How WestJet Assessed 10% of Its Damaged Fleet to Boeing Standards Using Creaform’s Technologies

Read the original article by Creaform here.

The size of the hailstones that pummeled WestJet’s aircraft at YYC.

On August 5, 2024, Calgary was hit by one of the most destructive hailstorms in Canadian history. In just a few hours, the storm caused flooding, structural damage, and severe impacts to air traffic. The domestic terminal at Calgary International Airport (YYC) sustained roof collapses and flooding, while dozens of aircraft sitting on the tarmac were pummeled by hailstones. The result: widespread, visible damage—hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dents per aircraft. In the end, the hailstorm caused an estimated $3.25 billion of insured losses, which is the second-costliest insurance event in Canadian history.

By 7 a.m. the next morning, airline operators were already reaching out to Rapid3D for help. The priority was clear: assess the full scope of surface damage as quickly as possible, generate reports that met regulatory requirements, and determine whether and when the planes could safely return to service. For WestJet, downtime meant hundreds of cancelled flights, lost revenue, and logistical chaos. There was no time to waste.

Dents on WestJet aircraft wing caused by the hailstorm.

The Limitations of Traditional Inspection Methods

Hail damage to aircraft isn’t a new problem. But the scale of this particular event, combined with the urgency to resume operations, pushed traditional inspection methods beyond their limits. Normally, such assessments rely heavily on manual inspections and visual checks. This process is not only time-consuming but also subject to human error, especially when the number of defects climbs into the thousands.

Manual methods to assess aircraft damage would not work with a large-scale emergency inspection initiative.

Deploying HandySCAN BLACK+TM|Elite and Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft module in the Field

Within hours, Rapid3D was onsite at YYC. The team helped triage and assess dozens of hail-damaged aircraft so that operators could quickly determine repair priorities and return-to-service timelines. Working closely with WestJet engineers, Rapid3D helped establish clear inspection priorities, starting with the crown skins, which are areas most exposed to hail impact, and then followed by the flight control surfaces.

To meet the accuracy requirements and speed this crisis demanded, Rapid3D deployed Creaform’s HandySCAN BLACK+TM|Elite, a metrology-grade 3D scanner designed for large parts and complex geometries, alongside Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft module, 3D visualization software purpose-built for inspecting aircraft dent damage. Together, these tools enabled a field-ready process that met rigorous industry requirements, including Boeing’s standards for structural inspection and documentation.

Thanks to Creaform’s 3D measurement and inspection technologies, Rapid3D experts began building a complete damage profile, in context, and under pressure. The integrated workflow ensured that every dent could be measured with repeatable accuracy and analyzed through an aerospace-calibrated lens.

Scaling a Repeatable, Compliant Process Across a Damaged Fleet

As the scanning began, HandySCAN BLACK+TM|Elite, delivered high-resolution 3D data with minimal setup time, even in challenging field conditions. Each aircraft panel was scanned in its entirety, with dents automatically detected and characterized in the Aircraft module. Depth, diameter, location, and proximity to structural elements were all calculated within the software, eliminating the manual guesswork.

A Rapid3D technician uses the HandySCAN 3D to assess the nose of a WestJet airplane.

Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft module also allowed Rapid3D to generate regulator-ready inspection reports using custom macros developed to align with airline needs and OEM requirements and accelerate repair decisions. The consistency of the process meant it could be replicated quickly across multiple aircraft types, allowing Rapid3D to scale its efforts without compromising on traceability or data integrity.

For WestJet, this approach was a game changer. The airline used the combined power of HandySCAN BLACK+TM|Elite and Aircraft to inspect 10% of its hail-damaged fleet in record time. This was a feat that would have been logistically unthinkable using traditional methods.

Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft module allowed Rapid3D experts to quickly visualize hailstorm damage on WestJet’s planes.

Results That Speak Volumes

Over the course of three months, Rapid3D generated over 550 detailed reports and analyzed more than 20,000 individual dents. What could have become a prolonged operational nightmare was transformed into a manageable, data-driven recovery process.

Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft module automatically detects and measures dents, generating dent dimension reports and dent profiles that can be exported to a spreadsheet.

More than an aircraft inspection achievement, the project demonstrated how modern 3D technologies can turn damage evaluation protocols into confident decision-making. For WestJet, dent counts were only part of the equation. Restoring operational capacity, protecting revenue, and maintaining passenger trust were equally critical.

Results That Speak Volumes

The Calgary hailstorm may have been a rare event, but the response set a powerful precedent. As extreme weather becomes more common, aviation maintenance and inspection teams need tools that are both portable, accurate and capable of meeting OEM standards at scale.

With HandySCAN BLACK+TM|Elite and Creaform Integrity Suite’s Aircraft, Rapid3D delivered validated, regulator-compliant reports in a fraction of the usual time, under rugged constraints. While WestJet and YYC are still reeling from the aftermath of the hailstorm a year after the event, 18 aircraft have been repaired and returned to service, and construction is currently underway in the airport’s Concourse B.

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Article written by Creaform

Published 11/27/2025