ILA 2026: Why the Aviation Industry can benefit from experience in Electrical Wiring System Development

With ILA Berlin 2026 now behind us, one of the most important trade fairs for the aerospace industry has come to a close. For S-IT, this year's event was particularly significant, as it marked our first time attending as visitors, with a clear focus on engaging with companies from the aerospace sector.

Our conclusion is overwhelmingly positive.

The discussions at ILA demonstrated that many of the challenges faced by the aerospace industry are very similar to those we have been addressing in the automotive sector for many years. Increasing system complexity, growing demands on electrical architectures, and the need for efficient development and manufacturing processes are challenges shared by both industries.

This was especially evident in the key topics of this year's exhibition. Electrification and hydrogen propulsion are playing an increasingly important role, leading to higher requirements for electrical systems and their development. As electrification advances, the complexity of the underlying wiring harness and onboard electrical network architectures also continues to grow.

This is precisely where we see significant potential for transferring proven methods from wiring harness and electrical distribution system development.

While the automotive industry must also cope with enormous product variation, wiring harnesses in aviation are often considerably more standardized. This creates exciting opportunities for automated, IT-supported development and validation processes. As a result, many approaches that have become established in the automotive industry can be transferred relatively directly to aerospace applications.

Our conversations at ILA confirmed this assessment. Across many discussions, there was clear interest in structured data models, digital development processes, and automated engineering methods.

For our team, the exhibition was therefore not only an excellent opportunity to build new connections but also a confirmation that our experience gained from more than a decade of developing IT solutions for onboard electrical systems is highly relevant beyond the boundaries of the automotive industry.

We will continue to deepen the relationships and discussions initiated at the event over the coming weeks. Aerospace is increasingly becoming an exciting field of application for our expertise in engineering systems, data management, and digital development processes.

We would like to thank Messe Berlin for organizing an outstanding event, as well as all of our discussion partners for the open and engaging conversations.