Aerospace quality management is the structured management of quality processes, records, controls, and corrective actions used in aerospace manufacturing, maintenance, and supply chain operations. It commonly covers how requirements are flowed down, how work is performed and inspected, how nonconformances are handled, and how objective evidence is maintained.
In industrial systems, aerospace quality management often involves quality management systems, production records, inspection plans, first article inspection, supplier quality, configuration control, traceability, audit preparation, and corrective and preventive action workflows. Standards such as AS9100 and AS9102 are commonly associated with these practices, but the term itself refers to the broader operational discipline rather than to certification or approval status.
Aerospace quality management should not be confused with quality control alone. Quality control focuses on inspection and verification activities, while quality management includes the wider system of planning, documentation, responsibilities, process controls, evidence, and improvement actions that support consistent execution.