Widerøe: How AI Sourcing Delivered 8.8% Cost Savings and Transformed Purchasing Efficiency

Widerøe (Widerøes Flyveselskap AS), the Nordics' largest regional airline with a fleet including Embraer and De Havilland Canada aircraft, was facing classic challenges in aircraft materials procurement. Like many airlines, they faced slow response times, labor-intensive manual processes, and limited visibility into the broader supplier market.

Before SkySelect, the Widerøe purchasing team struggled with:

• Excessive Manual Work: Buyers spent hours compiling RFQs and managing countless email chains to track supplier responses.
• Slow Turnaround: The time taken from identifying a need to placing an order was excessively long, jeopardizing operational schedules.
• Limited Market Access: Dependence on established vendor lists restricted competition and exposed the airline to the risk of relying on a single source, hindering long-term supply chain resilience.

Widerøe knew they needed an upgrade, and their mission was clear: boost team efficiency, accelerate the purchasing cycle, and expand the supplier base to bulletproof their supply chain.

To inject innovation and efficiency into their purchasing operations, Widerøe partnered with SkySelect, a platform with a proven track record of assisting airlines and MROs worldwide.

The best part? This wasn't some month-long headache of an IT project. The SkySelect team got Widerøe up and running—efficiently and uncomplicatedly—in just  2 days. It was like flipping a switch: they went straight from that painful, labor-intensive manual process to a streamlined, automated workflow.

How the AI Platform Works: SkySelect's core value lies in its AI engine, which automatically processes RFQ data, matches the request to a vast global supplier network, and continuously analyzes historical pricing and current market availability. This capability allows the platform to generate intelligent, automatic recommendations for buyers, focusing their attention only on high-value or complex purchasing decisions.

The SkySelect platform delivered measurable, substantial improvements across key performance indicators (KPIs), effectively validating Widerøe's strategic objectives almost immediately.

• 100% of PNs received at least 1 quote
• 90% supplier response rate, indicating rapid adoption and engagement.
• 1.3 days is the average Days to Selection (TAT) for replenishment demand
• 8.8% reduction in parts costs

The partnership with SkySelect provided the airline with a strategic advantage, moving beyond simple operational relief to a data-driven sourcing strategy.

"The speed and data-driven insights from SkySelect have fundamentally changed how we approach aircraft material purchasing. We’re not just saving money for the airline; we’re gaining days of efficiency, which is vital in the airline industry. This represents a long-term strategic advantage." — Erlend Rugeldal, Director Supply Chain at Widerøe.

The platform's ability to streamline routine tasks also empowered the purchasing team to focus on more complex, high-value negotiations and strategic supplier management.

"I was amazed that we implemented the platform in 2 days. Moving away from endless email chains to a system that provides automatic, smart recommendations lets us focus on high-value, complex cases. It truly helps eliminate those non-value-added activities we used to spend so much time on." — Marte Løvdal Kleven, Aircraft Material Purchaser at Widerøe.

By digitizing its procurement process, Widerøe successfully met its goals of increasing efficiency and enhancing market resilience. The 8.8% cost savings, combined with a significant reduction in TAT, underscore the power of integrating specialized AI technology into core airline operations. Widerøe is now positioned for efficient growth, with a modern, automated supply chain ready to handle future fleet expansion and market volatility.