As part of Envoy’s 2026 summer internship program, Product Development Intern Aziz Syed worked alongside the Aircraft Maintenance team to support its Commitment to Excellence (C2E) initiative. Drawing on his background in Computer Information Systems and Technology, Aziz helped develop a new application designed to improve communication, feedback and operational visibility across aircraft maintenance teams. Read more about his experience in his own words.
An outsider’s view
This summer I had the opportunity to intern with Envoy Air , working with the aircraft maintenance department. The department started a campaign called Commitment to Excellence (C2E) and was looking to expand the program with organization, design and data collection. After brainstorming the best use of my degree and skillset, we landed on building a full application rather than a database, as it would be more robust and long lasting. The app gives mechanics across different roles a better way to communicate and stay connected, allowing them to share feedback anonymously, log lessons learned and report issues directly, giving leadership visibility into what’s happening on the ground.
As a Computer Information Systems and Technology student, I expected to spend my summer behind a screen, but I didn’t anticipate how much I’d also learn about the mechanical and operational sides of the airline industry. Most of my fellow interns came from aviation specific backgrounds, while I approached the industry as a complete outsider. That worked in my favor, as coming in without prior assumptions gave me a fresh perspective on issues that maybe needed exactly that. That knowledge gap became one of the most interesting parts of my summer, from learning the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance to discovering how technical and detail driven that world is, all while building the app using tools like Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI.
Hands on experience
I was fortunate enough to travel to a few Envoy maintenance bases, where I saw firsthand the dynamics between employees on the ground. Watching those interactions helped me understand exactly how the app could make a difference for the people using it. Those trips gave me a much deeper appreciation for the operation as a whole. Coming from IT, it was eye opening to not just hear about but actually see how many people and how much coordination it takes to get one plane off the ground.
Working out of Envoy’s maintenance hangar in Irving was instrumental to the feedback I received, as new and experienced mechanic classes trained out of that same building, giving me direct access to different groups of potential app users throughout the summer. The biggest lesson from this project was understanding how important it is to know not only what end users need on the surface, but also the full experience they go through day to day.
More than anything, the people at Envoy made this internship unforgettable. I cannot speak warmly enough of my manager, PHX Maintenance Base Manager, Nathan Hewitt, who was an invaluable resource that I leaned on constantly as well as my fellow interns, who were always willing to help in any way they could. I’m especially proud to have contributed to a project with real longevity, something that will exist long after my internship ends.
Learn more about Envoy’s summer intern program.