Better decisions with connected data and analytics

When your data is connected, analysis becomes much simpler. Business Central provides built‑in reports and allows you to publish data to Power BI for more advanced analysis and visualisation.  Finance leaders and operations managers gain the insight they need to spot trends, test scenarios and make informed decisions on routes, capacity, investment and cost control.

Secure, cloud‑based platform that scales with your airline

Business Central runs in the Microsoft cloud, giving you the benefits of regular updates, enterprise‑grade security and flexible licensing.  As your airline grows, you can add users, companies and capabilities without major infrastructure projects. This makes it easier to support new routes, entities or ventures and ensures your ERP stays aligned with your long‑term strategy.

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The Dynamics of Success

Get a better understanding of the benefits of using a CRM system - allowing businesses like yours to overcome fragmented systems and disconnected workflows. Don't just read about them either, our report provides you with actionable insights and practical recommendations so that you can begin to make data-led decisions.

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Download our report

The Dynamics of Success

Get a better understanding of the benefits of using a CRM system - allowing businesses like yours to overcome fragmented systems and disconnected workflows. Don't just read about them either, our report provides you with actionable insights and practical recommendations so that you can begin to make data-led decisions.

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Supercharge your airline operations with an ERP built for aviation

In aviation, every delay and every unplanned cost matters. Dynamics 365 Business Central gives airlines an ERP that unifies finance, maintenance, inventory and projects so teams can make faster, better decisions backed by reliable data. With a connected view of your routes, fleets and spend, your business can handle day‑to‑day disruption while planning confidently for future growth.

To learn more about Business Central for airlines, or to see how an aviation‑ready ERP could work in your organisation, get in touch via this short form.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for airlines?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud‑based business management solution that connects finance, purchasing, inventory, projects and operations in one system. For airlines, it provides a modern ERP platform to manage core financials, control spend, track assets and support day‑to‑day operations across fleets, routes and business units.

How does Business Central help airline finance teams?

Business Central gives airline finance teams a single source of truth for general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, cash management, fixed assets and budgeting. Dimensions such as route, aircraft type, base or region allow accountants to analyse revenue and cost in more detail, which makes it easier to understand profitability, support revenue management and respond quickly to performance questions from leadership.

Can Business Central handle multi‑entity and multi‑currency airline groups?

Yes. Business Central is built to support multiple legal entities, currencies and localisations, with tools for consolidations and intercompany postings. This makes it well suited to airline groups that operate across regions or through separate operating companies, helping group finance teams standardise processes and produce consistent reporting without heavy manual consolidation.

Does Business Central integrate with airline reservation and operations systems?

Business Central includes standard integration with Microsoft 365, Power Platform and other Dynamics 365 applications, and it exposes APIs that partners can use to connect airline reservation, crew management or operational systems. Many airlines choose to integrate Business Central with specialist platforms so that booking, operational and financial data can flow into one ERP, improving accuracy and reducing manual rekeying.

Is Business Central suitable for regional and low‑cost airlines as well as larger carriers?

Business Central is designed for small and medium‑sized businesses but scales well as organisations grow. This makes it a strong fit for regional, low‑cost and specialist airlines that want robust financial control and connected operations without the complexity and cost of large enterprise ERP suites. As the airline grows, you can extend the solution with more modules, users and integrations.

How does Business Central support maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities?

Business Central is not an aviation‑specific MRO system, but it provides the building blocks to support maintenance activities from a finance and supply chain perspective. You can manage parts catalogues, purchasing, stock levels and work orders, and you can treat large checks as projects with budgets and cost tracking. Many airlines work with partners to extend Business Central or integrate it with specialist MRO solutions so engineering teams and finance teams share consistent data on cost and utilisation.

How long does it take to implement Business Central for an airline?

Implementation timelines vary depending on the size of your airline, the number of entities, the scope of processes to be covered and the level of integration with other systems. Smaller or simpler environments can often go live in phases, starting with core finance and then adding purchasing, inventory and projects. More complex, multi‑entity programmes will take longer, especially if you are replacing multiple legacy systems. A discovery session will help define a realistic plan for your organisation.

How secure is Business Central for sensitive airline and passenger data?

Business Central runs on Microsoft Azure and benefits from Microsoft’s security, compliance and reliability investments, including data encryption, role‑based security and regular platform updates. While passenger name record and other highly regulated data may still sit in specialist systems, integrating those platforms with Business Central allows your finance and operations teams to work with financial and operational information in a secure, well‑governed ERP.

Can Business Central help improve route and fleet profitability?

By connecting operational and financial data, Business Central helps you understand the true cost and revenue drivers behind your routes and fleets. You can allocate costs such as fuel, handling, maintenance and leasing to routes or aircraft, then analyse performance using built‑in reports or Power BI dashboards. This gives commercial and finance teams clearer insight into which parts of the network generate value and which may need to be re‑priced, re‑timed or retired.

What licensing options are available for airlines using Business Central?

Dynamics 365 Business Central is licensed per user, with different licence types for full users and lighter roles such as approvals or reporting. This allows airlines to align costs with how each team member uses the system, from finance managers who need full access through to occasional users in procurement or operations. A partner can help you design a licensing model that balances capability and cost for your airline.