AIRCRAFT IT Operations CASE STUDIES: EASYJET • VUELING • VIVA AEROBUS • KLM • AIR BALTIC
AUTUMN 2023 • V12.3
easyJet uses FDM data for greater flight efficiency All stakeholders involved and lower CO2 emissions
VUELING GOES DIGITAL: Modern documentation
SAVING FUEL AT VIVA AEROBUS: Using data
AIRBALTIC FLIGHT EFFICIENCY: The right tool
KLM AVOIDS OBSTACLES: A new airport database
NEWS • VENDOR FLIGHT LOGS: INFORMATION DESIGN • SKYPATH • WEB MANUALS • OPERATIONS SOFTWARE DIRECTORY
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations: WELCOME
COMMENT Aircraft IT Operations: If efficiency is the objective, then IT solutions that harness digital power to leverage data potential are the solution AIRCRAFT IT Operations Publisher/Editor Ed Haskey E-mail: ed.haskey@aircraftit.com Telephone: +44 1273 454 235 Website: www.aircraftIT.com Chief Operating Officer Scott Leslie E-mail: scott.leslie@aircraftit.com Copy Editor/Contributor John Hancock E-mail: john@aircraftit.com Magazine Production Dean Cook E-mail: deancook@magazineproduction.com AircraftIT Operations is published bi-monthly and is an affiliate of Aircraft Commerce and part of the AviationNextGen Ltd group. The entire contents within this publication © Copyright 2023 AviationNextGen Ltd an independent publication and not affiliated with any of the IT vendors or suppliers. Content may not be reproduced without the strict written agreement of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of their companies or of the publisher. The publisher does not guarantee the source, originality, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding, interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented.
WORDS: ED HASKEY
I
n any business, efficiency is always a key issue and, in that, as resource hungry businesses, airlines are at the forefront in building efficiency into their operations. Whether managing and reducing unit costs, reducing consumption, ensuring compliance, running the whole business more efficiently or avoiding things that generate unnecessary costs, efficiency is the objective. The arrival of digital systems, and data capture, handling and analyzing capabilities, has made that objective much more achievable and there is a growing market of developers and vendors harnessing the power of digital to leverage the potential of data. But that market can appear complex to potential purchasers who might want to know how any solution would work for a business like theirs. That is why, we publish case studies in Aircraft IT, to let readers see how the sort of solutions that every modern airline needs can operate in the real world, being used by airlines. In this issue, there are no less than three case studies about key components in efficiency, flight efficiency and fuel efficiency. From easyJet, readers can learn how a sophisticated solution that leverages FDM data to lift their flight efficiency program up a level has also reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. AirBaltic’s case study is also about how the airline has used a new solution and powerful tool to take full control of
flight and fuel efficiency combined with a program to involve all stakeholders in that drive for greater efficiency. Viva Aerobus offers readers another perspective on efficiency and how an innovative modern data driven solution doesn’t just improve the airline’s sustainability standing but also engages that most important group, the pilots. Any damage sustained by an aircraft has the potential to delay the mission or even cause a cancellation. In that context, KLM’s implementation of a new airport and obstacles database and a system to ensure that it is always up-to-date will be a great help in the pursuit of efficiency. Then, last but not least, modern and paperless document management solutions don’t only save the weight and production of paper but, also save time and increase accuracy and completeness of information with their ability to link related themes and documents to each other. Vueling share their great experience of a new document management solution and all of the possibilities for efficiencies that it has unlocked. As well as Vendor Flight Logs from Information Design, SkyPath and Web Manuals, we have the regular round-up of news and technology developments: plus, of course, the comprehensive ‘Operations Software Directory’. Aircraft IT Operations: where you’ll find the information you need in pursuit of efficiency.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 3
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations: V12.3
CONTENTS 06 Latest News and Technology updates Keep up to date with the changing world of IT.
32 CASE STUDY: FDM data key to easyJet’s flight efficiency
Taylor Bradbury, ETS Manager, easyJet Leveraging FDM data is key to bring easyJet’s flight efficiency to the next level, to involve all stakeholders, improve flight efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.
40 CASE STUDY: KLM implemented a new airports and obstacles database René Dijkema, Flight operations Engineer, KLM and Bruno Ramioulle, Partner, ACFTPERFO How KLM selected and implemented an airports and obstacles database to ensure that pilots always have up-to-date information.
46 VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: Web Manuals
In the first Q&A piece in this issue, Julia Larsson, Director of Operations EMEA, Web Manuals, completes her ‘Flight Log’ for Aircraft IT.
48 CASE STUDY: Flight efficiency at airBaltic: past, present and future
Rihards Kārlis Eizentāls, Flight Operations Digital Solutions Manager, airBaltic How airBaltic has taken control of flight and fuel efficiency with a powerful tool and a well-organized and executed program.
58 VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: Information Design
In the next Q&A piece in this issue, Benjamin Walther, CEO of Information Design One, completes his ‘Flight Log’ for Aircraft IT.
60 CASE STUDY: A new fuel efficiency solution at Viva Aerobus Paola Cavazos, Operations Engineering Manager — Viva Aerobus and François Chazelle, Head of Sales Support, Flight Efficiency — SITA FOR AIRCRAFT How Viva Aerobus saved fuel with a data driven solution which helped pilots and also improved the airline’s sustainability.
68 VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: SkyPath
In the final Q&A piece in this issue, Hagay Makov, Business Development VP, SkyPath, completes his ‘Flight Log’ for Aircraft IT.
70 CASE STUDY: Digital document management adds value for Vueling
Mar Albaladejo Mans, Flight ops projects, manuals and operational supervision manager and Xavier Merencio Espar, EFB administrator and Flight ops projects engineer, both at Vueling Vueling’s new digital document management solution has unlocked opportunities to improve Operations.
80 Operations Software directory
A detailed look at the world’s leading Operations IT systems.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 5
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At Aircraft IT, we are always pleased to welcome new vendors to our everexpanding panel of expertise. It is the vendors who develop and refine to software solutions and apps that have enabled the aviation sector to achieve cost effectiveness, fuel and CO2 reductions, efficiency and all in the context of compliance with regulatory standards. So it is with huge pleasure that we welcome Motulus and OffBlock as the latest vendors on the Aircraft IT Operations panel. At Motulus.aero they enjoy solving the problems that haven’t been solved before by deploying the next generation in optimization products. By combining pioneering algorithms with the power of cloud computing Motulus is able to tackle these complex and large-scale problems. Specializing in crew scheduling (pairing and roster production), tail assignment and network optimization Motulus helps organizations to: reduce crew costs, increase aircraft and equipment utilization, reduce fuel and operational costs, improve revenue opportunities, increase crew and colleague satisfactions, and improve operational robustness. OffBlock GmbH, based in Crailsheim, Germany, is dedicated to innovative software solutions for the crew management sector. Since its founding in 2018, the start-up has very quickly developed into a 21-strong team behind the brand. On the B2B side, the company offers a cloud-based add-on solution for airline crew management systems. On the B2C side, the portfolio includes an interactive all-in-one app that bundles flight crew communication, including roster management, on one platform. The OffBlock app is also a complete digital pilot logbook. Welcoming Motulus and OffBlock to the community, Aircraft IT COO, Scott Leslie, said, “We are so pleased that Motulus and OffBlock have joined the vendor panel. I know that their expertise and capabilities will be of great interest to airline and operators seeking solutions to improve their operations’ effectiveness.”
KNOW WHAT’S NEW IN IT OPS TO SIGN-UP, CLICK HERE. IT’S FREE!
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 6
AIRCRAFT IT Operations
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Veryon expands its portfolio of industry-leading solutions with acquisition of Rusada FLIGHT OPERATIONS SOLUTIONS
In early October 2023, Veryon, a leading provider of information services and software solutions for the aviation industry, announced its acquisition of Rusada, a prominent player in the aviation maintenance management software industry since 1987. This strategic move solidifies Veryon’s commitment to innovation while strengthening its position as a trusted aviation management software market leader. “We are thrilled to welcome Rusada to the Veryon family,” said Norman Happ, Chief Executive Officer for Veryon. “The combined power of our teams, the expanded range of products, and our robust customer base will enable Veryon to serve aviation operators of all sizes around the world.” “This acquisition allows us to become part of the leading aviation platform and diversify and expand our market presence across the industry,” said Julian Stourton, Chief Executive Officer for Rusada. “We are confident that together is a way for our team to continue to be a leading-edge provider of aviation software.” Rusada’s software is used by nearly 100 customers that operate over 2,000 aircraft collectively. With the completion of this acquisition, Veryon gains access to Rusada’s extensive expertise, advanced technology, and global customer base from every corner of the industry, including commercial, charter, business, military, and government operations. Envision, the company’s key solution is a single hub for managing airworthiness, maintenance, and flight operations. These combined companies will provide aircraft operators with unparalleled features, including asset management, maintenance planning, supply chain optimization, compliance monitoring, and data analytics. Veryon and Rusada customers can continue to expect uninterrupted 24/7/365 support and ongoing product enhancements. The acquisition will allow both companies the ability to offer a wider selection of solutions while maintaining the trusted reputation and brand attributes of both providers. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website
Giving OCC leaders new power to forecast and manage disruptions. CAE Workload Optimizer enables OCC leaders to forecast and balance workload peaks and disruptions proactively. This new tactical software solution enhances situational awareness, assesses ad-hoc changes and disruptive events, auto-anticipates potential dispatcher overloads, and seeks pre-emptive solutions to ensure effective task distribution at critical moments. The results: reduced stress, time saved, and more efficient OCC operations. www.cae.com
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 7
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CrossConsense successfully performed data migration for flynas
In mid-June 2023 CrossConsense, the Germany-based leading provider of aviation technology solutions, successfully fulfilled its mandate for flynas, the Saudi air carrier and the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, to migrate data from the legacy MRO system to AMOS. CrossConsense said it had completed a successful, smooth installation and integration of AMOS with solid support from flynas management, enhancing flynas’ efficiency and performance after their record-breaking results in 2022. This AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 8
achievement is a crucial step towards flynas’ goal of becoming a fully digitized airline, and a significant milestone in their digital transformation strategy. AMOS is a comprehensive, fully-integrated MRO System that maintains aircraft maintenance and engineering activities. In addition to the procurement, logistics, and finance. The data migration process included various data sources such as legacy MRO system, PDF files, Excel files, and other sources. The flynas and
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CrossConsense teams worked closely together to ensure a smooth process. The success factors of the project include support from management, clear target definitions, and a qualified project team. flynas is looking forward to the many benefits this new MRO system will bring. By partnering with CrossConsense, the airline has leveraged the provider of aviation technology’s experience and expertise in software solutions, ensuring the project was a success. flynas: flynas, the Saudi air carrier and the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, has 48 aircraft, operating more than 1500 weekly flights to 70 domestic and international destinations. Since its launch in 2007, flynas has transported more than 60 million passengers. Recently, in 2022, flynas has been awarded the Skytrax Award as the Best Low-Cost Airline in the Middle East for the fifth time in a row 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021. In addition, it was ranked among the top 10 Low-Cost Airline worldwide, as per the prestigious Skytrax which is
the most important global forum for the aviation industry. flynas has earned several accolades, including the Middle East’s Leading Low-Cost Airline award from the World Travel Awards for eight consecutive years (from 2015 till 2022) as well as it was ranked in the 4-star low-cost carrier category, the highest category in the world for low-cost airlines by APEX rating. CrossConsense: Founded in 2002, Frankfurt
Germany-based CrossConsense offers customers in the commercial aviation industry, highly skilled services, designed to buttress their productivity and uptime performance, based on sound knowledge in the areas of maintenance, engineering and logistical support. CrossConsense maintains a staff of 20 dedicated, experienced, and motivated team workers. The business’s portfolio stretches from AMOS Support, BI-Management, Data Migration and Hosting to the products Aircraft Fleet View, ACSIS (tool for predictive maintenance), AviationDW (tool that supports airlines to get an overview over all KPIs the airline is interested in) and the Approval App. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada’s FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd., CrossConsense also offers solutions for Fuel Management, Turn Process Management and other software applications as well as AFIRS hardware that collects data during flight. CrossConsense is dedicated to helping airlines to achieve their goals through the application of innovative technology solutions.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 9
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Flair Airlines and FLYHT Partner for fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions-related hardware and services
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In late June 2023, Flair Airlines announced that it had ordered AFIRS Edge Hardware and SaaS Services for its Entire Fleet of Boeing 737-8 MAX Aircraft. Flair Airlines, Canada’s leading independent ultra-lowcost airline, and FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd., an aerospace technology company, announced an agreement for the purchase of FLYHT’s innovative hardware and services. FLYHT will enable Flair to closely monitor its fuel and greenhouse gas emissions for every phase of flight operations, including when an aircraft is at the gate, taxiing, at idle, during take-off and at cruise. The data allows Flair to find opportunities to increase fuel efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The two companies are headquartered in Alberta, Canada, with Flair headquartered in Edmonton, and FLYHT headquartered in Calgary. Flair Airlines serves dozens of cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico with an ultra-low-cost model and an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. “Flair is Canada’s greenest airline, and so we are excited to initiate this program with FLYHT, whose AFIRS Edge suite of products support our greenhouse gas emissions tracking and aggressive reductions targets,” said Stephen Jones, President and CEO of Flair Airlines. “We’re proud to support a fellow Albertan aerospace company, headquartered in Calgary, which is a new base of operations for us and one of increasing importance. We also look forward to realizing benefits from the resulting improvements in operational insight and efficiencies in both customer service and on time performance.” “This order is a significant milestone for FLYHT as we have now formally begun to commercialize our innovative 5G-enabled AFIRS Edge solution,” said Kent Jacobs, President and Interim CEO of FLYHT. “We look forward to supporting Flair Airlines as they seek to take full advantage of the power of our real-time data solutions to support their decision making.”
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 10
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This is the first agreement for FLYHT’s AFIRS Edge product to be installed on a Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The AFIRS Edge is an industry-first, 5G-enabled, wireless quick access recorder, which transmits data on the ground through cellular networks. The AFIRS Edge also provides aircraft interface device functionality and allows for remote system configuration and health management as well as over-the-air updates. The agreement includes recurring SaaS (Software as a Service) for ClearPort, FuelSense, and AFIRS Gateway services. ClearPort is a turn management optimizer that helps improve on time performance and provides Auxiliary Power Unit fuel burn management. By maximizing the efficiency of turns, aircraft utilization can be increased and continual improvement opportunities can be identified. FuelSense provides insight into how airlines are performing against their operational standards, providing additional guidance towards fuel efficiency and emissions reductions. Finally, the AFIRS Gateway
system provides a portal for data and device configuration, distribution, and management. The contract is valued at approximately US$3.6 million, provided that all products and services are delivered over the five-year term of the agreement. FLYHT’s AFIRS Edge products were developed with the support of Alberta Innovates and with repayable funding support from PrairiesCan through its Western Innovation Initiative. Flair Airlines: Flair Airlines is Canada’s leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline, on a mission to provide affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 35 cities across Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.: FLYHT provides airlines with Actionable Intelligence to transform operational insight into immediate, quantifiable action, and delivers industry leading solutions to improve aviation safety, efficiency, and profitability.
This unique capability is driven by a suite of patented aircraft certified hardware products. These include AFIRS™, an aircraft satcom/interface device that enables cockpit voice communications, real-time aircraft state analysis, and the transmission of aircraft data while inflight. The AFIRS Edge is a state-of-theart 5G Wireless Quick Access Recorder (WQAR), Aircraft Interface Device (AID), and Aircraft Condition and Monitoring System (ACMS). The Edge can be interfaced with FLYHT’s TAMDAR probe or the FLYHT-WVSS-II relative humidity sensor to deliver airborne weather and humidity data in real-time. CrossConsense, FLYHT’s wholly owned subsidiary, offers highly skilled services to the commercial aviation industry and provides preventative maintenance solutions. These include Aircraft Fleet View, a native application that gives a real-time view of airline fleet status; AviationDW, a managed data warehouse for enhanced business intelligence; and ACSIS, a visualization and predictive maintenance alerting tool.
FLYHT-WVSS-II ™
Now Accepting Orders For Scientists & Airlines. FLYHT-WVSS-II™ meets internationally accepted standards to enable meteorological data collection for commercial aircraft, in support of the global WMO AMDAR program. The FLYHT-WVSS-II enhances meteorological operations and aviation weather support by providing: • Water Vapor Concentration • System Status Data • Internal Pressure
• Internal Temperature • Engineering Data
P/N 508-9001-01 replacement for WVSS-11 P/N 01023-10200
For more information go to flyht.com
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 11
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AMOSeTL Goes Live: streamlining aviation maintenance and operations with seamless eTechlog integration in AMOS 23.6 Around two years ago, Swiss-AS initiated its AMOSeTL project, and the first line of code was written in November 2021. In mid-July 2023, Swiss-AS was pleased to announce a major milestone: the release of AMOSeTL in AMOS version 23.6 ready for productive use and that SunExpress, one of Swiss-AS’s esteemed funding customers, is scheduled to go live with AMOSeTL in October 2023, marking the first productive implementation of this innovative solution. AMOSeTL represents the culmination of extensive research, development, and dedication to delivering a mature and functionally advanced product. The strong traction and interest received from within the aviation industry confirm that Swiss-AS is on the right track and is confident that this first implementation will showcase the full potential of AMOSeTL and further solidify its reputation as an industry-leading solution. SunExpress will complete the final phase of the ‘Paperless Aircraft Maintenance Operations Project’ with the use of AMOSeTL, as it will ultimately replace the paper-based Technical Log System. SunExpress is the first airline to implement paperless aircraft maintenance in Türkiye and among one of the few airlines worldwide. The airline is constantly improving its processes for greater efficiency and sustainability.
AMOSeTL: Redefining Integration
One of the key selling points of AMOSeTL lies in its unique integration capabilities. Unlike other solutions, AMOSeTL eliminates the complexities and costs associated with configuring complex interfaces. The streamlined approach offers a plug-and-play AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 12
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integration experience that is unparalleled in the industry. By leveraging AMOSeTL’s pre-built integration capabilities, AMOS customers can enjoy a seamless and successful deployment, saving valuable time and resources. Concrete Examples of Seamless Integration: • When a pilot opens a PIREP, AMOSeTL instantly generates a workorder in AMOS; • Defect closures or deferrals by maintenance are automatically synchronized with AMOS, providing real-time updates. Furthermore, it offers a two-way communication, ensuring seamless integration across the whole product suite. Indeed, closing a workorder from AMOSmobile/ EXEC or AMOS will update AMOSeTL in less than a second. Pilots, mechanics, cabin crew, and back-office staff will always have the most up-to-date data at their fingertips whenever connectivity is available. Additionally, AMOSeTL seamlessly works offline for several legs, automatically pushing data to AMOS as soon as it is back online. A spokesperson for Swiss-AS stated; “As we move forward with our funding and new customers, our product roadmap is focused on continuous improvement, with regular updates and enhancements planned to ensure that AMOSeTL remains the natural choice for an AMOS customer looking for an electronic technical logbook.”
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 13
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Volotea selects Aventus wind uplink service after successful evaluation
In August 2023, AVTECH Sweden AB and Volotea Airlines entered into a two-year agreement for AVTECH’s Aventus wind uplink service, with a start date of August 5, 2023 and an expected total value in the range of 1.1 to 1.9 MSEK dependent on fleet size and EUR exchange rate development. The Aventus service, utilizing the latest high-resolution aviation weather forecasting from the UK Met Office, provides precise and tailored wind and temperature information in-flight to Volotea’s aircraft. This leads to improved flight execution, increased situational awareness, and reduced workload for the pilots. Aventus: The Aventus Full-flight Winds service provides optimized weather uplinks for each stage of a flight, including the climb, enroute and descent phases. Aventus is a unique and patented system, enabling accurate wind information and 4D Trajectories for flights, making use of AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 14
the very best in atmospheric modelling to create wind data packages for the different phases of a flight. Data packages uplink in real-time to the aircraft to enable the onboard Flight Management Computer (FMC) to accurately calculate a flight profile and the time when each route waypoint will be reached. The Aventus solution is environmentally friendly as it enables aircraft to fly at more efficient altitudes and RNP approaches resulting in immediate airline fuel and CO2 savings benefits. The service is also imperative for future time-based flight operations, an area where Aventus provides even larger overall environmental and operational benefits. Time-based operations will increase the efficiency and punctuality of individual flights and of the air transport system. Volotea: Volotea was founded in 2011 by Carlos Muñoz and Lázaro Ros, also previously founders of Vueling. It has been one of the fastest-growing
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independent airlines in Europe in the last decade, increasing its fleet, routes served, and seats offered year-on-year. This year, the airline has celebrated a milestone of carrying 50 million passengers throughout its whole network. Volotea serves more than 100 airports and is currently based in 19 mediumsized European capitals: Asturias, Athens, Bilbao, Bordeaux, Cagliari, Florence (new in 2023), Hamburg, Lille, Lyon, Lourdes, Marseille, Nantes, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Venice, and Verona. This year, Volotea will operate more than 400 routes (with over half exclusive), offer close to 12M seats (+41% versus 2019), and fly approximately 70,000 flights. The airline operates a fleet of 41 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. Volotea is dedicated to sustainable aviation and has committed to reducing 50% of its CO2 emissions per passenger and kilometer by 2030 (versus 2012). To date, Volotea has launched over 50 sustainability initiatives that have already driven a reduction in carbon footprint per passenger and kilometer by
41%. Since 2022, the company has been working on developing emission-free alternative technologies, operating Airbus’ internal shuttle service with 34% of sustainable aviation fuel, and collaborating with manufacturers and the industry so that these fuels (now difficult to access) can be developed and become widespread as soon as possible. Volotea employs 1,750 people and actively
contributes to the economic development and cultural landscape of the territories where it is based through sponsorship projects The airline has won, for the second year in a row, the award as ‘Europe’s Leading Low-Fares Airline’ at the 2022 World Travel Awards, an awards organization recognizing excellence in the transportation and tourism industry worldwide.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 15
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New Met Office partnership with FLYHT and Loganair to improve forecasts of high impact weather
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Announced at the end of August 2023, a collaboration between the Met Office, FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd and Loganair, aims to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and the prediction of localised severe weather in the UK, with expected benefits for the aviation industry such as more efficient route planning and supporting aims to reduce CO2 emissions. The partnership provides the Met Office with FLYHT-WVSS-II atmospheric water vapour sensors to be installed on Loganair Embraer 145 aircraft flying across the UK. The sensors will continuously monitor environmental conditions around the aircraft during flight. The Met Office is particularly interested in data collected
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 16
during the ascent and descent phases of flight as this will provide a view of humidity, temperature, and wind measurements throughout the atmosphere. The use of this increase in observational data, is only possible because of the new Met Office supercomputer, which is coming online early in 2024. It will ultimately improve the forecasting of local scale weather. The relative humidity sensors will be fully integrated with FLYHT’s Certus SatCom and AFIRS Edge multichannel WQAR for real-time data transmission of aircraft-based observations. These readings will help to better predict extreme weather such as the Cumbrian storms of 2015, as well as improve local forecasting of conditions such as thunderstorms, fog, and
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showers. Adverse weather presents one of the biggest risks and safety factors for aircraft operations and can impact flights as well as ground-crew operations and maintenance tasks, further affecting scheduling and planning issues and adding to flight safety risks. Across Europe, weather is one of the largest contributing factors to aviation delays. It exacerbates the volatility of an already disrupted network at capacity. Better weather observations will greatly improve weather-based flight planning and real-time updates, thereby enabling more efficient avoidance of severe weather and turbulence. This initiative will also help airlines understand the formation of contrails, and potentially enable a reduction in contrail formation, which has been identified as a sustainability goal within the airline industry. Met Office Associate Director of Technical Services, Bruce Truscott, said: “I am delighted to be working with FLYHT and Loganair to further improve our ability to observe and forecast the weather. Humidity measurements from aircraft will provide a much-valued addition to our observation capability, helping us to better define the 3-dimensional structure of the atmosphere which in turn is expected to support improvements in forecast accuracy.” Jonathan Hinkles, CEO at Loganair, said: “This collaboration recognizes the important, positive role that airlines can play in understanding weather and the environment, and as a strategic partner, we are honored to do our
part.” “We are confident that real-time aircraft data from FLYHT’s sensors will contribute to reduced delays and cancellations, resulting in net benefits to our customers and the financial performance of our airline. Additionally, we see this collaboration as a major step towards helping us achieve our sustainability goals.” “It’s a privilege to support two forward thinking organizations like the Met Office and Loganair to help address our shared interest in weather and the environment,” said Kent Jacobs, President & Interim CEO at FLYHT. “FLYHT is pleased to be incorporating relative humidity data from our FLYHT-WVSS-II sensors into our aircraft-based observations knowing this will have a significant, positive effect on weather modelling.” Murray Skelton, FLYHT’s VP Business Development and Weather, added, “Having these two leaders as partners validates our weather technology and our growing suite of actionable intelligence solutions. We look forward to installing our FLYHTWVSS-ll hardware on Loganair’s aircraft over the coming months and to providing end-to-end program project maintenance and support for this innovative program.” The contract is valued at approximately USD$6.9 million provided that all goods and services are delivered over the eight-year term of the agreement, which could extend to 2037 that would bring the value to £7 million. Installations on Loganair’s fleet of Embraer aircraft are expected to commence during the first half of 2024.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 17
Flight tracking w/ weather alerts
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AircraftIT-MRO-eJournal_108mmx144mm_RGB_FINAL_Outlines.pdf
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Smartwings Group selects Conduce ELB solution
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Smartwings Group, the leading Czechia based airline, announced in mid-September 2023 that it has selected the Conduce eTechLog8 solution for deployment across the fleet. The selection of Conduce was taken after fully evaluating the ELB market over a period of time. The evaluation process was both lengthy and detailed, including at one stage considering the option to develop an application internally. Ultimately the selection of Conduce as its ELB provider was made for several reasons. These included the fact that Conduce had a wide variety of airlines, including scheduled, cargo, ACMI and specialist operators, giving Smartwings the confidence that the application could handle all the operations conducted across the Smartwings Group. Also, during the evaluation period Conduce consistently gave honest and comprehensive product demonstrations, both remotely and AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 18
onsite, which built up the confidence levels within Smartwings that this was the right solution. Petr Hutla, Director of Technical Procurement at Smartwings stated that, “By selecting Conduce to provide our ELB solution we know that we have selected an extremely competent partner to join us on the digitalization journey. During our evaluation and selection process we saw Conduce grow and further develop its solutions as more and more airlines subscribed for the service. We are convinced that Smartwings will benefit greatly from the adoption of eTechLog8.” eTechLog8 is part of a mission critical suite of applications and will provide flight crew, cabin crew and engineers alike with an intuitive, user-friendly electronic solution for the completion of flight logs, defect findings and actions, servicing and acceptance into service. Automatic data transmission from the tailassigned cockpit devices will give MCC
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/ MOC real-time aircraft technical status. Also included is full integration with the fleet MELs along with interactive LOPA charts for cabin defect reporting. This will allow for greater efficiency during both the aircraft turnaround phase alongside the enablement of proactive planning for maintenance tasks across the fleet. The project will also involve full integration with several of Smartwings’ existing solutions, including ACARS, CAMO/MRO systems and flight scheduling software. Paul Boyd, Managing Director at Conduce said “Conduce is very excited and pleased to welcome Smartwings Group as its newest eTechLog8 customer. The project will be to implement eTechLog8 across the four
AOCs under which the Smartwings Group operates, thus further increasing the reach of eTechLog8 in Europe. We are very pleased to be working with such a dedicated team based in Prague.” Conduce: With offices in the UK and Australia, Conduce provides robust mobile solutions for the world’s airlines. eTechLog8 is the leading ELB solution to replace paper technical logbooks. eTechLog8 is certified around the world and can be fully integrated with leading MIS/MRO back-office airline systems. Smartwings Group: Smartwings Group, whose members include airline companies Smartwings, a.s.; Smartwings Poland, Sp. z.o.o.; Smartwings Slovakia, s.r.o.; and
Smartwings Hungary, Kft, operates flights from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. Besides scheduled and charter flights, Smartwings also provides a wide range of special flights for renowned international companies, and by global, humanitarian and sports organizations worldwide. Smartwings
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 19
is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is certified IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit), representing the most advanced standards of operational safety and quality in air transport. Smartwings Group operates a fleet of 43 airplanes. (The largest Czech airline)
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Republic Airways signs long-term partnership with NAVBLUE
In mid-September 2023, NAVBLUE and Republic Airways signed a long-term strategic contract for Flight Planning, Crew Management, and Operations Control technology and solutions. The cooperation between Republic Airways — one of the largest regional airlines in North America, operating over 200 aircraft for three mainline carriers in the US (American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines) — and NAVBLUE is established by a multi-layered partnership that will benefit both parties. By selecting NAVBLUE’s ‘Manage by Exception’ suite of operational solutions, Republic Airways will benefit from state-of-the-art solutions designed to optimize critical resource planning, enhance operational decision making and effectively manage its day-to-day operations. Republic Airways will strengthen its position as AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 20
a thought leader and a technological pioneer in the competitive North American commercial airline business, with enhanced situational awareness and seamless, contextual collaboration in a harmonized digital platform. With this collaboration, NAVBLUE positions its Digital Systems Operations Control (SOC) Solutions as a partner of choice on the North American market with a large, sophisticated operator, and will benefit from the experience and operational expertise of Republic Airways, as well as from its market thought leader position. The agreement includes two complementary NAVBLUE solutions: • N-Flight Planning, which will help Republic Airways to optimize their flight operations by enabling flight dispatchers to rapidly compute flight plans, factoring payload, aircraft performance, current
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weather and air-traffic constraints. N-Flight Planning will also bring added-value to the airline by optimizing for minimum flight time, fuel burn or total cost. • N-Ops & Crew gives the opportunity for Republic Airways to plan and distribute their network schedules and maintain full operations control with configurable operating rules. This single solution for both Operations & Crew management will also allow Republic Airways to eliminate manual efforts today, and to automate, manage and optimize crew schedule planning, day-of-ops crew control, crew training and qualifications, and finally, crew mobile access. It will increase efficiency, provide quicker recovery for irregular operations and cover open flying. Marc LEMEILLEUR, CEO of NAVBLUE, said: “We are very proud to count Republic Airways as a new customer in the North America region. Our innovative, flexible and highly configurable solutions will help the
airline enhance and streamline their operations, both in terms of planning and cost control”. Paul Kinstedt, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Republic Airways, added: “We are excited to begin our strategic partnership with NAVBLUE, leveraging their solutions to enable Republic Airways to modernize its platform and drive innovation. This will enable us to better meet the needs of our partners and associates and continue our leadership in the regional airline industry.” NAVBLUE: NAVBLUE is a leading services company, wholly owned by Airbus, dedicated to Flight Operations solutions and services for airlines and aircraft operators, on the ground and onboard. NAVBLUE combines aircraft manufacturer expertise, flight operations know-how and agile development to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resources and increase productivity, for a safe and sustainable aviation. NAVBLUE delivers a reliable, optimum and
customized user experience to more than 600 customers worldwide, in a range of areas, including digital cockpit operations, Operations Control Centre (OCC) systems, Flight Ops Engineering and Performance Based Navigation (PBN). NAVBLUE employs 500 employees spread across the world, with offices in Canada, France, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, UK and US and representatives in several other countries across the globe. Republic Airways: Founded in 1974, Republic Airways is one of the largest regional airlines in the United States. Republic Airways operates a fleet of more than 220 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and offers scheduled passenger services with more than 900 daily flights to 80 cities in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The airline provides fixed-fee flights operated under its codeshare partners’ brands: American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express, and employs over 6,000 aviation professionals.
@ConduceGroup
There has never been a better time to go paperless with eTechLog8 Find out more +44 (0)333 888 4044
info@conduce.net
www.conduce.net
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 21
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Akasa Air partners with Comply365 for document authoring and distribution to support growth plans Comply365’s ProAuthor to streamline carrier’s processes
In mid-September 2023, Aviation-software leader Comply365 was pleased to announce its newest customer, Akasa Air, India’s youngest and fastest growing airline, which will use Comply365’s end-to-end operational content and compliance monitoring system to support the airline’s growth plans. The Mumbai-based airline is implementing Comply365’s ProAuthor to leverage a more efficient and streamlined process to create and deliver smart content to its frontline crew members as it consistently adds new aircraft and expands its operations. Launching its first flight in August 2022, Akasa Air is already flying 20 Boeing 737 MAX as it records unprecedented growth in India. Commenting on the partnership, Capt. Gaurav Pathak, Chief of Flight Safety at Akasa Air said, “At Akasa Air, we endeavor to support our employees with new age solutions that improve their efficiency. We look forward to bringing
Comply365 to manage and author our documentation that synergizes across the organization as we scale rapidly in terms of employees and operations. The platform will deliver relevant information to our frontline crew members in a simplified and accessible manner for improved operational efficiency on any iOS, Android, or Windows device. We are confident that the platform will be of tremendous value to our employees and will support our journey as the country’s most dependable and sustainable airline.” ProAuthor will simplify and automate the airline’s authoring and distribution process for its operational content. Akasa Air will be able to distribute
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personalized and relevant content to specific groups, synergize documented processes across the departments, and company-defined tags for content will enable easier and quicker searches, enhancing crew members’ safety and efficiency. In addition, electronic forms will provide the airline with an easy way to capture information from the field to make data-driven decisions. Akasa Air marks Comply365’s first customer in India and joins a community of more than 90 global customers, from start-up airlines to the world’s most mature carriers, from ultra low-cost to full-service airlines, charter operators, cargo airlines, business aviation, ACMI and wet-lease operators, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), flight training and rail operations. “The demand in the Indian aviation market creates a tremendous opportunity for Akasa Air, and we are happy to support their growth with technology that fits with their focus on efficiency, reliability, sustainability and employee-centricity,” Comply365 CEO Tom Samuel said. “We warmly welcome them into our Comply365 community and look forward to providing their crews with an intuitive mobile app and the information they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently.” Comply365: Comply365 is a leading provider of enterprise SaaS and mobile solutions for content management and document distribution in highly regulated industries including aviation, rail, and
energy. Comply365 supports the world’s most mobile and remote workforces with targeted and personalized delivery of job-critical data that enables safe, efficient, and compliant operations. Every day, hundreds of thousands of pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians, rail conductors and engineers, and energy workers rely on Comply365 for digital delivery of operational (OEM and company) manuals. Having played an instrumental role in the FAA’s approval of replacing the traditional, paper-based, pilot flight bags with electronic flight bags (EFBs), Comply365 partners with clients to transform their industries. Akasa Air: Akasa Air is India’s newest and most dependable airline, offering warm and efficient customer service, reliable operations, and affordable fares — all in the Akasa Way. Akasa’s youthful personality, employee-centric philosophy, tech-led approach, and culture of service will make this commitment a reality for all Indians. The carrier launched its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022 to support the growing demand across India. With a commitment to being socially responsible, Akasa Air has placed a firm order of 76 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, powered by CFM fuel-efficient, LEAP-1B engines. The 737 MAX family aircraft deliver superior efficiency in reducing fuel use and carbon emissions, fulfilling the airline’s promise of being an environmentally friendly company with the youngest and greenest fleet in the Indian skies.
WORLDWIDE ADS-B COVERAGE 15 Minute GADSS Compliance Integrated Flight Plans From Any System
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 23
PPS FLIGHT PLANNING | CREWBRIEFING | OPSCONTROL
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Viva Aerobus joins the SkyBreathe® community The fast-growing Mexican airline Viva Aerobus has accelerated its fuel efficiency program with the mid-September 2023 announcement that it will be adopting SkyBreathe® 360° eco-flying platform. The dynamic, fast-growing and ultra low-cost Mexican airline is improving its carbon footprint by adopting SkyBreathe® 360° eco-flying platform to optimize fuel consumption, and reduce costs and CO2 emissions. It is a key opportunity for the airline to level up its fuel efficiency program and environmental commitment. With a fleet of 77 aircraft expected to grow, the low-cost carrier has decided to use innovative digital technologies to optimize its operations and reduce its environmental impact. To this end, Viva Aerobus has started using OpenAirlines’ solutions, the world leader in aviation fuel efficiency. The platform solution SkyBreathe® uses sophisticated Big Data
Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning to automatically analyze billions of data records from all types of data sources, including complete FDR records, operational flight plans, ACARS, etc. The software identifies the most relevant saving opportunities by combining them
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 24
with environmental data from actual flight conditions (payload, weather conditions, ATC constraints, etc.). It provides a series of recommended actions that can reduce their total fuel consumption by up to 5%. Maintenance engineers, dispatchers, pilots, and fuel managers can all track various green operation
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procedures and work hand in hand to achieve better performances. With the determination to go even further, Viva Aerobus has chosen to involve all its pilots by giving them access to SkyBreathe® MyFuelCoach. This application enables them to see their individual performance. Pilots can see timely insights into fuel usage to make more data-driven decisions and minimize fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on their flights. “The SkyBreathe® software helps us improve our overall fuel management program. Since the app’s opening to pilots, they are much more aware of their fuel performance and how they can improve, and we’ve already observed interesting progress. We believe involving most of our teams will help us achieve significant fuel savings and lower our carbon footprint. We’re confident that these tools will support our growth effectively while developing a stronger fuel-conscious culture across the airline. We
all embrace the goal to reduce our carbon footprint”, said Juan Carlos Zuazua — CEO of Viva Aerobus. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Viva Aerobus and strengthen the SkyBreathe® users’ community in Latin America. We are convinced they have made the right choice in integrating digital solutions to enhance their fuel management program. As an active and committed airline, we do not doubt this will help them achieve their sustainable objectives”, said Alexandre Feray — OpenAirlines CEO and Founder. Conscious of the climate situation, Viva Aerobus seeks to strengthen a much more sustainable operation by various means: a high-performance fleet comprising recent aircraft, technological tool integration, Sustainable Aviation Fuels usage, recycling, and carbon offsetting, among many other efforts. Viva Aerobus: Viva Aerobus is Mexico’s ultra-lowcost airline. It started operations in 2006 and today
it operates the youngest Latin American fleet with 77 Airbus aircraft: 45 Airbus A320 and 32 Airbus A321. With a clear vision to give all people the opportunity to fly, Viva Aerobus has democratized the airline industry with the lowest fares in Mexico and the lowest cost structure in America, making their flights the best value offer. OpenAirlines: OpenAirlines is a French clean-tech company comprising a team of highly qualified mathematicians, aeronautical engineers, data scientists, pilots, IT experts, and aircraft performance specialists who operate from its bases in Toulouse, Hong Kong, Miami, and Montreal. They are specialized in developing digital technology to help airlines achieve their sustainability and emissions targets. They developed SkyBreathe®, a comprehensive eco-flying solution for airlines to reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions, today used by 57 airlines worldwide, including Air France, easyJet, DHL, Norwegian, IndiGo, flydubai, and Atlas Air.
Enhancing operational efficiency, compliance and revenue generation FLIGHT OPERATIONS Journey Log Electronic Flight Folder Document Management
MAINTENANCE
INFLIGHT SERVICES
TechLog
Inflight Sales
Cabin Defect Log
Passenger Relationship Management Luggage Management
Forms Designer AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 25
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BBN Airlines takes off with Air Support “…The swift integration of PPS Flight Planning has left us thoroughly impressed, and we eagerly anticipate harnessing AIR SUPPORT’s solutions to streamline our operations. With optimism, we believe the tools will enhance our operational time efficiency, enabling us to deliver top-notch service and an exceptional travel experience for our valued customers.” Captain Sastra, Operation Director of BBN Airlines. In early October 2023, AIR SUPPORT, the creator of the PPS Flight Planning System, celebrated a milestone achievement with BBN Airlines Indonesia for selecting their Flight Planning & Tracking Solution in Indonesia. This partnership marks a significant step forward for AIR SUPPORT, solidifying their commitment to delivering top-tier aviation solutions to the Indonesian market. AIR SUPPORT’s PPS Flight Planning software is
known for its precision, efficiency, flexibility in adapting customer policy in flight planning, and optimizing flight routes which results in fuel savings,
ensuring cost-effective and safe operations. In addition, its capability to integrate with other third-party systems such as scheduling systems,
ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAG
Flexible, modular & future-proof onboard infrastructure CDSS Cockpit Door Surveillance System
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We feel very comfortable in the way we jointly shaped the implementation path to maximize our re-utilization of installed systems, in combination with the new EFB function.” Hilmar B. Baldursson, VP Flight Operation Icelandair
Turn-Key Solutions
Certification
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SA Technologies AB I SA@scanav.com I https://www.scanav.com/contact/sa-technologies-ab-location-details/ AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 26
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crew management systems, booking systems, maintenance systems, EFB Systems or in-house build systems, which has made AIR SUPPORT’s solution the perfect choice. Paired with OpsControl FlightWatch, a premium flight tracking system, BBN Airlines Indonesia will gain real-time insights into their fleet’s performance and make informed decisions for improved efficiency and customer satisfaction. “We are truly excited to welcome BBN Airlines Indonesia as our first esteemed airline customer in Indonesia,” said John Tan, Sales Manager, APAC, at AIR SUPPORT. “This collaboration showcases our commitment to providing the best-in-class aviation software solutions to the region. We are confident that our partnership with BBN Airlines Indonesia will not only streamline their operations but also enhance their overall competitiveness in the industry.” BBN Airlines Indonesia’s decision to choose AIR SUPPORT as their software provider underscores the software company’s reputation for innovation, reliability, and superb customer support. This partnership reinforces their dedication to meeting the unique needs of airlines operating in the dynamic and evolving Indonesian aviation landscape. “Selecting AIR SUPPORT as our software provider underscores BBN Airlines Indonesia’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence. The swift integration of PPS Flight Planning has left us thoroughly
impressed, and we eagerly anticipate harnessing AIR SUPPORT’s solutions to streamline our operations. With optimism, we believe the tools will enhance our operational time efficiency, enabling us to deliver top-notch service and an exceptional travel experience for our valued customers.” said Captain Sastra, Operation Director of BBN Airlines. AIR SUPPORT: AIR SUPPORT is a globally recognized leader in aviation software solutions, offering a comprehensive suite of tools designed to optimize flight planning, operational control, crew briefing and flight tracking. With a commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, AIR SUPPORT empowers airlines worldwide to achieve peak performance, safety, and efficiency in their operations. BBN Airlines Indonesia: BBN Airlines Indonesia is a subsidiary of Avia Solutions Group, the largest global ACMI provider, a leader in end-to-end capacity solution for airlines all around the world. BBN Airlines Indonesia is an airline company that specializes in ACMI Leasing, Air Charter Flights, and Air Freight Services. Based in the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport of Jakarta, BBN Airlines Indonesia serves as a connector of customers throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. “We are truly excited to welcome BBN Airlines Indonesia as our first esteemed airline customer in Indonesia…” concluded John Tan, Sales Manager APAC at AIR SUPPORT. AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 27
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ASAP STAR updates: Q2 2023 In early September 2023, ASAP announced a great second quarter developing new features and servicing all ASAP STAR users. They invite you to check out their list of available features, and feel free to contact the ASAP Support Team for more information. ASAP also welcomed a number of new customers to the ASAP flight performance software ASAP STAR. starting with 21 Air. They also warmly welcomed My Freighter Airlines to the flight performance software ASAP STAR and The Argentinian President. Also, CargoThree implemented the flight performance software ASAP STAR. Additional Alternates: Per Part FAR Part 121, a flight could require a take-off alternate and a second destination alternate in addition to ASAP’s current alternate capability. Users can now add additional alternates to specific flights and will also be available to view the landing cards for their alternate airports, and review and calculate additional settings, if necessary. • Default Taxi Fuel: Each tail number can now have a specific default taxi fuel entry. • Valet Bags: The ability to transfer weights from the passenger compartment to the cargo compartment is now available to users. • Dynamic Center of Gravity Limiting Curtailment: STAR will calculate passenger, cargo, and/or in-flight movement’s center of gravity curtailments based on actual loading, not the worst-case loading. • Optimal Flaps: Users can choose to run all available flaps, and the program will choose the flap with the highest weight for each runway end. • Emergency Return on TO Card: The user can now swipe up or down to toggle between AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 28
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runways ran for departure and emergency return. If the user needs to return to the departure airport, the text will display the words “Contingency RWY”, and an orange highlight will appear for your selected runway. • Remaining Capacity is shown: You can now click on the max capacity text or weights text to toggle between Max Capacity and Remaining Capacity.
Optional features now available in ASAP STAR
• Runway Condition Code (RCC): Can be made available for certain aircraft.
• Signature Capture: Users can physically draw
signatures onto their devices and have them stored with the flight data. This can be implemented for both weight and balance load sheets, as well as for when a flight is completed. • Flight Assignment: Each flight can be assigned to
Smarten up your documents
a username through the ASAP STAR Web. The selected username(s) will then be able to see only their assigned flights on both the iPad and Web STAR versions. • Alternative NOTAM Sources: FAA Pilot-Web (no charge) and ICAO iStars (billed by usage). • Locking Planning Settings Options to Default: Users are now able to set default settings for their specific tail numbers. This prevents human errors that may occur while selecting the aircraft settings for a flight. • Contingency Runways Displayed on TO and Landing Cards: The user can now swipe left or right to switch between runways ran at departure, arrival, or alternate stations. If the user was to select a different runway for departure than previously planned for, the text will display the words “Contingency RWY”. • Selectable Runways: Companies can now OPT-IN to the Selectable Runway feature. It’s aimed at
reducing processing times, assisting with frequent flights, and easily showing the user details for their available runways. You can also toggle intersections and details for more simplified views. • Select which flights to download to the iPad: You can now select which flights to download (including multiple at a time) to your iPad. This can save you time by downloading your flight for the day while on an internet connection. • Emergency Return: Emergency Return conditions can be selected while in the planning stages of a flight. It will be marked in orange to stand out and warn the user that “this is for emergency situations only”. • Custom Turn Departure & Approach Procedure Plate: The highly developed turn procedures are beneficial for obstacle avoidance. They can be designed for specific aircraft types as well as displayed in premium artistic forms.
www.yonder.info
Dynamic content, not static documents - Meeting today's information management needs Yonder brings operations manuals and aircraft manufacturers' handbooks together in one place. The solution's smart features - including intuitive dashboards, personalized updates and a responsive offline app - make life much easier for aircrews and ground staff alike.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 29
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Avianca Airlines to implement Comply365’s document authoring and distribution solution Carrier Marks First Latin American Customer for Comply365
In mid-October 2023, Avianca, one of the largest air transportation groups in Latin America, announced that it will transform its document authoring and compliance management processes across its multiple airlines into Comply365’s single, end-to-end authoring and distribution platform and mobile app. Comply365 was pleased to announce the Avianca Group of airlines will implement ProAuthor to author and manage its Airbus, Boeing and company manuals across all departments to streamline and centralize its processes. The move will help increase safety and bring great operational efficiencies to the airline while providing crews with more consistent and up-to-date information. As a network of pan-Latin American airlines serving over 140 routes with more than 2,000 weekly flights, Avianca’s goal of being an airline for everyone attracted close to 24.6 million passengers last year. Avianca is the second-oldest continually operating airline in the world. The Bogotá-based group of airlines flies a mixed fleet of 130 aircraft. “We are honored to partner with such a longstanding, reputable brand in aviation. We look forward to enabling their teams with a system to increase safety, efficiency, and provide a better mobile experience for their end users,” Comply365 Chief Commercial Officer Sergio Ramos said. “Avianca marks Comply365’s first customer in Latin America, and we’re excited about the value we can bring to airlines in the region.” Comply365’s ProAuthor will offer Avianca the opportunity to centralize documentation across its airlines to reduce labor-intensive, inefficient and time-consuming authoring workflows while improving compliance processes and streamlining
Photo credit: John Taggart
reporting. Using the Comply365 mobile app, crews in Flight Operations, Maintenance, Ground Handling, Security and other departments will have access anytime, anywhere to the most current content — with the ability to easily see what is new. Global searching will enable them to easily find what they need across all their manuals, and they will be able to create bookmarks and annotations that stick with their documents even as new versions are released. Avianca joins more than 90 global aircraft operators relying on Comply365’s operational content and compliance management platform, from start-up airlines to the world’s largest carriers, as well as cargo, business, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), flight training and rail operations. “It’s exciting to welcome an airline with such a storied history as Avianca into our customer community,” Comply365 Chief Executive Officer Tom Samuel said. “We are proud to support Avianca’s vision to lead air travel within the highly competitive Latin American air transportation market, and we look forward to celebrating Avianca’s continued success with the value our solutions will bring.” AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 30
Avianca Group: The group includes Avianca-Star Alliance member, LifeMiles and Avianca Cargo. In passenger transportation and with more than 103 years of continuous operations since 1919, Avianca is the leading airline in Colombia, Ecuador, Central America and has one of the largest airline operations in Latin America with 140 routes, 2,000 weekly flights and a fleet of more than 130 Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, connecting to around 70 destinations in the Americas and Europe. More than 11 million members and 500 commercial partners are part of its loyalty program, LifeMiles, one of the largest in the region. In cargo transportation, Avianca Cargo is a leader in the region and is the main cargo airline in different markets in the Americas. It serves more than 70 destinations with a fleet of Airbus A330 freighters, along with its operation of passenger aircraft bellies. Avianca successfully emerged from Chapter 11 at the end of 2021 and today, has a team of more than 12,000 people committed to providing a safe, convenient, affordable and friendly service to its customers. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website
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Web Manuals takes over the Triton with new headquarters
Logipad EFB Partners with Ditto to enable Real-Time Syncing without Internet Empowered by the Ditto Platform, Logipad’s Electronic Flight Bag enables pilots and copilots to collaborate in offline environments.
Web Manuals, the world leader in aviation document digitization solutions, is expanding to a new head office in Malmö, Sweden. Located across the top three floors of the Triton building, the 1,382m2 space is almost double the size of the company’s previous head office and provides room for 50 new employees. The move came after the company reported significant growth in the last year, having exceeded 540 customers globally, 307 of which are based in Europe. Staff numbers also increased, with 70% (50) of Web Manuals’ global team working from its European headquarters. Martin Lidgard, founder and CEO, Web Manuals says: “As we continue to welcome new team members and customers to the Web Manuals’ community, operating from a larger office space will ensure we have substantial room to keep evolving our product and delivering digital solutions to aviation companies around the world. Our partner network is also expanding and with greater room for growth, we hope to continue optimizing our offering.” The Triton building was recently nominated for the City of Malmö’s City Building Award, which rewards projects that demonstrate social and environmental sustainability, architectural quality, long-term thinking and have a positive impact on Malmö’s development. Martin added: “The team is excited to be moving into a building that was designed by Gert Wingårdh’s architect firm and one that has been nominated for the City of Malmö’s City Building Award. Together with Escandi, an interior design office in Malmö, we’ve carefully selected interior design features that speak to the diverse nature of our international team and customer base. We hope that by providing a unique working and socializing environment, we will inspire even more creativity within our community.” Web Manuals moved into its new head office on 8th August 2023.
In late July 2023, Logipad, a leading provider of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solutions, was excited to announce its collaboration with Ditto, the creator of a real-time database that can sync data with or without the internet. Through its integration with the Ditto Platform, Logipad’s EFB system can now function completely cloud-optional, enabling a more reliable digital collaboration experience for pilots and copilots and ensuring a quicker turnaround for planes. Logipad’s new EFB system automatically detects nearby pilot devices and establishes the best available connection to sync quickly, cellular or Wi-Fi when internet is available, or local networks such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Local Area Network, and Peer-to-Peer Wi-Fi in offline situations. This intelligent background synchronization enables pilots to enter data on any connected device and have it instantly updated across all synced devices without manual interaction. In pre-flight situations where pilot data sync is crucial to airplane turnaround, Logipad’s real-time syncing capability allows pilots and copilots to collaborate in the cockpit and other offline environments, ensuring that reliable data sync isn’t a hindrance to take off. The synchronization includes eForm data within the briefing, allowing for more efficient data management. Furthermore, annotations within a PDF belonging to the EFB package are also synchronized, streamlining the workflow for pilots. In addition, Logipad has introduced a new ‘DIRECT’ feature within the flight log. Pilots can now select a start and end point for a direct route, marking it with ABEAM values to input fuel and time data. Multiple ‘DIRECT’ entries can also be added as required. Logipad remains committed to improving the efficiency and convenience of EFB solutions for aviation professionals. The integration with Ditto significantly enhances the user experience of Logipad’s EFB system by providing real-time syncing capabilities across devices, enabling pilots to work seamlessly and collaboratively.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 31
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
FDM data key to easyJet’s flight efficiency Taylor Bradbury, ETS Manager at easyJet, shares how the airline is championing data-driven flight efficiency AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 32
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
Can you really do BIG savings without BIG Data?
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efore we dive into the main content of this article, a brief introduction to easyJet Operations will help the reader to understand the context for our case study. easyJet has long been working to reduce its carbon emissions. In September 2022 we launched our Road Map to Net Zero, what we believe to be the industry’s most ambitious plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 due to its focus on zero carbon emission technology. Alongside the transition to zero carbon emission technology, the roadmap features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology. Fuel efficiency is a key element in the operational efficiencies we are working on to help up reduce our carbon emissions every day. We have implemented 32 fuel initiatives at easyJet and, like many other airlines, we’ve gone through the IATA Fuel Handbook as well as all the Airbus documentation, and identified those initiatives that we feel are relevant to easyJet’s operations and offer an effective solution. As part of these initiatives, and because easyJet has made the step change to include FDM (Flight Data Monitoring) data in our reporting, it is important to get the fuel reporting and efficiency message out to the bases and to the crew. So, we had to find a way of disseminating that information to those bases and crew quickly and in an easily usable form.
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The plan is to achieve Net Zero by 2050 (figure 1.1).
Easyjet NET ZERO RoadMAP The more data, the more accurate. Powered by the largest fuel efficiency community and trained on the world’s biggest dataset, SkyBreathe® algorithms help our 60+ airline customers save up to 5% on fuel. JOIN THE SKYBREATHE COMMUNITY NOW
+33 531 615 210 info@openairlines.com
Figure 1.1
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 33
www.openairlines.com
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
You can see that we’re also targeting a 35 percent reduction in emissions by 2035, which has been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), making easyJet the first low-cost airline worldwide to announce that its interim target has been validated by SBTi. The flight efficiency aspects together with airspace efficiencies are anticipated to contribute a 12 percent reduction in the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). In figure 1.2 you can see the different programs, factors and initiatives that will drive the required reduction in emissions.
Easyjet NET ZERO RoadMAP
A significant contributor will be the fleet renewal program, with the NEO fleet. These aircraft are at least 15% more fuel efficient than the aircraft they replace and provide a 50% noise footprint reduction. Fleet renewal is crucial for decarbonisation as it replaces older aircraft with younger, more fuel-efficient models. easyJet will be making a list price investment of $21bn over the coming years to continue to renew its fleet. easyJet is one of the largest single brand operators of A320neo family aircraft in Europe. Switching to more fuel-efficient current generation aircraft as well as upgauging to larger aircraft has a significant impact to reduce carbon emissions in the short term due to higher absolute fuel efficiency and lower emissions per seat. As part of operational efficiencies, we’re introducing descent profile optimization which will help the airline to achieve substantial and permanent carbon emission reductions in the short-term by enabling the optimization of aircraft descents. Last year, 2022, we received the first A320neo from Airbus that is equipped with the latest Satellite Landing System (SLS) technology which helps to further improve the efficiency of its operations, reducing fuel usage. This comes in addition to the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and adjusting standard operating procedures, which helps to reduce fuel usage and therefore carbon emissions, for example single-engine taxiing on arrival and departure, using advanced weather information to improve navigation performance and engine washing to remove debris, which improves the air turbine performance. This is complemented by flight efficiency partnerships with key stakeholders such as Airbus, Collins Aerospace, NATS and EUROCONTROL. We are also introducing the SkyBreathe® fuel management tool because we are expecting that to be a significant catalyst for greater flight efficiencies.
EASYJET FUEL REPORTING
Figure 1.2
Where are we in terms of our fuel reporting? Far more advanced than when I first joined easyJet twenty years ago. With the Airbus fleet came the opportunity to take advantage of ACARS and actually start looking at some of this data. In 2007, we engaged Rolls-Royce to be easyJet’s fuel reporting provider and to monitor the key initiatives that we were looking at, at the time including: • Single Engine Taxi In/Out; • Reduced Flaps Landing; • GPU Usage on the turnaround; • Discretionary Fuel. In 2020, there were a couple of key areas that we wanted to consider. We wanted to look at how the data is captured and the integrity of the data; we also wanted to look at various scenarios and how a fuel reporting solution would respond to them. A key element was how we communicate with the crew and AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 34
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
how we could engage the crew in using this data. This was sent out to several providers and, ultimately, SkyBreathe® from OpenAirlines came back with the most comprehensive response and were most attuned to where easyJet wanted to go. The contract was awarded to OpenAirlines in October 2021.
WHY OPENAIRLINES SKYBREATHE® WAS CHOSEN
The solution is focused on flight efficiency and OpenAirlines clearly understood what we were trying to achieve. It gave us the opportunity for more detailed FDM data integration, which was very positive, and the actual and potential savings were based on performance models, taking into account easyJet’s SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and the operational environment including weather and AIP (Aeronautical Information Publications) data. Without doubt, one of the biggest features that impressed us at easyJet was the MyFuelCoach™ application. This App provides feedback to individual crew on their own performance; it also provides pilot briefing on future flights, using information that has already been put into the system; and it provides the opportunity for crew to give feedback. Additionally, where we needed to send information out to other parts of the organization, we got the capability to generate pre-defined reports to calculate achieved and potential savings based on actual flight and environmental conditions. Importantly, all of the required information was available from the single source, SkyBreathe®.
SKYBREATHE® IMPLEMENTATION
SkyBreathe® employs data inputs from several sources (figure 2) and applies its own data cleansing, checking and consolidation processes.
IMPLEMENTATION – NEW FDM Data Source AOC DATA
ACARS Data
FDM Data
SKYBREATHE DATA CLEANSING CHECKING AND CONSOLIDATION Figure 2
These sources are AOC (Airline Operations Control) data, which is available from easyJet’s TOPS (Total Operations System), and includes fuel data and flight planning data. It also takes in ACARS data. That is what we had been doing with the previous provider but the gamechanger with the real potential impact was the FDM data.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 35
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
FDM DATA NETWORK AND BASE APPROVAL
Prior to the investment pack that we took to the business to define what we wanted from this solution and to request funding, we had to talk about the financial costs and the non-financial benefits. It would be inappropriate to discuss the financial benefits to easyJet here but the non-financial benefits include things such as engagement with the crew and consistent information based on a single source going out across the business.
“Non-financial benefits include things such as engagement with the crew and consistent information from a single source going out across the business.”
SKYBREATHE® APPLICATION NETWORK AND BASE Figure 3 shows that the SkyBreathe® application has two sides to it.
Figure 3
There is the Analytics web app with the network and base information. The other side is MyFuelCoach™, the app that the individual crew members will get which will show them how they are actually performing and pilot briefing for future flights.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 36
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
Network and base are available now so what we could do then, for example, is look at the network and base, look at the opportunities that exist, and drill down to specific initiatives. We could start communicating to the crew and working with them on looking at where the opportunities are and ideas for improvement. The example on the right of figure 5 is single engine taxi.
MYFUEL COACH™ IMPLEMENTATION
The roll-out was split into two distinct phases. One was SkyBreathe® Analytics implementation for Hangar 89, which is our Head Office, and for Base Management: the other was the implementation of MyFuelCoach™ App for flight crew. The key parts of this were the use of the data. The base and Head office information is based on aggregated data but the individual data is based on the individual flight data and will only be visible to the crew that operated that flight. More detailed trialling and testing has been required to demonstrate that, in fact, the data is only visible to the individual crew, which we are clearly able to demonstrate with the OpenAirlines SkyBreathe® solution. Figure 4 adds in the initiatives that SkyBreathe® will unlock for us initially and we know there are many more possibilities to be unlocked.
easyJet fuel initiatives progress FLIGHT OPS
• • • • • • • •
Engine out taxi-out Engine out taxi-in Reduced flaps at landing APU during taxi-out Continuous descent approach Idle reverse thrust APU during taxi-in Managed speeds
Figure 4
ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE
• • • •
Pilot extra fuel Best alternate Zero fuel weight error Economic tankering
COMMERCIAL AND GROUND OPERATIONS • GPU usage • Fuel invoice reconciliation
Figure 5
It shows, in red, some of the opportunities that exist as well as time of day opportunities. It could start a communication between the base manager and the base crew about where the opportunities are and start looking at how they can improve things. MyFuelCoach™; figure 6 shows the individual performance that pilots see.
SkyBreathe® MYFUELCOaCH - INDIVIDUAL MyFuelCoach will enhance pilot engagement and allow crew to make more informed decisions and develop a stronger fuel-conscious culture across the business. It allows flight crew to : • Prepare for upcoming flights • Identify fuel saving potential • Track own progress • Select own flight • Compare to flight plan • Replay your flight in 4D
Access to App via secure log in for individual Figure 6
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 37
CASE STUDY: EASYJET
replay their flights, analyze their flights to see how they could improve efficiency and gain insight into how their next flight will operate.
SUMMARY
Where are we? The UAT (User Acceptance Testing) of SkyBreathe® app and MyFuelCoach™ was completed in early December 2022. MyFuelCoach™ continues to be trialled within the pilot community. Training of the Base Management has been completed and the SkyBreathe® Analytics Application will be in full use in Q4 2023. At the time of writing, we were hoping to extend the trial to a wider community in early 2023. We have been working with OpenAirlines, it has worked well and plan to roll-out MyFuelCoach™ this year. We do believe that it will be a gamechanger.
TAYLOR BRADBURY
Pilots can prepare for an upcoming flight and look at the data from previous flights; can identify any fuel saving potential and can track this. They can select their own flight, compare it to the flight plan and, if need be, replay the flight in 4D. They can log in via their company iPad and see only their own data.
EASYJET
MYFUELCOACH™ IMPLEMENTATION
MYFUELCOACH IMPLeMENTATION
Access to flight history
Replay flights
Analyze flights to improve efficiency
Taylor started his career as a Flight Operations Performance Engineer with Saudi Arabian Airlines and became the Senior Manager, Flight Operations Performance Engineering. In 2021, he joined easyJet and has taken various Management roles focusing on the delivery of flight and operational efficiencies, including operational approval of electronic charts across the easyJet fleet, the introduction of ACARS Reporting for Fuel Reporting and the implementation of Fuel and Emissions Reporting systems.
easyJet is a low-cost European airline using cost advantage, operational efficiency and leading positions in primary airports to deliver low fares, seamlessly connecting Europe. One of the largest airlines in the world, easyJet has a modern fleet of 308 A320 family aircraft, operating 927 routes across 34 countries and 153 airports. easyJet is investing in new generation aircraft and is aiming to become the world’s most data-driven airline.
Gain insight on the next flight based on historical data
Figure 7
In figure 7 you can see that the crews will be able to access their flight history,
“Pilots can prepare for an upcoming flight and look at the data from previous flights; can identify any fuel saving potential and can track this.”
OPENAIRLINES
OpenAirlines’ SkyBreathe® is an innovative eco-flying solution based on Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data to save fuel and reduce airlines’ carbon footprint by up to 5%. SkyBreathe® is now a 360° eco-flying platform designed to give airlines all the tools they need to build and grow a successful fuel efficiency program, and is the most widely used eco-flying solution in the world. Its active community federates more than 60 airlines who, in 2022, saved more than 1 million tons of CO2.
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VOLOTEA: AI power for fuel efficiency
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations
CASE STUDY: KLM
KLM implemented a new airports and obstacles database René Dijkema, Flight Operations Engineer, KLM and Bruno Ramioulle, Partner, ACFTPERFO share a safety focused implementation for take-off and landing performance computations AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 40
CASE STUDY: KLM
W
ith the pace of change today, those who are involved with IT matters in aviation will be more or less constantly interested in what is available and whether it might be something that could suit their purposes. In this case study, we’re bringing you the experience from both sides of KLM’s recent implementation of a new take-off and landing performance solution; both sides being the airline itself and the IT provider whose solution was selected. But first, a brief profile of KLM.
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has been operating for more than one hundred years and is a major European legacy network carrier operating from its Amsterdam base with a European fleet of Boeing 737s plus an intercontinental fleet of Boeing 777s, 787s and Airbus A330s. There is also a subsidiary airline called KLM Cityhopper operating an Embraer fleet in Europe. The airline is part of the Air France KLM group.
ISSUES THAT KLM FACED
A couple of years ago, the airline started a project that was mainly motivated by safety considerations; they wanted to reduce erroneous take-off data by reducing the total number of manual actions required of back-office and flight crew and, through visualization, create more awareness of margins among flight crew. This was the main driving force for the project. Through an analysis within the business, KLM arrived at the conclusion that the legacy system in use at the time, which was an ACARS based take-off performance calculation system, had reached the limit for any further development or any possible improvements or safety mitigations that could be applied to it. So, the decision was made to start a project to transition away from that legacy system and introduce a fully iPad EFB-based performance solution. Soon after that decision, ACFTPERFO came onto KLM’s radar as already being a supplier to other operators within the Air France KLM Group, and things progressed naturally from there to what is now the solution that KLM uses.
“One specific requirement that the airline was looking for was around the ease of integration with other KLM systems through the use of interfaces; they also wanted an open architecture that would be easily customizable to fit within the existing IT landscape. ” AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 41
CASE STUDY: KLM
THE ACFTPERFO SOLUTION
The process started with the selection of KLM’s new iPad based EFB performance solution. A request for proposal (RFP) was issued to a number of different vendors. One specific requirement that the airline was looking for was around the ease of integration with other KLM systems through the use of interfaces; they also wanted an open architecture that would be easily customizable to fit within the existing IT landscape. Another important requirement for the selection of the EFB system was the ability to visualize outcomes from performance calculations and to have that situational awareness for pilots. With all of that in mind, KLM arrived at a selection for a new EFB performance solution: Airbus FlySmart EFB suite for the Airbus fleet and, for the Boeing Fleet, DynamicSource EFB Performance suite from the Swedish company DynamicSource. That completed the first part of the selection process. The next thing needed was an airport database provider to supply the necessary airport, runway, obstacle, NOTAM and Engine Failure Procedure data required for take-off and landing performance calculations. Up until that point, KLM had been generating that material in-house for the legacy system, but part of the whole transitions plan was to leverage the services from ACFTPERFO which, as already noted above, was a well-established supplier to the wider Air France KLM group. This would allow for a lot of alignment with the other operators in the group and that was how the process naturally went.
As a provider of airport database and performance software services, ACFTPERFO has more than 15 years of experience. The primary offering is the Airports and Obstacles database, which boasts unique features and enables airlines to outsource a business process that requires specialized knowledge and tools. The business possesses the expertise to provide data and calculate performance for all major manufacturers, such as Boeing, Airbus, ATR, Embraer, etc., and specializes in the development of performance calculation tools. ACFTPERFO provides an airport database to KLM. One of the key points of this database is the continual 24/7 NOTAM watch. So, a database is provided each time a NOTAM is issued impacting on performance anywhere in the network. This is a dynamic process, as the database is not updated based on a fixed timedefined cycle (every week or every month) but it is updated on a near real-time basis, based on daily NOTAM flows. There is an automated trigger to let KLM know that there is a new database available because a change has happened somewhere in the network and, even for the EFB part of the solution, ACFTPERFO is integrated with Dynamic Source and pushes the database in an automated way, so removing, as much as possible, the operational burden of manipulating data. In addition to that, KLM has access to ACFTPERFO’s proprietary software that allows them to see what is beyond the database; they can open up and see how the database has been built. The solution is not hidden from the users in a black box, it is open, making sure that KLM can work, as in any business process, with a complete business process supplied by ACFTPERFO, but they can still stay in command because they have access to all the data. The 24/7 NOTAM watch was one of the key differentiating factors from ACFTPERFO; to have that kind of flexibility and speed in data delivery, ACFTPERFO has a main update cycle of three times a day and, in the comparison between solutions, that really was a unique selling point appreciated by KLM. Furthermore, the vast number of airports which are available for subscription in the ACFTPERFO database and which can be activated in an instant, is another key property of the solution as it greatly improves the operational flexibility for the airline by having the performance data readily available for any new airport added to the network.
“This is a dynamic process, as the database is not updated based on a fixed time-defined cycle (every week or every month) but it is updated on a near real-time basis, based on daily NOTAM flows.”
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 42
CASE STUDY: KLM
THE IMPLEMENTATION
The main challenge was that most of the implementation process occurred during the COVID pandemic. KLM started the combined EFB replacement and take-off performance replacement project at the beginning of COVID and was fortunate that this was one of the few IT related projects that was able to be continued during that time, mainly due to the safety related objectives. It was fortunate that there were no delays but, at the same time, the pandemic did have an impact on availability of resources which was a significant challenge. KLM was working with ACFTPERFO as the supplier of the airport performance database but the airline was also trying to introduce two EFB suites at the same time which was a further significant challenge. There was not much in the way of processes that needed to be adjusted; KLM was already well-experienced with the use of the iPad platform as an EFB and so all of that was already in place when these new performance applications were introduced. The airline was also well-experienced in working with third party suppliers in terms of data services which meant that that part of the project went very smoothly. Furthermore, KLM has the internal aircraft performance expertise required to validate all the underlying data. For ACFTPERFO there were not a lot of additional challenges for this implementation as they are pretty well experienced with these sorts of
deployments. The main difference from a straight implementation was the wish of KLM to use specific Engine Failure Procedures at specific airports and runways. If there are some company policies such as regarding restricted areas, because of those policies that they might have, the standard database which ACFTPERFO provides might not be suitable for every airline. In that case, ACFTPEFO can work with the Airline to design and implement in the database a specific EFP (Emergency Failure Procedure). The challenge for KLM and ACFTPERFO was to find the right balance between usage of a specific EFP and best performances possible. Overall, the process went smoothly and the two teams, airline and vendor, acknowledged that the implementation had been a pleasure. An important implementation step was the data validation process, to investigate whether there were any performance differences between the database that KLM were generating internally and ACFTPERFO’s project. In fact, in some cases there were improvements indicated, while in other cases the two had to work together towards a solution to fit both parties’ requirements. This part of the cooperation also went smoothly. For KLM, having the ability to perform a proper objective comparison between the legacy in-house database and the ACFTPERFO solution proved to be immensely valuable for both parties.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 43
CASE STUDY: KLM
also did their own internal risk assessment which is a mature process within the airline and proved valuable. So, the airline went through the entire pre-approval process for the system by the book and without any major challenges.
FUTURE PLANS
One of the main opportunities that KLM has enjoyed from the new solution is that it allows them to move the focus away from processing their own bulk data, whether that is AIP (Aeronautical Information Publications) data, NOTAMs or engine failure procedures, and to really focus on optimizations for the more critical or difficult airports in the KLM network. That is the power that automation of the process aims for and which allows KLM to provide increased added value to the airline’s specific situations and optimizing certain airports and procedures as much as possible.
A COMMUNITY OF USERS
USING THE NEW AIRPORT PERFORMANCE SOLUTION AT KLM
When introducing such a new EFB platform, there are requirements from EASA legislation to also deliver appropriate training: KLM was able to do that using self-briefing training methods. It was also necessary to update the operational manuals with supporting materials which included the transition to ACTFTPERFO as provider of underlying data; that included the different terminology used in ACFTPERFO Engine Failure Procedures compared to the legacy in-house database and some other smaller changes. All the changes were picked up well by KLM’s pilot population. They see the new solution as easy to use and appreciate the effort that has gone into making it intuitive; on the one hand, there is the underlying data from ACFTPERFO; and then the next part is in having that presented well and incorporated in the EFB applications. That has been the main experience on that front. With the regulators, there were no real challenges as they were fully onboard with the change-over. KLM did have a demonstration session with the regulators; however, since the project is aimed at the objective of reducing erroneous take-off data, the regulator had no concerns about that during the prior approval process required for the introduction of EFB performance applications. Of course, the airline had to demonstrate full compliance with all the related EASA legislation on which KLM’s local competent authority judged the project. KLM
When ACFTPERFO has a new customer such as KLM, they try to add them into a community of users who are concerned with safety because it is a very complex topic. It is necessary to gather data from users all around the world including from countries that might be a little more exotic or countries that might be a little more protective of their information, or about satellite images. ACFTPERFO fosters a community and emphasizes the fact that they want to get as much feedback as possible. When they receive that sort of information about a runway from a customer, they will challenge it and try to determine what is the truth before eventually the system will be adapted/updated for everybody’s benefit. So, because a customer of ACFTPERFO is flying to that airport, they’ll share that information with the vendor who will then update the database for all users of the solution. That is the idea and ACFTPERFO is also trying to make their customer community alive by holding a forum every year for users. For the vendor, this community of users is really important. ACFTPERFO understands
“KLM did have a demonstration session with the regulators; however, since the project is aimed at the objective of reducing erroneous take-off data, the regulator had no concerns about that during the prior approval process required for the introduction of EFB performance applications…”
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 44
CASE STUDY: KLM
that it cannot be perfect alone but tries to be as perfect as possible together in the user community. This community aspect is something that is appreciated by the Air France KLM group, that any improvements or corrections are applied to the general data base for all customers to access. We hope that this article will have given readers some insight into the real case when KLM implemented ACFTPERFO performance solution.
RENÉ DIJKEMA
René has been with KLM for six years, as Flight Operations Engineer specializing in Aircraft Performance (take-off, enroute and landing) with a focus on the KLM Boeing fleet. He has been involved with various performance related projects and operational implementations within KLM Flight Operations over the years, most recently as engineering project lead for the implementation of the new EFB performance suite for the Boeing fleet and ACFTPERFO database product within KLM operations.
BRUNO RAMIOULLE
Bruno, a partner at ACFTPERFO, joined the business in 2017. He is a seasoned business professional with an extensive experience in managing SMEs. Bruno’s engineering and MBA background has equipped him for working in various industries and for his strong focus on Cloud based IT solutions and digital transformations.
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has been operating for more than one hundred years and is a major European legacy carrier operating from its Amsterdam base with a European fleet of Boeing 737s plus an intercontinental fleet of Boeing 777s, 787s and Airbus A330s. There is also a subsidiary airline called KLM Cityhopper operating an Embraer fleet in Europe. The airline is part of the Air France KLM group.
ACFTPERFO
ACFTPERFO has more than 15 years’ experience as a provider of airport database and performance software services. The primary offering is the Airports and Obstacles database, which boasts unique features and enables airlines to outsource a business process that requires specialized knowledge and tools. The business possesses the expertise to provide data and calculate performance for all major manufacturers, and specializes in the development of performance calculation tools. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT INTERACTIVE SUBSCRIBE HERE CLICK HERE TO READ ALL FUTURE EDITIONS
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: WEB MANUALS
Julia Larsson shares the passion for documentation that is efficient to generate, and simple to keep up-to-date and compliant, that has made Web Manuals a pioneer in its field Julia is the Director of Operations, EMEA, at Web Manuals. She started working for Web Manuals as an Executive Assistant and Customer Delivery Coordinator in 2016 and, in 2022, took on her current position where she is responsible for leading Web Manuals’ operations, and overseeing all operational engagements in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Holding a master’s degree in economics from Lund University, Sweden, Julia has also attended business courses at Brown University and Boston University. Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title, and the name of the business? Julia Larsson: Julia Larsson, Director of Operations EMEA, Web Manuals. Aircraft IT: How did Web Manuals get started? JL: The business idea came from a prospect back in the day, when Martin Lidgard, our CEO, was trying to convince the prospect to buy our distribution tool at the time, but instead they requested a system that would enable them to write manuals in the cloud. That hadn’t been thought of before and this came to be the starting point for how we know the product today. Combining Martin Lidgard’s background in aviation and his realization that there was a need for a more efficient and streamlined process for managing aviation manuals and documentation, Web Manuals was born. With this vision in mind, he
set out to create a user-friendly platform that would revolutionize how aviation manuals were created, managed, and distributed. The result was a cloudbased solution that allows aviation professionals to digitize their manuals, collaborate on content, and distribute updates seamlessly across their organization. Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives Web Manuals? JL: In the early phases of the business, we introduced a management system that serves as a foundation for the work we do, together with our values and culture we have built. The guiding business principle that drives Web Manuals is a commitment to empowering aviation companies with smart and user-friendly documentation management solutions. The company firmly believes in the power of AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 46
technology to transform the way aviation manuals are handled, leading to improved safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. Our core philosophy is innovation and the commitment to staying at the forefront of technology and continuously innovating the platform to meet the evolving needs of the aviation industry. Our passion is to continually strive for excellence in all that we do, and we achieve that through collaboration and teamwork. Aircraft IT: What has Web Manuals’ greatest business achievement been to date, and why? JL: Web Manuals has undoubtedly experienced remarkable business achievements throughout its journey in the aviation industry — the first launch of our app, opening new offices fully bootstrapped, and signing our 500th customer. One of Web Manuals’ greatest business achievements to date has
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
“The guiding business principle that drives Web Manuals is a commitment to empowering aviation companies with smart and user-friendly documentation management solutions.” been the successful expansion into new markets through the establishment of various offices worldwide. Each office launch represents a significant milestone, as it signifies the company’s ability to create local teams of experts and cater to the specific needs of diverse aviation communities. This expansion has not only strengthened Web Manuals’ global presence but also allowed us to connect with customers from different regions, gaining valuable insights into the unique challenges faced by various aviation segments. A significant factor contributing to Web Manuals’ success has been our phenomenal agility in responding to the ever-changing demands of the aviation industry. By continuously innovating and updating the platform, we have stayed ahead of the curve and positioned ourselves as pioneers in aviation documentation management. Our user-centric approach, combined with a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions, has earned us a loyal and growing community of customers who recognize the urgency for digital transformation in the sector. I would say we have an outstanding commitment and consistency in everything we do, which takes us through every new crisis and challenge. Aircraft IT: What have been your disappointments and what have you learned from them? JL: Part of having a business, and life in general, is also about making mistakes. However, it’s essential to view these setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement. I believe that acknowledging and learning from our disappointments has been instrumental in shaping the success and resilience of our team. Through the product’s development and
evolution, we have had to reshape it based on customer feedback and industry insights. Some features we were initially excited about did not meet the desired expectations of our users. We learned to value feedback and iteratively improve our offerings based on real-world use cases. This approach has made us more customer-focused and results-driven, enabling us to deliver solutions that genuinely make a positive impact on our clients’ operations. Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what Web Manuals does for aircraft operations customers? JL: We reduce the manual and tedious work, by simplifying the digitizing of manuals to enhance operators’ control, compliance and agility. Aircraft IT: What do you feel will be the next big thing in operations Aviation IT? JL: AI and ML technologies have the potential to revolutionize various aspects of aviation operations by e.g., enhancing efficiency and safety through predictive maintenance and fault detection. By analyzing vast streams of data from aircraft systems, AI can anticipate potential issues before they arise, allowing for proactive maintenance that minimizes downtime and improves aircraft reliability. This proactive approach can significantly reduce
operational costs and ensure smoother flight operations, enhancing overall safety for both passengers and crew. Moreover, AI-driven solutions can optimize routing and crew scheduling with precision and adaptability. By considering factors such as weather conditions, air traffic, and crew qualifications, these technologies can dynamically adjust flight plans, leading to more fuel-efficient routes and reduced environmental impact. Additionally, optimized crew scheduling ensures the right personnel are available when and where they are needed, optimizing crew productivity and improving crew satisfaction. With the increasing reliance on digital technologies, cybersecurity has become even more critical. As the aviation industry becomes more interconnected, robust cybersecurity measures will be essential to protect sensitive data and prevent potential cyber threats. Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about Web Manuals? JL: That we facilitate and enrich their day-to-day work, by offloading the time-consuming yet crucial task that comes with a new revision of e.g., the company manual or operational procedures. Time is of the essence in the aviation industry, and we strive to streamline processes so our customers can navigate the complexities of compliance and regulatory updates with confidence and ease. Another invaluable aspect is that they can rely on us to keep them updated on new regulatory requirements and where in their operations that is impacting. Aircraft IT: Julia Larsson, thank you for your time.
“A significant factor contributing to Web Manuals’ success has been our phenomenal agility in responding to the ever-changing demands of the aviation industry.” AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 47
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
Flight efficiency at airBaltic: past, present and future Rihards Kārlis Eizentāls, Flight Operations Digital Solutions Manager at airBaltic shares the airline’s successful flight and fuel efficiency program AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 48
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
A
s with any Case Study, it will help the readers to better understand what happened and what it achieved if they first understand something about the airline whose case is the subject of the study. So, here is a brief ‘tour’ around airBaltic.
AIR BALTIC
The airline was founded in 1995 and operates out of four hubs at Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn and Tampere (figure 1). Additionally, we also do ACMI operations for various European airlines.
AIRBALTIC AT GLANCE COMPANY OVERVIEW • Founded in 1995 • Leading airline in the Baltics • Hubs in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere + seasonal base in Gran Canaria in W23/24 • 100+ routes in Europe and beyond • Launch customer and the largest operator of Airbus A220-300 aircraft (currently – a single-type fleet of 44 A220-300s) AWARD-WINNING AIRLINE
Figure 1
We perform flights on more than 100 routes from the Baltics to Europe and beyond, and are the launch customer of the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. With 44 aircraft of the type, we are also the largest operator at the time of writing. airBaltic’s fleet is also among the youngest aircraft fleets in Europe. Furthermore, airBaltic has won a number of international awards — 2023 APEX award for the Best Cabin Service in Europe, the Skytrax award for being the best airline in the region, and the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Team Award 2022, recognizing airBaltic’s efforts in increasing gender balance within the industry. Furthermore, ch-aviation has named the airBaltic’s single-type fleet of Airbus A220-300s among the youngest aircraft fleets in Europe for several years now.
FUEL MANAGEMENT IN THE PAST
The Fuel Efficiency program at airBaltic was established in 2009. The program introduced APM, APU Usage monitoring, single-engine taxi, AMBER (Arrival Modernization for Better Efficiency in Riga) arrivals and many more saving initiatives resulting in EUR 4.3m saved in the first year of the Fuel Efficiency program being in place. Although the Fuel Efficiency program was in place, the company still had challenges that needed to be solved to achieve the expected results. Prior to me joining the company in 2017, the airline faced a number of challenges relating to usage of fuel efficiency tools and instructions available and given to pilots: • There were efficiency guidelines being provided to pilots, however, they sometimes were general and not fine-tuned to specific aircraft; • There were non-customized statistical data and reports being provided to pilots but only at fleet level; • Existing KPIs were not being enforced and new KPIs not being introduced at a sufficiently fast pace; AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 49
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
“… the statistics for 2017, show that pilots were not made aware of the possible savings and inputs required. The graphs were quite flat, and ‘extra fuel’ was even increasing on the A220 fleet. The same was true for single engine Taxi-in flights…”
• There was no Feedback Loop in place; • There was limited use of Fuel Efficiency Software inasmuch as we used the
Honeywell solution but not to any significant degree and it was not available for pilots and dispatchers. It was just used by the back-office team to analyze flight data. So, there was still room for a lot of improvements. (figure 2).
2017 & PRIOR
2017 & PRIOR
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§ Average A220 Fleet Saving values (Y2017): •
Postflight Extra Fuel – 384 kg (2018 – 500 kg)
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STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTS
§ Postflight Extra Fuel
Fuel (kg)
possible savings and inputs required. The graphs were quite flat, and ‘extra fuel’ was even increasing on the A220 fleet. The same was true for single engine Taxi-in flights — at the time, the A220 was not authorized for that but, as you can see on the Boeing 737 fleet, it did not change with the season, it is always the same because there were only a small group of pilots that did it. The same was true for Idle Reverse (figure 3).
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*A220 Fleet not authorized for SETI at time
Figure 2
In figure 2, the statistics for 2017, show that pilots were not made aware of the
Figure 3
On the 737s, the result was good as it had been in use with the airline for many years, but on the A220, it could have still been improved. There are, of course, times when idle reverse would not be appropriate — such as on a slippery runway in heavy rain. Also, you can see that the average value of post-flight extra fuel was 384kg but it increased in 2018 to 500kg.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 50
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
FUEL MANAGEMENT IN THE PRESENT
Shortly after joining airBaltic, I arranged a meeting with the chief pilots of all fleets, and we discussed the steps that would need to be taken in order to improve the fuel management situation. For that, we set goals and made changes to achieve improved results. We defined clear flight efficiency goals, including 75% or more pilot adherence to fuel-saving initiatives and that post-flight extra fuel should be less than 300kg on A220 and Boeing 737s and less still on the Q400 fleet. Efficiency guidelines and training began to be provided to pilots at every opportunity and new pilots joining the company were also given efficiency training on their first day with airBaltic. We created customized and individual statistical data reports provided to each of the pilots, plus KPIs were being enforced and new KPIs were being introduced. Similar reports and dashboards were created for dispatchers. We were careful to ensure two-way communication, including meeting with pilots to talk about efficiency, and setting up dedicated channels such as email and other methods. Part of this was for us to explain the importance of fuel efficiency software, with which they would not only be producing savings for the company but the savings made during the flight could be used for an emergency. It was also a benefit for pilots do their job even better. In 2019, we revised the existing pilot reports, which had first been released in 2018 (figure 4).
2019 – REVISING PILOT REPORTS & RECEIVING PILOT FEEDBACK
2018
2019
• Highlighting areas of improvement for each pilot individually • Feedback Loop in place – Dedicated e-mail set up & participation in training
Figure 4
On the left, you can see the old report, which showed pilots their own position compared to others in terms of post-flight extra fuel. Here we have a graph, which shows extra fuel taken and used, and the statistical contingency fuel on AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 51
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
that flight. We wanted to show pilots how much extra fuel they were taking but were not using in order for us to drive the change. Furthermore, to make the pilots more interested in the topics, we did some research on colors to use and data that might be interesting to pilots — such as numbers of passengers carried, distance flown, and more. These were the new reports introduced in 2019 (see above) with a table of contents and with every page focusing on an initiative. Every month, at the end of the report, we added the efficiency topic of the month, explained the importance of this and, by using the communications channels that we had established (see above), we received feedback from pilots about matters like procedures and training reports. This led us to make a lot of adjustments. In the first email we received, a pilot said that he was missing the target in the category because of reduced visibility operations, which was why he was taking extra fuel. So, we were able then to address that with training. Our next step was working with Honeywell to refine the statistical contingency fuel statistics (figure 5).
2019 – IMPROVED STATISTICAL CONTINGENCY FUEL More refined statistics for each flight implemented using Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency Solution
Previously – Statistics for airport-pair are compiled together, latest flights have a higher influence on Statistical value.
After Change – Statistics divided into seasons, same airport-pair flights divided by arrival times, time related factoring remains as currently.
RIX-LGW Statistics from last 2 years based on 2131 flights.
RIX-LGW Statistics from last 2 years based on 121 flights. (Winter, Arrival Time: 0600UTC-1100UTC)
Calculated CONT95 value: 268kg // 9 minutes
Calculated CONT95 value: 175kg // 6 minutes RIX-LGW Statistics from last 2 years based on 254 flights. (Winter, Arrival Time: 1200UTC-1700UTC)
Calculated CONT95 value: 358kg // 11 minutes RESULT – Increased pilot confidence in flight plan & reduced extra fuel uplift Figure 5
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 52
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
“In 2020, airBaltic moved to an all A220 fleet earlier than expected. It enabled the airline to operate the most efficient aircraft available, and to benefit from the efficiency of only having to develop procedures for a single aircraft type.” Previously, we had compiled statistics for airport pairs with the latest flights having a greater influence on statistical value. In the example, we had put together all the Riga-London Gatwick statistics with no differentiation according to arrival times or season. As a result, we got a value, which was inadequate — insufficient for one flight, inefficient for the other. Using Honeywell Flight Efficiency System, we were able to add additional parameters that improve the calculation for each flight by taking into account seasons and arrival times. The changes were made, resulting in improved flight plan reliability and efficiency. The change increased pilot confidence in the flight plan and reduced the levels of extra fuel uplift. It is important that pilots have confidence in the data given to them. In 2020, airBaltic moved to an all A220 fleet earlier than expected. It enabled the airline to operate the most efficient aircraft available, and to benefit from the efficiency of only having to develop procedures for a single aircraft type. The A220 is built from scratch with engines that are more efficient, providing a number of benefits (figure 6).
2020 - TRANSITION TO A SINGLE-TYPE FLEET § The Benefits: • 32% lower trip fuel cost compared to Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 • Real cost savings on fuel
2020 – TRANSITION TO SINGLE FLEET Fuel and CO2 Reduction per Seat
A220 -19% Q400** -24% B737CL *Load Factor - 90% ** Q400 Performance on routes within 1000-1600km range
Figure 7
The figure shows a comparison with our previous fleets. As you can see, the A220 is more efficient than the Q400 and the B737 classics that we operated previously. The pandemic time meant reduced demand for training. As a result, we were able to utilize the A220 full-flight simulator for efficiency testing purposes (figure 8). 2020 – A220 FFS USE & OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY BOOKLET REV 1. RELEASE
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Ref.: IATA Jet Fuel Price Monitor (14 October 2022 / EUR&CIS)
Figure 6
A220 trip fuel costs are 32% lower compared to Boeing 737-800 or Airbus A320. This change has allowed airBaltic to improve sustainability and move closer to our goals (figure 7).
• Using A220 FFS to Test & Develop New Saving Initiatives • Conclusions from testing used for further research and included in Booklet Figure 8
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 53
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
2021 – RNP AR ARRIVAL PROCEDURE INTRODUCED AT RIX AIRPORT
• RNP AR (Required Navigation Performance with Authorization Required) satellite based approaches allow to reduce distance, noise and contributes to fuel saving, further cutting CO2 and noise emissions
NON RNP AR RW18
NON RNP AR RW36
• airBaltic participated in the development and trial phase of RNP AR approaches • RNP AR approaches in Riga were introduced on August 25, 2021
R N P A R RW 1 8 & RW 3 6
Figure 9
We used the simulator eight or ten times during that year to test various initiatives to see what would or would not work and how could we adapt them to the aircraft systems, but with all the testing taking place in a safe and controlled environment. The knowledge gained enabled us to release our Operational Efficiency Booklet, which covers a number of topics. For example, in the figure is the impact of center of gravity; pilots can look at the data and it is explained to them plus, if they’re still not clear, they can contact us to further clarify it. In 2021, one of the biggest projects undertaken by the airline was introducing RNP AR (Required Navigation Performance — Authorization Required) arrivals, as well as satellite-based navigation instead of ground-based. It enabled us to reduce distance and noise as well as to create further fuel savings and CO2 emissions reductions. Based on this, airBaltic, with the local air traffic services provider, created new procedures, and the airline trialed them before they were released to other operators flying into Riga (figure 9).
“The direct impact is approximately 25 kg and using continuous descent and reduced distance adds an additional 25kg to the savings. This also enables us to reduce CO2 plus the financial savings are substantial.”
The top two maps show pre-RNP AR arrival routings for runways 18 and 36 and by vectoring aircraft around Riga in lengthy patterns, they were no good for fuel efficiency. With the new procedures (bottom graph), the aim was to reduce track miles with fuel efficiency savings as a result. Based on a data analysis that we undertook, each approach generated approximately 50kg in fuel savings from top of descent to landing. The direct impact is approximately 25 kg and using continuous descent and reduced distance adds an additional 25kg to the savings. This also enables us to reduce CO2 plus the financial savings are substantial. There has also been a positive impact with regard to noise levels with the RNP AR arrival procedures generating less noise around the airport. One thing not related to RNP AR is that we were initially researching capabilities to reduce acceleration altitudes to save some fuel but this research led to us increasing that altitude from 1500ft to 3000ft. It is not so much a flight efficiency improvement as a sustainability measure for communities living around the airport. We used Honeywell GoDirect Flight Efficiency software to come to the conclusions. We determined the savings achieved by using the entities list on the portal and analyzing the non-RNP AR and RNP-AR approach data in Power BI afterwards. We were trying to get the flights to match as closely as possible, so that meant including filters such as that top of descent should not be lower than FL280, because we noticed that, if it’s higher or at this level, the savings difference is negligible. We also applied a flaps position filter which equals to ‘FLAP 4’ setting or standard flaps to avoid saving differences created by different aircraft configurations. As a matter of fact, we do not track reduced
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 54
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
“We added additional duties for four flight efficiency pilots because we needed more resources to work on the flight efficiency project. They are also the eyes and ears of flight efficiency analysts — what we cannot see in the data, they can tell us…” On the graph, the red line is for regular procedures leading to ILS (Instrument Landing System) while the blue line is for RNP AR with that initial specific approach fix. In addition to fuel savings, RNP AR also produced time savings of about two minutes per arrival. flaps take-off and landing because we have a performance application, which selects the most optimal value based on external factors. But if we were to look at the data in Honeywell Forge, we would see that 95% of flights are using the most efficient flaps as it is already rooted in the pre-flight process. Afterwards, we analyzed the data. An important thing to do is actually look at the data for many dates and data points, and you can see that the savings are quite consistent with various factors — such as weather impacting each day’s average fuel consumption (figure 10).
At the time of writing, we were working on several projects to continue our fuel efficiency program (figure 11).
2023 – PROGRESS SO FAR Project
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More time resources available to Flight Efficiency Project
Introduction of A220 Fuel Flow Factor
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More precise data available § Increased confidence in flight planning to flight dispatchers and pilots system. about aircraft fuel burn § Reduced Extra Fuel Uplift. deviations § Less Overburn cases to investigate.
RW18 Arrivals Fuel Burn Comparison (via TICAC IAF) 400
06-09-2021 08-09-2021 10-09-2021 12-09-2021 14-09-2021 16-09-2021 18-09-2021 20-09-2021 22-09-2021 24-09-2021 26-09-2021 28-09-2021 30-09-2021 02-10-2021 04-10-2021 06-10-2021 08-10-2021 10-10-2021 12-10-2021 14-10-2021 16-10-2021 18-10-2021 20-10-2021 22-10-2021 24-10-2021 26-10-2021 28-10-2021 30-10-2021 01-11-2021 03-11-2021 05-11-2021 07-11-2021 09-11-2021 11-11-2021 13-11-2021 15-11-2021 17-11-2021 19-11-2021 21-11-2021 23-11-2021 25-11-2021 27-11-2021 29-11-2021 01-12-2021 03-12-2021 05-12-2021 07-12-2021 09-12-2021 11-12-2021 13-12-2021 15-12-2021 17-12-2021 19-12-2021 21-12-2021 23-12-2021 25-12-2021 27-12-2021 29-12-2021 31-12-2021 02-01-2022 04-01-2022 06-01-2022 08-01-2022 10-01-2022 12-01-2022 14-01-2022 16-01-2022 18-01-2022 20-01-2022 22-01-2022 24-01-2022 26-01-2022 28-01-2022 30-01-2022 01-02-2022 03-02-2022 05-02-2022 07-02-2022 09-02-2022 11-02-2022 13-02-2022 15-02-2022 17-02-2022 19-02-2022 21-02-2022 23-02-2022 25-02-2022 27-02-2022 01-03-2022 03-03-2022 05-03-2022 07-03-2022 09-03-2022 11-03-2022 13-03-2022 15-03-2022 17-03-2022
Fuel Burn from T/D to Landing (kg)
2021 – RNP AR ARRIVAL ANALYSIS
PROGRESS SO FAR
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Improved guidelines and Flight Efficiency Booklet Rev. 2 § suggestions on best flight Release (To be released) efficiency
§ Higher adherence to flight efficiency initiatives. § Improved understanding of aircraft systems
Date NON RNP AR Arrival Procedure
RNP AR Arrival Procedure (via TICAC)
• Due to reduction in flight distance and higher descent angle achieved during descent, RNP AR arrivals produce fuel and time savings compared to approaches with ATC vectors combined with ILS arrival procedures. • Results analyzed on day to day basis with external factor impact also showing consistent savings
Figure 10
Figure 11
We added additional duties for four flight efficiency pilots because we needed more resources to work on the flight efficiency project. They are also the eyes and ears of flight efficiency analysts — what we cannot see in the data, they can tell us by contacting us, and that is really important. They are also ambassadors for flight efficiency.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 55
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
IMPROVED RESULTS
With all of the hard work already invested, we have seen an improvement in IMPROVED RESULTS results (figure 12). § Postflight Extra Fuel
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IMPROVED RESULTS
§ Idle Reverse Idle Reverse Flights % of Total Flights
§ Average A220 Fleet Saving values (Y2022): •
Postflight Extra Fuel – 295 kg (Y2017 – 384 kg)
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Idle Reverse – 98% of all flights (Y2017 – 30%)
“…in 2019, post-flight average extra fuel remaining was declining with further decline in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, and you can see that airBaltic was meeting the goal of 300kg or less…”
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The second project was introducing the A220 Fuel Flow Factor, which has meant more precise data being available to pilots and flight dispatchers to make them more aware of fuel burn deviations highlighting. This also led to fewer overburn cases to investigate, which reduced our workload. Last but not least, was the Flight Efficiency booklet (see figure 8 and copy) issue 2, which we were planning to release and in which there had been further inputs by the flight efficiency pilots. We expected it to support higher levels of adherence to flight efficiency initiatives and encourage an improved understanding of the aircraft’s systems.
Here you can see the efficiencies that we have covered above, post-flight and single engine taxi-in, and levels of adherence to them. As we can see, in 2019, post-flight average extra fuel remaining was declining with further decline in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, and you can see that airBaltic was meeting the goal of 300kg or less but there was an increase towards the end of 2021. That was because, after the pandemic, we appointed a lot of new pilots and there was line training for them when they needed more extra fuel. The same goes for single engine taxi-in numbers, which were improving — previously, adherence had been really low, whereas now it is constantly increasing. And it is the same again for idle-reverse flights (figure 13).
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 56
A220 - Y2020
A220 - Y2021
A220 - Y2022
CASE STUDY: AIRBALTIC
After making this a standard operating procedure (SOP), we have seen it used on 98% of flights. That said, one important note is that we provide all this as guidance to pilots, it is not that they are expected to do it on every flight but as per the environment and conditions surrounding the flight.
This has been our journey to flight and fuel efficiency at airBaltic to date. We are pleased with these achievements so far and will continue to work towards our goals. This is not a one-off project — it is an important element in the good management of our business.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
In the short term, we are looking forward to the introduction by Honeywell of Pilot Connect Mobile Application. As we have seen, the interactive experience will further drive efficiency results. Moving on to mid-term, we are researching a concept called GPU to GPU with the idea that we can reduce APU use as much as possible. During the pandemic, we wanted to do the right thing and have the APU on as much as possible to maintain fresh air flow in the cabin. By doing the GPU to GPU project, first at our home base in Riga, we are trying to ensure that pilots do not use any APU at all and get connected to GPU right away to reduce fuel burn and emissions. In the long-term, we continue to work on sustainable aviation practices, increasing SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) uplift, and researching electric/ hydrogen aircraft propulsion.
SUMMARY
Here are five key takeaways from my own experience as a fuel efficiency analyst. • Ensure guidance • Do not overcomplicate it because efficiency is only one of a pilot’s priorities; • Based on this, you should adapt the information accordingly and, as a final measure, make efficiency part of SOPs, it should not be a side project. • Use all the tools available • A Full Flight Simulator is a great place to test theory in practice; • Using Honeywell Forge we are able to fine-tune initiatives to adapt to real-world challenges • Involve and work together with pilots • You need to understand that the data does not always paint the full picture, which is why you need to have eyes and ears among the pilots. • Do not stop or be discouraged • We undertake a lot of case studies and work on this topic, and not every case study will lead to the implementation of a new efficiency initiative. Do not give up or stop trying. • See the bigger picture • It is not about fuel efficiency now; it is about flight efficiency. Sometimes flying at a non-optimal cost index for that specific flight could save the schedule and actually reduce the overall expenses and total fuel and CO2 emissions for the company.
RIHARDS KĀRLIS EIZENTĀLS
Rihards, who joined airBaltic in 2016 as Fuel Efficiency Analyst, has a proven track record of boosting flight efficiency through research, project implementation, and training. He is passionate about sustainability, with experience in analyzing sustainable aviation fuel usability and performing cost-benefit analysis for airline projects. As Flight Operations Digital Solutions Manager at airBaltic since 2021, Rihards is driven to achieve growth and development of the aviation sector with the use of new technologies and digitalization.
AIRBALTIC
The Latvian national airline airBaltic offers connections to more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Caucasus region. Over the last 28 years, airBaltic has developed as a strong and internationally respected airline, with more than 2,400 employees. The airBaltic fleet consists of 44 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, making it one of the youngest fleets in Europe. The airline has received several international awards for excellence, innovative services and significant achievements. Skytrax has awarded airBaltic two years in a row as the best airline in its region. Additionally, in 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) awarded airBaltic the Diversity and Inclusion Team Award. In 2023 the airline received the APEX Passenger Choice Award of Best Cabin Service in Europe.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE
Honeywell Flight Efficiency is an advanced fuel efficiency and airline data analytics solution. More aircraft rely on Honeywell Flight Efficiency to improve flight efficiency and reduce carbon emissions than any other solution. The software connects stakeholders across the organization to provide a unified source of truth for all operationsrelated data. Honeywell’s advanced analytics help users to uncover the hidden potential. Even airlines with mature and sophisticated fuel-efficiency programs have unlocked significant additional savings by implementing Honeywell Flight Efficiency.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 57
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: INFORMATION DESIGN ONE
Benjamin Walther explains how a tight focus on their area of expertise has enable Information Design One to become a class leader in the field of turning data into information Benjamin has spent his whole professional career in the aviation industry, currently being the CEO of Information Design One. The common theme of his previous positions has always been to support global airlines to establish a new level of situational awareness through digitalization. Now, at Information Design One, he has all the tools at his disposal to make this vision accessible through comprehensive IT products and custom solutions. Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title, and the name of the business? Benjamin Walther: Benjamin Walther, CEO, Information Design One. Aircraft IT: How did Information Design One get started? BW: That’s quite an interesting story. In the midnineties, Lufthansa initiated a big digitalization project. All the big players were keen to secure that project. However, there was a small Frankfurt-based IT company that had recently been founded by two young IT entrepreneurs, that wanted to spoil the party. They spent countless hours on the concept and the proposal and in the end won the project over all the big names. Information Design One had its first big project. And not just any project. A project that enabled the continuous growth of the company in the following decades. By delivering on
their promises and creating a state-of-the-art data exchange platform, ID1 became a household name at Lufthansa when it comes to operational IT projects. In 2023, this might be truer than ever before, as we are working on some of our biggest digital transformation projects with Lufthansa at the moment! Over the years, we used our expertise and knowledge to expand the reach of our company. Not just by acquiring new customers but also by developing a product line-up tailored to the needs of the aviation industry. For each product there might be other solutions on the market, but none of them even comes close to the aviation focus that the ID1 line-up offers. Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives Information Design One? BW: Our clear vision is to turn aviation data into AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 58
valuable and insightful information. With that, we want to be the first choice for clients, employees and partners within the aviation technology sector. Based on this and our strategy we systematically develop products and services aiming to make our clients’ performance transparent and more efficient Aircraft IT: What has Information Design One’s greatest business achievement been to date, and why? BW: To be honest, the whole development of the company. From a start-up that created a data exchange platform for Lufthansa to a renowed company, that has more than 25 customers in Europe, MEA and Asia, is a great achievement that we like to regard with pride. Additionally, we have developed a strong and clear-cut expertise in our enterprise business along with a product line up that is industry-leading in its areas.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
“We help airlines and airports to turn data into insightful information at all levels of the operations process to improve efficiency and stability.” Aircraft IT: What have been your disappointments and what have you learned from them? BW: In the recent past, we tried to enter the B2C market with our app FlightFacts. The app was designed to give the user detailed insights into the flight operations performance of different airlines and airports. It was designed well and had a great set of features, but it did not fulfil our expectations from a business perspective. As a company we were not able to tailor and promote the app to the target audience, let alone define and find our target audience. The biggest learning was that B2C is
different, and that the B2B business is our strength that we should focus on completely. In the aftermath, we did exactly that by clearly defining the offering of our enterprise business to focus on what we do best. Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what Information Design One does for aircraft operations customers? BW: We help airlines and airports to turn data into insightful information at all levels of the operational process to improve efficiency and stability.
Aircraft IT: What do you feel will be the next big thing in operations Aviation IT? BW: Boring, but honest answer: A.I. Especially in our field, data analytics and pattern recognition capabilities will transform how the operations process can be data-driven through forecasting and automatic action recommendations. We are already exploring this field and the possibilities we see are huge. We are very excited about what will come soon. Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about Information Design One? BW: We want to be regarded as an institution in the field of data-driven airline operations, that always delivers highly tailored solutions to worldwide customers. Every customer should get the feeling that their solution is the absolute best for its very own operations setup. Aircraft IT: Benjamin, thank you for your time.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 59
AIRCRAFT IT Operations
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
A new solution for fuel efficiency at Viva Aerobus Paola Cavazos, Operations Engineering Manager at VIVA AEROBUS and François Chazelle, Head of Sales Support, Flight Efficiency at SITA FOR AIRCRAFT describe how predictive analytics to have been used to drive flight efficiencies, fuel savings and sustainability AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 60
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
I
n this case study, we want to take readers through how the experience at Viva Aerobus has been using the OptiClimb® solution, a solution for fuel efficiency in the climb-out phase. But first, and to set the scene, we’ll share with you some information about Viva Aerobus.
VIVA AEROBUS
Viva Aerobus is known for being the most affordable, low-cost airline in Mexico (figure 1) with the youngest fleet in Latin America: also, it is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world.
About Viva Aerobus The most affordable, low-cost airline in Mexico. Featuring the youngest fleet in Latin America and one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world. +17 years in business
Looking at the fleet, all the aircraft are from the Airbus A320/A321 family and are all with high density configuration, for a low-cost carrier, with a growing number of the aircraft being NEO versions. The goal is to transport 100 million passengers by the end of 2030.
HOW OPTICLIMB WORKS — THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SOLUTION
It was fortunate for SITA for Aircraft to have been able to engage with Viva Aerobus during the period of the COVID pandemic. Mexico was hit by COVID a bit later than other places and so it was possible to start flights when activity was really slow in other regions of the world. The process started with building OptiFlight® Machine learning (ML) performance models using historical flight data from Viva Aerobus and collecting one year of actual flight data for each aircraft (figure 2).
64-aircraft fleet with 5 average age(1)
SITA OptiFlight® – Leveraging Flight Data for Predictive Analytics
5 Operating bases(2)
Machine Learning predictive models for each tail number
27.7% domestic market share; 18.4% international market share(3)
1. Building the models
150 routes – 118 domestic & 32 international; 57 destinations +3000 staff members
1 Year of Historical Flight Data
Regular Flight Data Stream
Machine Learning
Machine Learning
Initial Predictive Performance Models
Updated Predictive Performance Models
for each tail
Viva recognized as Value Airline of the Year 2021 by Air Transport World Awarded as the second youngest fleet in North America by ch-aviation
Figure 1
The airline, founded in November 2006 so with seventeen years of operations, has a fleet of 78 aircraft with an average age of five years; recognized as the second youngest fleet in North America by ch-aviation. Most operations are in Mexico where the airline has a 27.7 percent market share but there are some international flights, to the USA as well as to Cuba and Colombia; Viva Aerobus has an 18.4 percent share of international flights from Mexico. There are over 3,000 employees across five operating bases and they are all really proud of what Viva Aerobus has achieved since launch.
2. Updating the models
for each tail number
for each tail
for each tail number
Figure 2
“Mexico was hit by COVID a bit later than other places and so it was possible to start flights when activity was really slow in other regions of the world.” AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 61
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
“This was done using OptiFlight®’s predictive models to run tens of thousands of scenarios, virtually flying the aircraft in order to be able to predict the fuel burn for each scenario and recommend the best scenario to the pilots.”
Then, using Machine learning, the OptiFlight® team built predictive models that allowed them to predict the vertical profile, fuel burn and the flight time in different phases of flight. The OptiFlight® team continued to receive data from Viva Aerobus so that they could, first, measure the savings but also continuously refresh the tail specific performance models. Then, on a day-to-day basis, OptiFlight® collects the information for each specific upcoming flight from the flight plan plus weather information in order to be able to make tactical recommendations for each flight (figure 3).
This was done using OptiFlight®’s predictive models to run tens of thousands of scenarios, virtually flying the aircraft in order to be able to predict the fuel burn for each scenario and recommend the best scenario to the pilots. The way that the recommendations are sent to the pilots is in the briefing package which we’ll look at below. Because the aim was to get the most efficient outcome as soon as possible, the focus was on OptiClimb® to optimize the climb-out phase (figure 4).
SITA OptiClimb® – Climb-out Optimization Customized climb speeds for each flight
SITA OptiFlight® – Bringing Data Science to the Cockpit Using predictive models for flight-specific recommendations to pilots
Opportunity
Challenge
Solution
Climb consumes an important amount of fuel and can be further optimized
Most complex phase with many parameters changing at the same time
Customized speed changes at different altitudes for each climb
Cruise Level
Crossover
SITA OptiClimb M.76
à During flight preparation, enter in the FMS VERT REV page: 241/FL120 à At FL120, select 288 kt through the FCU
IAS 288 KTS
« What-if » Engine
à At FL299, press SPD / MACH push-button and adjust to M.0.76
FL120
IAS 241 KTS
OFP
Predictive Performance Model
4D Weather Forecast
Figure 3
Flight with OptiClimb
Flight without OptiClimb
Fuel flow with OptiClimb
Fuel flow without OptiClimb
Climb is a systematic savings opportunity
Figure 4
Climb-out uses a high level of thrust during the first twenty to thirty minutes of the flight, so there is significant potential for savings; but it’s also the most complex phase of the flight with many parameters evolving as the aircraft ascends, such as winds and temperatures, altitude, the weight of the aircraft, the aerodynamics, the changing angle of attack and more. Because of this complexity, efficiency in the climb-out cannot be resolved in a simple equation and that is where the predictive models come into play. By virtually flying the AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 62
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
aircraft in tens of thousands of scenarios, the fuel burn can be predicted for each of them to make the best recommendation to pilots. Those recommendations come in the form of recommended climb speeds; there are two indicated air speeds and one climb Mach being used for the climb phase. Instead of using 250kt to Flight Level 100, which complies with the regulation which says 250kt maximum up to a minimum of 10,000ft, you can actually use a lower initial speed. A lower indicated air speed is a lower horizontal speed resulting in a higher vertical speed with a higher climb angle to get higher sooner where less fuel will be consumed. You can see in the example in figure 4 we’re actually using a first speed of 241kt instead of 250kt and then that speed is being maintained not just to Flight Level 100 but to Flight Level 120 maintaining the initial climb angle to get higher sooner whereas, if the pilot accelerates at Flight Level 100, as ECON (ECONomy mode for flight cost index) always does, that will increase the horizontal speed, decreasing the vertical speed and flattening the trajectory, staying low. The aircraft will then accelerate to a second IAS (Indicated Airspeed) speed, in this example at Flight Level 120 (speeds and acceleration altitudes are different for each flight). This speed will be based on the altitude at which the speed change is made but also taking into account winds and temperatures every one thousand feet. Finally, we’ll use a climb Mach instead of using the Cruise Mach for the final phase of the climb because, if you use the cruise Mach at a lower altitude than cruise, that will result in a higher True Airspeed than the final True Airspeed which is a loss of energy. This is not a policy, it’s something that comes out of predicting tens of thousands of scenarios and usually this is what OptiClimb® finds; a lower speed than 250kt or 250kt itself but maintained to a higher altitude and a lower climb MACH than the cruise MACH or equal to the cruise MACH. This is why climb-out offers a systematic savings opportunity because we can actually bring the aircraft to the same point in distance at the
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CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
Figure 5 will give readers an understanding of why Viva Aerobus took the decision to implement OptiClimb® and why it was quite an easy decision to make. With this proof of concept, the airline could see the results that they wanted to have for the business.
SITA OptiClimb® Trial Campaign Results at Viva Aerobus Test campaign
“…we want to respect the Cost Index of the airline so OptiClimb® will only make those recommendations that achieve the same results in time but save fuel…” same time — we don’t want to compromise on time, we want to respect the Cost Index of the airline so OptiClimb® will only make those recommendations that achieve the same results in time but save fuel thanks to a more optimal trade-off between horizontal and vertical speeds.
TESTING OPTICLIMB®AT VIVA AEROBUS
All of that makes a lot of sense but how can an airline or operator make sure that what a vendor is trying to sell to them is right for their airline. When they try to put new solutions or new software into their businesses, what they want to be sure of is that it’s actually saving money because, of course, all of these solutions have a cost. So how can airlines and operators actually make sure that those promised savings will be realized? This is why, for Viva Aerobus, it was very important to have a proof of concept for the proposed solution.
§
Deployment of the solution for all of the crews from April to July 2020 (4 months trial).
§
+37,000 historical and reference flights for building the models.
§
OFPs received and analyzed for almost 5000 flights.
§
Fleet of 35 A320 aircraft.
Figure 5
Viva Aerobus ran a trial campaign from April to July 2020, a four-month trial period which seems a lot of time but that was at the start of the pandemic so there was not a lot of flying taking place. But the airline wanted to gather a lot of data in order to generate a good case for the business. Prior to the trial, Viva Aerobus shared historical data with OptiFlight® to build the models and then, when the trial was underway with real operations and day-to-day flights, the best recommendations could be generated for the specific conditions encountered on those flights because they took into account the actual weight for that mission as well as the weather and other material conditions.
“That enabled the airline to analyze almost four thousand flights with an average of 71kg of fuel saved per climb compared to the standard climb profile at the time.”
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 64
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
“…the cumulative savings for the year were 5,000 tonnes total fuel saved compared to the previous climb procedures. That all translated into a carbon footprint reduction of more than 15,000 tonnes of CO2 over the 96,000 flights…” In this trial, Viva Aerobus saw an outstanding application rate for OptiClimb® of 83%. That enabled the airline to analyze almost four thousand flights with an average of 71kg of fuel saved per climb compared to the standard climb profile at the time. That was why the decision was quite easy and why Viva Aerobus was very comfortable moving forward with the solution. It was an outstanding application rate which was very useful because it meant a lot of OptiClimb® flights to analyze. The first step in the analysis is to look at the flight data to see whether the pilots have applied the recommended speeds, not just any speeds but selected speeds where it can be seen that there was a pilot action to choose the speeds that the solution recommended. Then, for each of the nearly four thousand OptiClimb® flights, using the same predictive models that were used before the flights but this time with the parameters from the actual flight itself, using the aircraft’s sensors, it was possible to predict what would have been the equivalent ECON flight in the exact same conditions. That allowed the solution to come up with savings for each OptiClimb® flight. In figure 6, you can see the distribution of those four thousand flights based on take-off weight and top of climb. SITA OptiClimb® – Savings achieved by Viva Aerobus on A320 Family fleet SITA OptiClimb customer since January 2021
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Figure 6 shows that, when the flights go higher, they conserve and save more fuel. Within the ellipse is where there was the highest concentration of flights and it can be seen that the numbers are converging towards the average fuel saving of 71kg or 72kg of fuel saved per climb.
ACTUAL SAVINGS ACHIEVED
Viva Aerobus started operations with OptiClimb® as the standard operating procedure in the company on January 1st 2021 and the results that were gathered for that first year of operation (figure 7) delivered an average fuel saving per climb of 72kg.
SITA OptiClimb® – Savings achieved by Viva Aerobus in 2021 SITA OptiClimb Results January – December 2021
72 kg
72%
5,000 t
15,700 t
Average Savings per Climb
Application Rate
Total Fuel Saved
Total CO2 Footprint Reduction
96,000 OptiClimb flights in 2021
Figure 7
9 10
The application rate was also 72% and the cumulative savings for the year were 5,000 tonnes total fuel saved compared to the previous climb procedures. That all translated into a carbon footprint reduction of more than 15,000 tonnes of CO2 over the 96,000 flights analyzed. You won’t be surprised to know that Viva Aerobus was very happy with those results.
PROVIDING THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PILOTS
It was very important to the Viva Aerobus team that, when the trial campaign was carried out, they actually worked with the crews in order to get their impressions of
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 65
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
how they felt about the solution but also, how was their reception of the information and if it was easy for them to receive it, to use it and to analyze it (figure 8).
Integration in-House EFB : Vivalinq
Providing the recommendations to pilots In-house EFB and E-mails In-house EFBP
SITA OptiClimb
SFTP
OFPs
SITA OptiClimb
Providing the right information at the right time
E-mails
Figure 9 Figure 8
While, at the beginning, this information was being sent by email, as the airline was also moving forward at the same time with developing an in-house EFB solution, the team developing the EFB was able to incorporate this into the briefing package (figure 9).
Nowadays, the crews receive all of the crucial information for their flight in the flight package on the same screen as the Weight & Balance, the Flight Plan, etc. in the OptiClimb® briefing. This is very useful for them and the airline is very happy to have been able to do that with SITA for Aircraft. Sometimes there are some ATC directives that impact on using OptiClimb®
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 66
CASE STUDY: VIVA AEROBUS
and there might be airport requirements such that the OptiClimb® profile cannot be flown. It doesn’t happen often but there are cases. Viva Aerobus’s instruction to pilots is to try to follow the whole recommendation through the whole climb phase, as we said above, but if they are asked by ATC to, say, speed up in order to separate the traffic, they must comply. It is important to mention that even if the pilot doesn’t follow one hundred percent of the OptiClimb® recommended climb profile for a flight, there will still be savings. Also, airlines will want to be sure that, in making fuel savings, they are not increasing maintenance costs. OptiFlight® has a partnership with Safran which is an engine manufacturer who looked at OptiClimb® flight profiles and deduced that reaching top of climb earlier puts less strain on the engine and is actually likely to be reducing maintenance costs.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Before we close the article, there has been a lot of talk about efficiency, mainly fuel efficiency, but what is the reason why an airline like Viva Aerobus would do this? There are two main reasons. Of course, when we talk about fuel, that is directly related to cost because, in the case of Viva Aerobus, fuel accounts for more than fifty percent of the total cost of operations; so, when we are talking about fuel efficiency, we are talking about money. And it’s really important to not forget that we are also actors in the drive for sustainability and aviation is contributing to reduce the global CO2 footprint. Sometimes we might think that the actions we are taking are meaningless. But, if we all hold ourselves accountable to do so, we can really make a difference and it’s very important not to forget that. We might also think that disrupting technologies, such as OptiClimb®, have no impact but they really do. It’s really
important for all of us in the industry to seek for all the solutions out there, give them a try but in the event that they let airlines and operators try out campaigns and proofs of concept, it can be seen that there’s an impact. So, we would really encourage readers to look for these disruptive solutions like OptiClimb® to really make a difference, not just for cost but also for sustainability, a win-win for all involved.
PAOLA CAVAZOS
After graduating in Aeronautical Engineering from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Paola joined Viva Aerobus in 2017 as a Flight Operations and Performance Engineer. In 2020, she was appointed Fuel Conservation and Performance Chief and, in 2021, Operations Engineering Manager. Paola has experience with Airbus A320 Boeing 737 fleet fuel consumption analysis as well as performance analysis support for performance engineers. She also has experience with Lean and Six Sigma projects.
FRANÇOIS CHAZELLE
With previous experience in Bureau Veritas and Airbus, François Joined Safety Line in 2016 as Chief Commercial Officer. In 2021, when Safety Line became part of SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, François was appointed Head of Sales Support, Safety Line then, in 2022, VP Commercial Middle East & Africa for SITA FOR AIRCRAFT. Later in 2022, François was appointed Head of Sales Support, Flight Efficiency, SITA FOR AIRCRAFT.
VIVA AEROBUS
As the most profitable and accessible low-cost airline in Mexico, Viva Aerobus has carried more than 64.5 million passengers in its 17-year history, thanks to the efforts of its more than 3,000 employees and a well-structured business model. The fleet includes 64 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family of A320 and A321, both CEO and NEO versions. The fleet is recognized as the youngest in Latin America and there are further new aircraft on order.
SITA FOR AIRCRAFT
SITA For Aircraft represents the aircraft arm of SITA, the IT provider for the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Today, SITA drives operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports. SITA’s technology provides solutions that help more than 40 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel, while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to more than 400 airlines on 17,000 aircraft globally. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT INTERACTIVE SUBSCRIBE HERE CLICK HERE TO READ ALL FUTURE EDITIONS AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 67
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: SKYPATH
Hagay Makov shares insights on Skypath’s innovative clean air turbulence prediction solution which has made the company a leader in safety and passenger comfort Hagay Makov has been the VP Business Development at SkyPath for the last two years. Before joining SkyPath Hagay led the Business Development at the Rotary Wing Division at Elbit System Ltd. Hagay holds a joint B.A. in Economics and Aviation from Haifa University, Israel. In his spare time, Hagay enjoys making boutique Olive Oil on his Farm near the Carmel mountains. Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title, and the name of the business? Hagay Makov: Hagay Makov, Business Development VP, SkyPath. Aircraft IT: How did SkyPath get started? HM: SkyPath was founded by an experienced Airline Captain, Instructor, and Line Check Airman, who couldn’t find any good solution for Turbulence and PIREP challenges. The industry lacked information to support decision-making and the process of
increasing real-time data was slow and inefficient. Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives SkyPath? HM: Enhance safety and operational efficiency of the aviation industry by improving ride quality of the flight, and to lead the industry through innovative data solutions. We aim to be valued and trusted by our customers, employees and shareholders. Before SkyPath, there were no adequate tools to accurately report and predict turbulence; meteorological
forecasts and pilot turbulence reports are inaccurate 85% of the time, and weather radar cannot detect Clear Air Turbulence. SkyPath’s unique crowdsourcing platform detects Turbulence and notifies pilots and ground operation services regarding upcoming encounters in real time. Later this year, we are releasing SkyPath V5.0 with a game changer Nowcasting capability, a real-time Machine Learning model for Precise Short-Term Turbulence Predictions. This is a big step forward for SkyPath and the whole aviation industry.
“Before SkyPath, there were no adequate tools to accurately report and predict turbulence; meteorological forecasts and pilot turbulence reports are inaccurate 85% of the time…” AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 68
AIRCRAFT IT Operations: VENDOR FLIGHT LOG
“…Later this year, we are releasing SkyPath V5.0 with a game changer Nowcasting capability, a real-time Machine Learning model for Precise Short-Term Turbulence Predictions. This is a big step forward for SkyPath and the whole aviation industry…”
Aircraft IT: What has SkyPath’s greatest business achievement been to date, and why? HM: Earning recognition as experts in the field of turbulence within the industry is a significant achievement that not only solidifies our expertise but also paves the way for exciting and diverse collaborations. This recognition unlocks numerous opportunities. We find ourselves at the forefront of innovative projects and ventures, establishing connections that enable us to further advance our impact and influence on safety in the aviation sector. Aircraft IT: What have been your disappointments and what have you learned from them? HM: Collaborating with leading commercial aviation carriers sometimes involves long processes, and we are always striving for faster progress, particularly for a safety-enhancing solution like ours. We are committed to simplifying and streamlining our collaboration to make it as convenient and straight forward as possible for them. Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what SkyPath does for aircraft operations customers? HM: SkyPath improves airline operations from
planning to execution. Improving passenger ride quality, and reducing crew and passenger injuries, aircraft downtime, and fuel costs. Aircraft IT: What do you feel will be the next big thing in operations Aviation IT? HM: Data and Machine Learning are most definitely the new revolution in the aviation industry. I believe SkyPath is on the cusp of introducing a groundbreaking development with our upcoming Nowcasting technology. Until recently, the prevailing belief was that predicting turbulence in general and CAT specifically is an impossible task. Our innovation represents a game-changing paradigm shift in the field of aviation operations. Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about SkyPath HM: Our goal is to build long-lasting relationships with our customers, who confidently affirm that, since teaming up with SkyPath, they have experienced reduced passenger discomfort when flying through turbulence. We seek to become essential partners, ensuring that our collaboration is productive and trustworthy. Aircraft IT: Hagay Makov, thank you for your time. AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 69
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations
CASE STUDY: VUELING
End to End digital document management leveraging Vistair’s DocuNet is transforming Vueling’s Flight Operations
Mar Albaladejo Mans, Flight Ops projects, manuals and operational supervision manager and Xavier Merencio Espar, EFB administrator and Flight Ops projects engineer, both at Vueling share using a Document Management System as a cornerstone of the digitization of Flight Operations AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 70
CASE STUDY: VUELING
H
aving gone through the process of upgrading our document management system in order for it to support Vueling’s broader digital transformation plans, we want to share the story of our journey, starting with our vision, for airlines considering embarking on a similar digital journey across flight operations.
THE VISION
Vueling’s vision of modern flight operations is based on three main pillars (figure 1).
Our vision
Digitalization
Improve/increase data control, gain flexibility, reduce costs and contribute to our commitment to sustainability by digitizing all documentation.
Automation
Enhance operational performance, reduce timings and minimize human error by automating processes
VUELING’S EFB ENVIRONMENT Reduction of workload
Focus the attention of our crews on safety, punctuality and customer care by reducing non-value-added tasks
Figure 1
The first pillar is digitalization to reduce costs, improve data control, increase 2 flexibility and support Vueling’s environmental commitments. The next pillar is automation which helps to enhance operational performance, reduce timings and minimize human error. Last but not least, is the reduction of workload: reducing non-value-added tasks will help our crews to focus on customer wellbeing, safety and punctuality. But first, at the heart of our digitalization strategy, is Vueling’s EFB system.
Vueling has a hybrid solution which means that, at the time of writing, the airline had two types of devices with two very clear use cases (figure 2.0). All of these devices, both Surface and iPad, have mobile data built-in and are remotely managed. Vueling’s EFB solution We have a hybrid solution that allows us to take advantage of the best of both worlds
Mobile data in all devices
“Vueling has a hybrid solution which means that, at the time of writing, the airline had two types of devices with two very clear use cases…”
Aircraft-attached Surface
Figure 2.0
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 71
Remotely managed
Pilot-attached iPad
CASE STUDY: VUELING
Microsoft Surface
First of all, we have aircraft attached Surface devices which were the first EFBs that Vueling implemented in 2019 with two Microsoft Surface devices attached to the cockpit plus an additional back-up device (figure 2.1). Aircraft attached EFB (Surface) We have designed a customized kiosk on top of Windows 10 adapted to the needs of our operation
Customized miscellaneous functionalities. Among others: • Automatic airplane mode activation • Brightness adjustment through volume buttons
Quick access to all apps
Apps access with information about app version and database version installed
Device number. Aircraft registration obtained from avionics that feeds the apps
access, which is important as this top bar is visible at all times during the operation of the EFB. So, no matter what applications they are running, they will always be able to check battery and connectivity status; they will always be able to toggle between applications and also to operate basic system controls. In the central part of the screen there is direct access to all of the applications plus the application versions and the database versions that apply to them so that they can cross-check at a glance whether or not their EFB is properly updated. These applications are updated either by their own updater or by Vueling’s internal updater; it is integrated within the kiosk. What is important is that users can always check their current versions. And then, the bottom part of the screen includes the UTC clock, device number and the registration number: what is interesting about the registration number is that it’s obtained directly from the avionics as our Surface devices are connected to the avionics via AID. Vueling has a fleet of more than 120 Airbus A320 family aircraft and our pilots usually swap between different aircraft during the day so it’s a priority to ensure that all the calculations to support the operation are performed using only the correct data for the specific tail that the pilot is flying. Also, regarding automation, we have, for instance, automatic flight safe mode depending on engine status and also brightness adjustment using a custom development through the volume control buttons.
Figure 2.1
These devices have the applications eQRH (electronic Quick Reference Handbook) for fast QRH consultation from the cockpit, Lido eRouteManual for cartography/flight planning, DocuNet for document and manual consultation and FlySmart for take-off, landing and in-flight performance. On all of the Surface devices, you can see they are just a Windows device with a custom user shell, developed in cooperation with KioWare application so that it can be adapted to the needs of our operation. While we don’t get flight crews distracted with information overloads, they can always access what they need when they need it. As you can see, there is a top bar with basic system information and direct
Apple iPad
On the iPad (figure 2.2) we have installed Lido mBriefing for pre-flight briefing, flight monitoring and post-flight reporting. Pilot attached EFB (iPad) iPad devices are controlled via AirWatch MDM that allows us to control installed apps and their versions.
Operational apps compulsorily installed on the device
“… no matter what applications they are running, they will always be able to check battery status and activity status; they will always be able to toggle between applications and also to operate basic system controls.”
Quick access to operational apps from dock
Figure 2.2
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 72
Limited App store with access to leisure, personal and work apps.
CASE STUDY: VUELING
“… our Windows devices are aircraft attached and part of the MEL which mean that pilots can report defects on the EFB system as they report issues relating to any other part of the aircraft.”
Welcome to a new era Industry Experts, Proven Solutions
Document viewer is also on here for manuals and documents consultation but also, as you’ll see further on, for a customized documentation. There is SureHot for the de-icing and anti-icing holdover time calculations plus Honeywell Pilot Connect for each pilot’s fuel efficiency insights and then Lido mPilot for flight briefing purposes while the pilots are not using their Surface devices. Each pilot has one iPad with LTE, and all of the iPads are controlled by AirWatch MDM so that we always have control over which applications are installed and which versions. Vueling’s policy for the iPad is that it can be used for professional purposes both as an EFB device and as a crew connectivity device as well as a personal leisure device. There are limited applications on what we call Vueling Store which has pre-selected applications from the App Store that crew members can download and use at their will. In order to guarantee pilot access to the operational applications, we place them as fixed elements on the top of the screen. Vueling’s hybrid solution enables us to take advantage of the best of both platforms (figure 2.3).
DocuNet
SafetyNet
Vistair Intelligence
Document Management
Safety, Risk and Compliance
Data Analytics and Intelligence
The world’s most trusted solution built to optimise your technical authoring, document distribution and compliance processes.
A single platform that streamlines SMS processes and enables a proactive safety culture.
A simplified path from data to insight that increases safety and drives decisive competitive advantage.
Vueling’s EFB solution We have a hybrid solution that allows us to take advantage of the best of both worlds Pros
Aircraft attached EFB Windows based
Pilot attached EFB iOS based
Cons
Avionics integration
Lower market share for EFB
Fully customizable
Impaired performance in some environmental conditions
Part of aircraft systems (MEL)
Management workload
Good device performance
Very closed environment
Personal documentation
Background applications
Full access to documentation
Less management control
Figure 2.3
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 73
www.vistair.com
CASE STUDY: VUELING
The important thing here is that the pros of one platform compensate for the cons of the other platforms. For instance, on Windows devices, it’s quite straightforward to get avionics integration because there are not so many compatibility issues and applications can actually communicate quite easily. From the avionics we get origin, destination, flight number and position data; all relevant and timely information for the pilots during the operation. Windows devices are fully customizable, as mentioned above, we have created a totally bespoke kiosk which is adapted to Vueling’s needs and that is something that can only be done with Windows devices. Also, our Windows devices are aircraft attached and part of the MEL which mean that pilots can report defects on the EFB system as they report issues relating to any other part of the aircraft. However, on the downside, Windows devices have a lower market share for EFB devices so, as an operator, we are quite concerned that at some point some developers might even stop developing or supporting applications for the
Windows platform. Also, we have come across some performance issues, mostly related to environmental conditions because these devices are aircraft attached which means that they are exposed to sunlight and everything that happens in the cockpit: especially in the hottest months of the year, we have encountered that the devices don’t perform so well or have even frozen because they are so exposed and the temperature can get so high in some environments. The Windows devices are also, for Vueling, much more workload intensive to manage than iPad devices. On the other hand, each pilot has an iPad and iPads are generally well known for their reliability and good performance but, if we compare them to the Windows devices, pilots carry their iPads in a bag so that the devices are not as exposed. Also having a pilot attached EFB means that we can fine-tune which documentation we deliver to each pilot or which crew member through DocuNet and even through other applications that we have in Vueling Store. Users have
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CASE STUDY: VUELING
full access to their documentation at any time and in any place and, as long as they have their iPad, they will have access to the updated Operations Library On the downside, iOS is a really closed environment, so there is no possibility to communicate between apps of different developers. It’s even harder to develop apps within this platform. Also, with iOS, the way it manages background applications is cumbersome; because we cannot update large volumes of data while the applications are in the background, updating data within an iOS device can be more time consuming. And, while managing iOS devices is easier in terms of workload, there’s definitely a lot less management control. For instance, when we need to deploy new applications or new versions of any application, we cannot just hand-pick the devices that are going to be updated at a certain point in time; we just have to deploy the application and hope for the best. All that considered, we definitely want to keep the hybrid system because, as we said above, the pros of one platform compensate for the cons of the other.
VISTAIR’S DOCUNET USAGE IN VUELING
Let’s zoom in on the DocuNet usage in Vueling. We have been working with the DocuNet system from Vistair for more than five years and it has been an important component in Vueling’s document digitalization and the EFB implementation. Here we share details on the features and functionalities that we like and use the most in Vueling.
DocuNet’s Digital Forms
We start with digital forms (figure 3.1). Zoom in: DocuNet usage in Vueling Our favourite functionalities are:
We h a sear ve crea te ch a nd th d forms to e pr e-flig digitali ze ht ve rific Securit ation y form
Digital forms
Through this application, we can create forms with different types of inputs and formats. For example, we can include signatures, tables, files and images plus it can also include conditional rules that we can use to build the forms, which is really useful to create more user-friendly forms. One good thing with the forms is that, in the application, when a form is submitted, an information banner appears informing the user of the submission status and when the form has been received in the ground servers. This is really important for us because one of the forms that we have digitalized is the security search and our national authority requires that we retain a copy of this form on the ground before the flight departure. Thanks to this functionality, we can ensure that that we comply with this regulation. All the information of the forms is also available through an API (Application Programming Interface) which is useful for us because we can get all the data easily and we can integrate this information with other sources of information in the airline. So, for example, thanks to this, we have implemented, together with our IT team, an alarm system that warns us whenever we haven’t received a form from a specific flight that we should have received.
HTML manuals with enhanced features Read and sign Administration tool: Publishing Hub
Forms can be customized to include various types of inputs (text, date, checkbox, tables, etc.) and can also include different rules, conditionals and automations.
“… we can create forms with different types of inputs and formats. For example, we can include signatures, tables, files and images plus it can also include conditional rules that we can use to build the forms…”
Figure 3.1
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 75
CASE STUDY: VUELING
We are currently implementing a new functionality that is pre-populated information in forms: we share our flight information data with Vistair and, with this, we can pre-populate some information in the forms. It saves time for our crews to fill in this information which reduces their workload but we also, really important for us, can mitigate the issue of wrong manual data entry. Currently, we use digital forms for the security search and also for the pre-flight briefing form which, with our current flight volume, means that we receive and manage more than 1,200 forms per day.
HTML manuals
Let’s now look at HTML manuals (figure 3.2). Zoom in: DocuNet usage in Vueling Our favourite functionalities are: Digital forms HTML manuals with enhanced features Read and sign
OM (in HTML) and manufacturer manuals (in OLB) provide noticeable advantages compared to PDF manuals both for users and administrators. Hybrid model of managed services and self-authoring for enhanced efficiency.
Regulatory references
Rev. per paragraph
Hyperlinks
Administration tool: Publishing Hub acronyms
Spanish so, thanks to the audience filter, the user can select the language in which they want to read the manual. For the manufacturers’ manuals, since they are only in English, the audience filter is replaced by a registration filter; when the crews arrive at the aircraft, they can select with which tail they will be operating that mission so that they see only the information applicable for that tail. Another functionality in the HTML manuals is hyperlinking; we can create links to other parts of the same manual but also to other manuals in HTML. There is also an acronym dictionary for which we have created a list of acronyms internally so that now, every time there is an acronym in the manual that’s included in the dictionary, it appears underlined in the manual for the user to click on it and see the meaning right away which is very useful and time saving for users of the library rather than having to go to the beginning of the manual and check the acronym list. The next thing that we have is the regulatory references in the manuals and, in Vueling we consider regulatory references to be very important so there are plenty of them directly referenced in the Operations Manual. Thanks to this format, we can easily see them and can focus on regulatory compliance. Finally, another particular feature of our manual is that we have implemented the revision control per paragraph which allows us to have a really granular control of all of our amendments. The regulatory references and the revision control are included in a second layer of the manual so that each user can decide whether they want to see this extra piece of information or they want to only focus on the content of the manual.
DocuNet Read and Sign Functionality Language filter
Next thing is the read and sign functionality (figure 3.3) Zoom in: DocuNet usage in Vueling
Figure 3.2
In Vueling we have our OM (Operations Manual) and the manufacturers’ manuals in HTML format which has some noticeable advantages compared to the PDF documents and manuals in the library. One advantage is the audience filter; Vueling’s national authority requires that we have our manual both in English and
Our favourite functionalities are: Digital forms HTML manuals with enhanced features
“Vueling’s national authority requires that we have our manual both in English and Spanish so, thanks to the audience filter, the user can select the language in which they want to read the manual.”
Read and sign Administration tool: Publishing Hub
We can send a document for reading and signing to custom groups of crew members and operations personnel, and effortlessly keep track of the status.
Figure 3.3
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CASE STUDY: VUELING
The read and sign functionality can be activated at the document level through the administration tool. We use this functionality mainly for safety related and time sensitive notifications to our crews. It’s possible to create custom groups to which to assign these read and sign documents and we can then monitor acknowledgement of these documents by user. Through the application, when a new read and sign document is uploaded, as the user opens the application the compliance status comment pops open automatically which means that it gets the immediate attention of the user plus it helps us to get all of the acknowledgements faster. We normally use this read and sign functionality in combination with another functionality which is force install; so, when the application checks for updates and if there are mandatory documents with force install activated, they are automatically downloaded in the application without requiring any manual action.
DocuNet Publishing Hub
Zoom in: DocuNet usage in Vueling Our favourite functionalities are: Digital forms
It allows us to have full control of all users, create roles to limit access, schedule document updates and monitor the status of each device registered in DocuNet.
HTML manuals with enhanced features Read and sign Administration tool: Publishing Hub
Figure 3.4
Last but not least among our favorite functionalities is Publishing Hub, the DocuNet administration tool (figure 3.4).
This is a very powerful tool that allows us to have full control of different parts. It shows the real-time status of all users and devices registered in DocuNet. In
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CASE STUDY: VUELING
“…we can monitor which devices are up-to-date in terms of document updates as well as which users are compliant or not in terms of the read and sign documents.” addition, this means that we can monitor which devices are up-to-date in terms of document updates as well as which users are compliant or not in terms of the read and sign documents. Through the Publishing Hub, we can also create specific roles to group our users and then we assign the relevant documentation to each role. Another part of Publishing Hub and one of the core functionalities is the document library, a self-service management platform that allows us to update and publish all documentation with a lot of flexibility and autonomy; we can even schedule publications for a specific date and time. In this part, for HTML manuals we also have a hybrid model of managed services for the issue of the manuals as well as self-authoring of the documents. Also, Publishing Hub includes all of the forms administration.
HOW VUELING USES THE DOCUNET APPLICATION
Thanks to some of the functionalities covered above, we can customize the experience to the different audiences that we have depending on the usage and the type of DocuNet application. Vueling differentiates three different scenarios where we use DocuNet (figure 4). Zoom in: DocuNet usage in Vueling Using DocuNet in different platforms gives us flexibility to adapt the app to each scenario: v Create roles and select the documentation available for each audience v Enable/disable functionalities depending on the usage of the app in each case v Accurate control of users, devices and documents Aircraft attached + Windows based Only documentation required for the flight Force install No annotations/customization allowed
Crew attached EFB + iOS based Documentation relevant for the role Direct access to common forms Read and sign of Operations Circulars
For example, for the Surface device, we only have available the documents required for the flight. Also, with the Surface we always use the force install functionality to ensure that all the aircraft attached devices are always up-todate. Finally with the Surface, since it is an aircraft attached device, we don’t allow any personalization or user-related functionalities; we don’t allow any annotation or sending of forms through the Surface device. On the other side is the crew attached iPad, and in that DocuNet application what we have is the document that is relevant for each role. For instance, we differentiate between flight crew and cabin crew; then we also have different types of instructions for each group. Through DocuNet in the iPad, what we allow is forms functionality so that all the forms are always sent through the crew members’ iPads plus all the documents requiring read and sign, since that functionality is always linked to a specific user, we only send the documents requiring read and sign to the DocuNet installed in the iPads. Finally, we also have the DocuNet online viewer for the rest of the Operations personnel in Vueling. In the online viewer, there is the full Operations Library available with all the documents. We also give access to the DocuNet online viewer to our ground providers and maintenance providers for a limited number of documents and folders to have access to the specific information that they need to operate.
VUELING’S DIGITALIZATION JOURNEY Staff personnel Online viewer access Operations library fully available Ground and maintenance providers
Forms not allowed
Figure 4
One is DocuNet in the aircraft attached Surface device; then there is DocuNet in the crew attached iPads; and, finally, there is the DocuNet online viewer that is available for all of the Operations personnel. We have different particularities for each different type of DocuNet depending on the usage.
We started working on EFB implementation and digitalization in 2017 and finally, in 2019, we got the approval for the EFB Surface aircraft attached device and, together with that approval, we also gained approval for the digitalization of charts and manuals as well as performance calculations, all in the Surface. We continued to work on the EFB digitalization and last year, 2022, we obtained approval for the pilot attached device, the iPad. Together with that approval, we also started operating with digital forms in the iPad as well as the dispatch and briefing recommendation included in the briefing application in the iPad was also approved. Additionally, we included the Airport Moving Map module in the Lido eRouteManual application installed in the Surface. The program is not yet complete for Vueling; there is still a lot of work to
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CASE STUDY: VUELING
continue with the digitalization — we are working on new projects. Our next objective is to digitalize the loadsheet as well as the Technical and Cabin logbooks that we were working on at the time of writing and on which we hope to have approval in 2024.
AIRCRAFT IT Operations
MAR ALBALADEJO MANS
After graduating in Air Navigation Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Mar Albaladejo studied Aviation Safety Management at Cranfield University. Joining Vueling on an Internship in 2016, she was appointed Flight Ops Manuals Engineer in 2017 and was in charge of the Operations Manual. In 2018, Mar was appointed to the position of Manuals, Projects and Operational Supervision Manager.
XAVIER MERENCIO ESPAR
Graduating in Aerospace Vehicle Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Xavier obtained a Postgraduate Degree in Business Management and an MBA from UPF Barcelona School of Management. He joined Vueling in 2017 as Flight Ops Manuals Engineer. In 2019, he was appointed Auditor & Safety Officer before moving on to the role of Flight Operations Projects Engineer & EFB Administrator in 2022.
VUELING
Vueling is a Spanish low-cost airline with hubs at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (main), Paris-Orly, and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome. It is the largest airline in Spain, measured by fleet size and number of destinations. As of 2021, Vueling serves 122 destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and carried more than 34 million passengers in 2019. The fleet includes 125 aircraft from the Airbus A320/A321 family with both ceo and neo versions.
VISTAIR SYSTEMS
Vistair provides document, safety, and quality management technology solutions to support the delivery of improved safety, compliance, and operational efficiency that results in significant commercial savings to aviation organizations. DocuNet is the aviation industry’s leading end-to end document management solution, providing a coherent, single point of control for editing, publishing, distributing, and viewing all operational documentation. It provides the flexibility to access documents via the web and mobile devices and can also manage documents in all formats. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT INTERACTIVE SUBSCRIBE HERE CLICK HERE TO READ ALL FUTURE EDITIONS
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 79
DIRECTORY
Operations Software Directory Key ‘at-a-glance’ information from the world’s leading Operations software providers. IT is a powerful force but, to leverage its greatest value, it must be harnessed and directed. It must also be able to handle huge and growing data streams that record every aspect in the ways that aircraft fly, how they are readied and the conditions they will meet. This challenge has attracted the best brains and most innovative enterprises to create IT solutions for one of the most demanding working environments, Aircraft Operations. Inevitably, there are many such developers and vendors offering solutions ranging from single function ‘Specialist Point Solutions’ to complete ‘End-to-End’ solutions covering the whole process. Only readers will know the specific requirements of their businesses but we have assembled a directory of the best Operations software providers and listed them alphabetically to make it easier for you to undertake a brief-ish (there are 44 providers and the number continues to grow) survey of the market, preliminary to starting on any specification and selection process. Or you might simply read it to keep up to date with what is available today.
ACFT PERFO
Air Support A/S
W: www.acftperfo.com T: +32 476 76 76 08 E: info@acftperfo.com
W: www.ppsflightplanning.com W: flightwatch.ppsflightplanning.com T: +45 7533 8889 E: sales@airsupport.dk
Location: Waterloo, Belgium
Location: Billund, Denmark
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • WORLD AIRPORT DATABASE Compatible for ALL TO Performance soft • All A/C Types TO. & LAND. • Performance soft • EFB SOFTWARE SUITE • Operational support in Performance and Operations • EFLS Electronic loading system ground operations ACFTPERFO has acquired a solid experience in the development of electronic flight bags tools and related support since start up in 1999. Our products are in continuous evolution in order to adapt to new regulations or practices in this rapidly changing business. We use our expertise to help customers and our commitment is to find the best solution for any challenge an airline could face. Safety is a major concern of our ACFTPERFO team and our airport database has been developed to be the best on the market. It is maintained up to date using extremely efficient tools which guarantee the highest level of accuracy and follow up.
Automated Systems In Aircraft Performance (ASAP) W: www.asapinc.net T: +1 724-742-4777 E: info@asapinc.net
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • PPS Flight Planning, CrewBriefing • Ops Control | Flight Watch
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ASAP STAR System
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Flight Planning • Flight tracking • Crew briefing facilities
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Runway Analysis • Weight and Balance • OEI Turn Procedures • Drift Down • Flt Planning/Sched/Res Integration
AIR SUPPORT specializes in the provision of the desktop and cloud-based flight planning software PPS Flight Planning System (PPS) and the integrated CrewBriefing web application and flight tracking. The PPS Flight Planning System (PPS) is one of the leading flight planning systems in the world due to the optimization of operating costs along with its incredible and flexible usability. PPS generates a complete briefing package available directly on CrewBriefing or its accompanying app, providing the crew with online access to company messages, flight log, trip-tailored surface weather data, NOTAMs, wind- and significant weather charts and the high-quality vertical cross-sectional chart. The combined synergy of PPS will ensure that your airline will have the most modern and powerful flight planning system available. PPS offers: • World’s most flexible airline flight planning system • Automated filing, calculation and dispatch of all selected flights • Automated data import from scheduling/crew/maintenance systems • Automated data export to EFB solutions • Automated consideration of company policies and dispatch parameters • Automated high quality flight briefing packages • Low acquisition and running costs offering highest costbenefit ratio in the market
Automated Systems in Aircraft Performance, Inc. has been supplying runway analysis since 1995. The STAR EFB and Flight Operations software would be a great asset by not only improving safety but also saving money through fuel planning and reduced wear on engines through the use of reduced power takeoffs. The STAR product integrates runway analysis, weight & balance, drift down, flight planning, scheduling, reservations into one easy to use application. Along with these features the product also displays Weather, NOTAMs, and One Engine Inoperative escape routes. To help manage users, devices, and system updates, the Mission Control Module eases the burden for the IT department. You may distribute the application through the Apple Business Manager for more control over software implementation and updates. Additionally, the application has the ability to run with and without an internet connection, allowing pilots and dispatchers to always have the ability to calculate performance data. ASAP provides services for all aircraft variations, configurations, and engine types. All in one application.
• Premium flight tracking via OpsControl
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 80
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
DIRECTORY
Avionics Support Group
AVIOBOOK
AVTECH Sweden
W: www.asqs.net T: +43 1 306 1234 E: sales@asqs.net
W: www.aviobook.aero T: +32 11 72 10 30 E: info@avio.com
W: www.avtech.aero T: +46 8 544 104 80 E: sales@avtech.aero
Location: Florida, USA
Locations: ASQS GmbH, Vienna, Austria, ASQS Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand
Location: Belgium (Hasselt), France (Toulouse), Singapore & Piscattaway
Location: Sweden
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Cockpit EFB Mounts, EFB Power Supplies.
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • IQSMS (Integrated Quality and Safety Management System) • Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) Service • The IQSMS Suite consists of a total of 10 modules, varying according to the operator. (Airlines, Business Jets, Helicopter, Airports, MROs...)
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • AvioBook, AvioBook Connect, AvioBook Cabin, AvioBook Tech, AvioBook Base, AvioBook Systems, AvioBook Data, AvioBook Integrations, AvioBook SaaS
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Aventus NowCastTM - The FMS Optimization • Aventus SIGMA - Severe Weather service • Aventus AIR — Weather Uplink • Consulting Service — ACARS and connection
W: www.asginc.net T: +1 305-378-9786 E: info@asginc.net
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • STC Certification • EFB Mounts • EFB Power Supplies • Avionic Products • Avionics Engineerings Avionics Support Group, Inc. (ASG) is a premier Avionics Systems Integration & FAA-PMA approved Aerospace Manufacturing and Avionics Engineering company. ASG’s competitive advantage can provide your company with a Single Source Solution for avionics engineering, manufacturing, aircraft installation technical support, Supplemental Type Certificate (STC’s), video surveillance, SATCOM, and much more. We lead the aerospace industry with our US patented Constant Friction Mount (cfMount™), EFB Integrated Power Supplies, and EFB Cradles. Contact ASG today to learn how ASG’s Single Source Solution can work for your company!
ASQS (Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions)
KEY BUSINESS SOFTWARE AREAS • Quality Management Module • Reporting Module • Risk Management Module • Document Distribution Module • Emergency Response Planning Module ASQS (Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions) is a global supplier of highly innovative QMS and SMS software for the aviation industry, supporting more than 200 large and small operators, including airlines, business jet and helicopter operators, groundhandling agents/FBOs, airports and maintenance organizations, in creating a safe and productive work environment. The company specializes in intuitive, integrated, web-based solutions with exceptional customer support. ASQS’s core product IQSMS allows clients to manage operational data 24/7 online and offline with a single integrated tool which significantly simplifies daily tasks. The easy handling of the software creates a positive reporting culture, enables comprehensive quality management and proactive risk management to maximize productivity, reduce operating costs, and optimize internal and external working procedures. IQSMS automates laborious processes like the submission of ECCAIRS or IDX compliant incident reports which, combined with a consolidated, up-to-date regulations database, ensures legal compliance with national and international requirements and standards.
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • EFB software solutions • EFB hardware solutions • Suite of ground & flight application • Navigation DataBase, weather data, ADS-B AvioBook, a Thales Group company, supports airlines as a partner in their digital strategy. AvioBook offers a comprehensive and highly integrated suite of ground and flight applications, systems and solutions that connect all stakeholders and key assets in a safe and secure manner. This, combined with expertise in data and cyber security, gives airlines an edge through greater efficiency and ultimately sustainable, profitable growth. Proven solutions from AvioBook make communication between the cockpit, cabin and back office faster and more efficient than even before. With the integrated and secure AvioBook application suite, pilots, cabin crew, dispatchers and ground staff can be securely connected to each other, making communication more efficient and driving value throughout the operation.
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 81
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Wind Uplink FMS Optimization • Reduce Fuel burn and CO2 footprint • Severe Weather application AVTECH, specializing in tailored information to the cockpit, offers easy, automated and inexpensive improvements in FMS optimization. The Aventus NowCast™ weather service give pilots access to weather data of the highest available quality, and when the data is fed into the aircraft Flight Management Computer, the actual aircraft trajectory can be optimized, reduce the fuel burn and CO2 footprint. Working directly with Met Office (UK), the Aventus SIGMA service supply the cockpit crew with severe weather information, based on Actual route and time in the FMS. The service brings adequate, timely and correct information on turbulence, icing and other weather phenomena that affect safety and comfort. The SIGMA service sets a new standard on how, when and where your crew gets their information.
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
DIRECTORY
The Boeing Company
Bytron Aviation Systems
CAE
Comply365
W: www.boeing.com/supportandservices T: +1 206-655-2121 E: BoeingSupportandServices@Boeing.com
W: www.bytron.aero T: 01652 688 626 E: info@bytron.aero
W: www.cae.com T: +1 (514) 341-6780 E: CivilFlightServicesSalesOps@cae.com
W: www.comply365.com T: +1 (877) 366 2365 E: info@comply365.com
Location: 65 Offices Worldwide
Location: Kirmington, United Kingdom
Location: Global presence
Location: USA
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Business Consulting • EFB Document Browser • Electronic Flight Folder • Fuel Dashboard • Onboard Performance Tool
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • skybook aviation cloud
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Training Management • Crew Management • Flight Management • Operations Control • Airport Management • In-Flight Services Management
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ProAuthor (XML-Based Authoring Solution) • Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) • Digital Briefing • Document & Communication Manager • Training Solution (LMS Learning Manager)
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Flight operations software solutions • Pilot and crew apps (Rosterbuster and RB Logbook)
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • XML-Based Authoring Solution (ProAuthor) • Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) • Digital Briefing Flight Release • Document Mgmt. and Distribution Platform • Targeted Distribution w/ Compliance Tracking
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • EFB applications • Fuel Efficiency Solutions • Consulting Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. Boeing Support and Services combines airplane design and manufacturing expertise with unique access to fleet-wide operational data to offer optimization solutions. With these offerings, Boeing addresses the evolving need for integration and optimization of data and information across the aviation ecosystem to empower smart decision-making. The portfolio includes services and solutions for flight operations, maintenance & engineering and procurement organizations to optimize the operational efficiency of airplanes and operations. Boeing has more than 250 customers for its optimization solutions. The portfolio draws on solutions from a family of Boeing companies: AerData, Inventory Locator Services and Jeppesen, serving operators of Boeing and non-Boeing airplanes.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Dispatch Portal • EFB Application • Airfield Watch • Flight Following • Crew Briefing Bytron Aviation Systems has over 35 years of industry experience and understanding driving the development of solutions engineered to make a big impact in the aviation industry. The business specializes in the design and building of fully fledged, reliable, integrated systems that ensure critical data is consistently distributed to the right place, at the right time on the right device, increasing awareness and accountability, improving information capture, reducing costs and streamlining workflows. Above all, improving communication between flight ops and flight deck. skybook is Bytron’s core aviation solution that offers unrivalled flexibility, automation and integration, using the best and most reliable data sources to deliver all vital information across flight ops and dispatch and the flight deck. skybook enables operators and aircrews to work smarter, not harder and the firm’s proven award-winning solutions cover Flight Dispatch, Crew Briefing, Airfield Watch, Flight Tracking plus there is a class leading Electronic Flight Bag application. Contact Bytron today to arrange your introduction and trial.
CAE Flight Operations Solutions is an industry-leading digital platform trusted by the world’s top airlines and business aviation companies to optimize their operations. Every year, more than 50 million flights and over 200,000 crew members are supported by CAE’s flight operations software backed by a global team and unparalleled expertise. Spanning crew, flight, movement, airport, on-board catering, and cost management, CAE’s customizable end-to-end solution improves decision making by harnessing the power of integrated data and advanced technologies to improve operational performance, profitability, employee satisfaction and passenger experience.
Comply365 delivers secure, cloud-based solutions, focusing on Authoring, EFB and Digital Briefing Solutions, as well as Targeted Distribution of Mobile Manuals. The Authoring Solution, features ProAuthor: the aviation industry’s first and only XML-based solution for authoring, revising and distributing publications. Comply365’s proven Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution lets crews access mission-critical information throughout each phase of flight. Digital Briefing helps turn planes faster for more on-time departures with instant feedback to dispatchers when the flight crew accepts a release and signs Fit for Duty. Comply365’s full-featured Document Management and Targeted Distribution Platform boosts productivity by delivering any type of manual or document directly to any mobile device or stationary workstation.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 82
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DIRECTORY
Conduce
CrossConsense
.
eTT Aviation
Evionica
W: www.conduce.net T: 0044 333 888 4044 E: info@conduce.net
W: www.crossconsense.com T: +49 69 4035 7600 E: contact@crossconsense.de
W: www.ettaviation.com T: +1 208-424-9424 E: info@ettaviation.com
W: www.evionica.com T: +48 507 787 737 E: office@evionica.com
Location: Nuneaton, UK
Location: Frankfurt Germany
Locations: Boise, ID, USA
Locations: Poland (Warsaw), Austria (Vienna)
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • eTechLog8 • eCabinLog8 • eCentral8 • eTraining8 • eForm8 • eDoc8
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Aircraft Fleet View • ACSIS • AviationDW
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • SkedFlex
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Evionica WB • Evionca FTS
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Electronic Logbook (ELB) • Cabin Log • Electronic Forms Designer • Document Viewer Conduce pioneer mobile aviation solutions. eTechLog8 is our world leading Electronic Log Book (ELB), fully approved by multiple Airworthiness Authorities and trusted by customers worldwide. eTechLog8 eliminates the paper technical, cabin, and deferred defect logbooks, and replaces these with an easy to use, workflow controlled mobile solution. Available on both Windows and iOS, eTechLog8 is fully integrated with all the leading MRO and M&E systems. All eTechLog8 customers report significant benefits, ranging from improved efficiency, data accuracy and consistency to faster turnarounds, all contributing to reduced costs. Conduce also offers a fully integrated suite of companion applications, which provide mobile paperless solutions for the cabin log, CBT training, custom forms, and ensuring key documents are at your fingertips. Conduce has a sliding pricing scale, depending on fleet size and operates as a subscription model, with one flat fee, per tail, per month covering everything: hardware, software, 24/7/365 support, mobile data, future proofed upgrades and more. There are no hidden costs. Ask us today for a tailored proposal.
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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Support and Hosting • Consulting and Data Migration • Business Intelligence solutions • App and dashboard development CrossConsense’s portfolio runs from AMOS Support, BI-Management, Data Migration and Hosting to the products Aircraft Fleet View, ACSIS and AviationDW. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian’s FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd., CrossConsense also offers solutions for Fuel Management, Turn Process Management and other software applications as well as AFIRS hardware that collects data during flight. AMOS Support: CrossConsense has a long tradition in providing support for AMOS with one single point of contact for 1st and 2nd level; also realizing well-planned and organized data migration projects for airline customers and Reporting and Business Intelligence Analytics. Aircraft Fleet View is a user-friendly App that gives an always up-to-date view on an airline’s fleet status. It indicates AOGs, delays and other important information with the right level of detail to be useful but not crowded with information. ACSIS is a powerful predictive maintenance software tool developed to assist any airline, operator, MRO facility and OEM to avoid AOGs, delays and turnbacks, improve aircraft utilization, and enhance safety. AviationDW is a managed data warehouse, tailor-made for use with your backend system, e.g. AMOS. AviationDW simplifies KPI creation based on MRO System data.
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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Flight & Crew Management • Fleet (Movement) Management • Qualification & Training Management • Crew Pay • Line & Preferntial Bidding SkedFlex is a full-featured, affordable, innovative and expertly supported flight and crew management solution designed to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. With its scalable platform and optional modules, SkedFlex provides air operators the ability to successfully schedule and manage crewmembers, flights, and aircraft in a flexible, efficient, and visual manner. Coupled with its proprietary rules engines, SkedFlex helps ensure regularity compliance under the Code of Federal Regulation parts 117, 121, 125, and 135, for flight, duty, and rest limitations and additional company requirements and rule sets from regularity authorities can be incorporated. Crew and Flight Scheduling are the core components for the visual mastery of complex operations. Crew Pay ensures pay accuracy and accountability, freeing employees and administrators to focus on productivity, not paperwork. Qualification and Training Management automates simulator and classroom scheduling, crewmember training delivery, currency, and qualification tracking. Line and Preferential Bidding provides an airline the option to build lines or trips for crewmember bidding, and allows crewmembers to establish standing bid criteria and further modify their bids as they desire. Entire fleets of aircraft can be scheduled in minutes with Fleet Management while scheduled inspections are displayed visually to optimize aircraft utilization around required inspections.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 83
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Weight & Balance Software • Flight Training Software • Computer Based Training Evionica delivers smart software for Weight & Balance, Flight Training and Computer Based Training to Airlines, Airports and Training Organizations. With over 100 clients the business is cooperating with recognized partners like Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa Aviation Training, Abu Dhabi Aviation Training Center and many more. Evionica Weight & Balance Software: The solution allows users to reduce costs and has a very intuitive interface where training requires only 1 hour. Within 60 seconds you are able to produce a load sheet. Flight Training Software: Streamline administrative processes for training. Automate operations and save time with cloudbased software, plus go paperless. Computer Based Training: Pilot Training CBT with content explained in a straightforward way, having a natural lector voice, superior graphics and animation. A dark theme prevents users’ eyes from tiring. Small portions of information make it easier to remember content.
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DIRECTORY
AIRCRAFT IT Operations
Flatirons
Flightkeys
Flightman
W: www.flatironssolutions.com T: +1.303.627.6535 E: info@flatironssolutions.com
W: www.flightkeys.com T: +43 1 34 30 154 0 E: contact@flightkeys.com
W: www.flightman.com T: +353 1 5547203 E: info@flightman.com
Locations: Europe, Asia, USA, Middle East
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • CORENA Suite
Webinars eJournals Software Conferences News Advisory Unit Want to be involved? Simply email scott.leslie@aircraftIT.com for more information
www.aircraftIT.com
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Content Management System (CMS) • Interactive Electronic Technical Publisher (IETP) • Maintenance & Engineering • Flight Operations • Tablet Solutions & Mobility Flatirons provides consulting, technology, and outsourcing for content lifecycle management (CLM). For more than 20 years, we have served global Fortune 1000 customers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, financial services, government, healthcare, and publishing. Our customer engagements help organizations efficiently deliver the right information, at the right time, to the right people by leveraging structured content and digital media — Turning Content into Knowledge®. The CORENA Suite by Flatirons is the leading content lifecycle management (CLM) solution developed specifically for organizations that rely on mission-critical data to design, manufacture, operate, or maintain complex assets over their product and service lifecycles as well as across multi-echelon business networks. For more than 25 years, the world’s leading airlines, aerospace manufacturers, OEMs, and defense organizations have relied on the CORENA product suite to create, manage, and deliver large volumes of technical information throughout its lifecycle. Today, CORENA customers rely on the CORENA suite to modernize their IT infrastructures, improve customer satisfaction, and maintain their competitive advantage.
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Location: Dublin, Ireland
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • FLIGHTKEYS 5D • SPACEYKEYS — RAIM Pro • SKYKEYS — Loretta KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Flight Planning & Inflight Monitoring • Cost Optimization • 5D Probabilistics • Process Automation • RAIM & SAPT Prediction Service • Continuous Inflight Optimization Support • Sustainability Research & Solutions FLIGHTKEYS was founded in 2015 by a team of passionate and high-profile aviation experts with very specific knowledge and long-term experience in the field of flight planning & optimization. Their mission is to re-write flight management for the 21st century by precisely meeting the emerging requirements of cost-optimized airline operations, trajectorybased operations and reduction of emissions. Research takes place in a corporate climate that promotes innovation and a continuous search for excellence. The focus is on affordable, user-friendly systems that provide the ultimate level of cost optimization and integrate seamlessly into future airline operations and ATM systems. FLIGHTKEYS 5D — as the only 21st century flight management system — balances airline network throughput, greenhouse gas emissions and safety in the most cost-efficient way and beyond any solution currently available. Improving communication and collaboration leads to a smarter and more productive use of aircraft and airspace. The vision has taken shape in a clean-sheet development approach with a team of expert software developers and test engineers. FLIGHTKEYS 5D Flight Management Service is used by airlines operating globally — from small operators to the largest carriers and business aviation — with over 6.000 aircraft producing more than 200.000 flight plans every day. Subsidiary companies are SPACEKEYS and SKYKEYS.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 84
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • eJourneyLog • Electronic Flight Folder • Cabin Manager • eTechLog • Cabin Defect Log KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Connected EFB Applications • Streamlining Flight Ops processes • Full Electronic Techlog • Cabin Defect Management • Enhanced Passenger Experience The Flightman solution suite enables airlines to streamline their operational processes across Flight Operations, Maintenance and Inflight Services. Transforming data into meaningful insights.
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DIRECTORY
FlightWatching W: www.flightwatching.com E: beaujard@flightwatching.com E: contact@flightwatching.com E: romain.blanquet@flightwatching.com
Flygprestanda Performance Engineering
Flyht
Honeywell
W: www.flygp.se T: +46 40 642 00 10 E: sales@flygp.se
W: www.flyht.com T: 1-403-250-9956 E: info@flyht.com
W: www.aerospace.honeywell.com
Location: Malmö/Sweden
Location: Calgary, Canada; Denver, USA
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • GURU2 Aircraft Performance, M&B and AODB App • DAD — Dynamic Airport Database (AODB) • Runway Analysis Charts • Load & Trim Sheets • Driftdown Analysis
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • FLYHT AFIRS 228 Iridium SATCOM Solution
Location: Phoenix, AZ and Atlanta, GA
Location: Toulouse, France
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • APU Fleet Management • Wilco data platform • Wilco fuel saving platform KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • APU & nose to tail predictive maintenance • Fuel saving solutions • Engine trend monitoring • Aircraft data market place • ACARS cost saving solutions FlightWatching has a high level of expertise in Aircraft systems and data management (QAR, DAR, SAR, ACARS, ACMS). Our solutions are agnostic, do not require any HW nor SW modification and allow real time interaction with the aircraft. Our customers are: • MROs looking for solutions to build their own fleet management solutions • OEMs willing to explore and collect aircraft data related to equipment behavior • Airlines chasing solution to cut fuel burn on ground Contact us for your customized digital solutions.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aircraft Performance • Mass & Balance • Airport Obstacle Database with Notams and Engine Out Procedures — compatible with Guru2 and any OEM aircraft performance software. • Integrations with EFB/EFF platforms and Flightplanning software. • Driftdown analysis With more than 50 years of aviation experience, Flygprestanda develops EFB solutions for Aircraft Performance, Mass & Balance and has a global Airport Obstacle Database. With performance solutions for more than 300 aircraft types; Flygprestanda is an ideal partner for mixed fleet operators. The Guru2 Aircraft Performance and M&B App ensures safe flights, minimizes engine wear, maximizes takeoff weight and makes administration straightforward. It includes an AODB and integrates with major EFB/EFF platforms and Flight planning systems. The Guru2 App works offline on iPad or Windows tablets/computers and is accessible online.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Actionable intelligence • Airborne hardware • Communications solutions • Weather sensors FLYHT’s traditional services are transforming into Actionable Intelligence that integrates the airline, airport and aircraft data into actions that increase profits and an airline’s competitive advantage. FLYHT’s customers have the advantage of real time data from their onboard AFIRS technologies and every airline can benefit from the integration of the data between airline, airport, and aircraft. With more than 80 airlines operating over 800 aircraft and with 2,000 Airbus installed units we are confident the AI solutions being developed, using our proprietary jetBridge technology, will be well received by our current and future customers The integration of FLYHT’s traditional real-time AFIRS data services combined with the technology coming of age in other industries such as IoT, Edge computing, blockchain and Cloud infrastructure, along with data capture data from RFID, Wi-Fi, and other devices creates an opportunity for FLYHT’s customers to get maximum benefit from these technologies for little or no capital investment.
Covering more than 10,000 airports worldwide, Flygprestanda’s Airport Obstacle database (DAD) includes obstacle data, NOTAMs and engine out procedures. The DAD is available in Guru2, but it is also compatible with OEM Aircraft performance software.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 85
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Honeywell Flight Efficiency • Honeywell Forge Performance+ KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fuel Efficiency Software • Flight Data Analytics • Enterprise Performance Management • Sustainability Software Honeywell products and services are found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft in the world. With an unmatched heritage of innovation that spans more than a century, our aim is to solve the greatest challenges CEOs, pilots, operators, passengers, finance, maintenance and cabin crews face — and transform the way we all fly. We deliver improved fuel-efficiency, more direct and on-time flights, and improved operational efficiency through advanced SaaS offerings like Honeywell Flight Efficiency and Honeywell Forge Performance+. With one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of hardware, software, and services, we transform the entire aviation operations ecosystem, from the flight deck to the MRO facility. Honeywell Flight Efficiency is the industry’s most advanced and capable fuel efficiency and airline data analytics solution. More aircraft rely on Honeywell Flight Efficiency to improve flight efficiency and reduce carbon emissions than any other solution. Often replacing multiple point solutions, our software connects stakeholders across the entire organization to provide a unified source of truth for all operations-related data. Our advanced analytics help users to uncover the hidden potential beyond standard best practices. Even airlines with mature and sophisticated fuel-efficiency programs have unlocked significant additional savings by implementing Honeywell Flight Efficiency.
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DIRECTORY
AIRCRAFT IT Operations
Webinars eJournals Software Conferences News Advisory Unit Want to be involved? Simply email
Information Design One
Jet Aviation Staffing
Leon Software
W: www.id1.de T: +49 69 244 502 0 E: sales@id1.de
W: www.jetaviation.com/services/staffing T: 1-201-637-2211 E: neil.engerran@jetaviation.com
W: www.leonsoftware.com T: 00 48 22 307 07 22 E: sales@leonsoftware.com
Location: Germany
Location: 47 Locations Worldwide
Location: Warsaw, Poland
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • aFuel • aWall
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Permanent & Direct Hire Placement • Temporary & Freelance Placement • Outplacement • Staffing Marketplace
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Leon
KEY BUSINESS / SOFTWARE AREAS • Fueling Optimization • Digitalization • Business Intelligence • Data Analytics • Process Improvements Information Design turns aviation data into valuable and insightful information — with the goal to create information and design it. Based on that philosophy, they’ve developed unique IT solutions and worked with some of the world’s renowned airlines, airports, and aviation corporations. aFuel — The World’s Largest Digital Fueling Network: aFuel is the system of choice when it comes to digitalizing the operational fueling process. The digital exchange platform connects airlines with a huge load of into-plane agents around the world. Due to its swift implementation and worldwide coverage of airports, airlines benefit right from the start. aWall — Great Success Arises in Real-Time: aWall is the world’s only aviation real-time dashboard, which unites fieldproven live metrics and clear data visualization on top of a scalable and cloud-based business intelligence platform — exclusively developed for airlines, airports, and ATC
KEY BUSINESS / SOFTWARE AREAS • Payroll Solutions • Permanent Placement • Temporary Placement • Outplacement Behind every seamless journey, is the perfect team. Since 1983, Jet Aviation Staffing has been supporting the industry’s most prominent aviation companies by attracting and placing top talent. With thousands of direct hire placements of crew members, maintenance professionals, support staff, management and executive positions, and many more disciplines, Jet Aviation Staffing continues to perfect the art of staffing. When you want to find the very best career opportunity, you can rely on a team of dedicated professionals. On behalf of their external customers, Jet Aviation Staffing upholds in-depth and extensive standards to ensure they are recommending the best talent. Dedicated to the details, Jet Aviation Staffing’s expertise ensures a perfect career opportunity match for each of their candidates and a seamless experience for their customer.
KEY BUSINESS / SOFTWARE AREAS • Scheduled Operators • Business Operators • Cargo Operators • Trip Support • Charter Brokers Leon Software excels in delivering an advanced cloud-based solution for the aviation business, including scheduled and cargo operators, business aviation, trip support companies and brokers. From flight OPS and crew management to charter sales, Leon provides a versatile platform design in a digital ecosystem of an aviation organization. With years of continuous development, customization and workflow automation are an essential part of Leon Software’s philosophy. Established in 2007 in Warsaw, Poland, Leon Software is currently the leader in its area of expertise in Europe, with over 300 companies consistently capitalizing on the platform’s functionality in their day-to-day operations.
scott.leslie@aircraftIT.com for more information
www.aircraftIT.com
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 86
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DIRECTORY
Logipad DextraData
Lufthansa Systems
Motulus.aero
W: www.LHIND.de T: +49 40 5070 30000 E: marketing.sales@lhind.dlh.de
W: www.LHsystems.com T: +49 69696 90000 E: marketing@lhsystems.com
W: www.motulus.aero T: +44 7932 173833 E: steven.rushworth@motulus.com
Location: Essen, Germany
Location: Germany, Albania, Switzerland, USA
Location: Germany and in 16 other countries.
Location: Hoboken (Antwerpen), Belgium
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Logipad
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Volabase • iFF
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • IT Solutions
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Integrated Crew Scheduling (Pairings and Rostering), Tail Assignment, Network Optimization and Schedule Building
W: www.logipad.aero T: +49 201 95975 0 E: info@logipad.aero
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • eBriefing / EFF • iOs & Windows EFB Management • Cloud-based or on prem & fully customizable • For pilots, cabin and maintenance DextraData, an IT consulting company and independent software vendor located in Germany, is the company behind Logipad. The Essen-based specialists for digitalization have understood the potential of the solution. Initially, Logipad was developed in 2002. Since then, Logipad has been providing airlines with a trusted Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution. Logipad makes flight management simple, fast and smart for pilots, crew and ground staff. Due to a single sync transaction process and modules like document management, eForms and eBriefing / EFF, Logipad reduces paperwork. It focusses on process optimization through digitalization and is flexible and adaptable to the user’s needs. Logipad latest version offers top notch security standards through 2FA. Furthermore, DextraData’s portfolio includes: Business Consulting, Cloud & Managed Services, IT Service & Enterprise Management, Next Generation Infrastructure, Modern Work / Software Infrastructure and Program & Project Management.
Lufthansa Industry Solutions
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Process consulting/organization processes • IT consulting (processes, technologies, infrastructure) • MRO & Flights Ops consulting • Program and project management • Strategy consulting Whether it’s about developing a company-wide digitalization strategy, networking machines, moving systems to the cloud or providing solutions and platforms for analytics and AI, using IT services to network machines or providing mobile platforms for cross-company collaboration... whenever companies want to address digitalization, Lufthansa Industry Solutions is the right partner.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Operations and Commercial Solutions • Flight Deck Solutions • Finance Solutions • In-Flight Entertainment and Mobile Solutions • Professional Services and Consulting The company offers its more than 350 airline customers an extensive range of successful and in many cases marketleading products for the aviation industry. The innovative IT products and services in this portfolio offer customers a wide range of economic benefits while also contributing to improving efficiency and competitiveness. In addition, Lufthansa Systems also supports its customers both within and outside the Lufthansa Group with consulting services and the experience it has gained in projects for airlines of every size and business model.
Lufthansa Industry Solutions combines technical expertise with strong industry knowledge and thus support customers when they introduce new digital technologies. They characterize this as...
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Motulus Integrated Crew Scheduling (MICS) • Motulus Tail Assignment (MTA) • Motulus Network Optimization (MNO) For many airlines operating costs, fuel and crew costs form a significant part of their cost base. The delivery of an efficient and robust plan whilst continuing to guarantee an excellent customer offering and employee satisfaction is critical to an airlines success, The complexity of such a plan, and its importance to an organisation makes creating schedules and operational plans ideal candidates to be solved by optimization. At Motulus.aero we enjoy solving the problems that haven’t been solved before by deploying the next generation in optimization products. By combining pioneering algorithms with the power of cloud computing we are able to tackle these complex and large scale problems. Specialising in crew scheduling (pairing and roster production), tail assignment and network optimization we help organisations to reduce crew costs, increase aircraft and equipment utilisation, reduce fuel and operational costs, improve revenue opportunities, increase crew and colleague satisfactions, and improve operational robustness.
“We are at home in the digital world: We are digitalization.”
Having deployed products to a number of industries Motulus had an original mission in aviation to develop innovative products for airline crew resource scheduling problems. Following successful implementations with two European airlines the teams expertise has now been stretched to solve network optimization and tail assignment problems.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 87
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DIRECTORY
NAVBLUE
NVable
Off Block
OpenAirlines
W: www.navblue.aero E: communications@navblue.aero
W: www.nvable.com T: +44 141 280 0050 E: contact@nvable.com
W: www.offblock.aero T: +49 7951 95200-80 E: contact@nvable.com
W: www.openairlines.com T: +33 (0)5 31 61 52 18 E: stephane.nitenberg@openairlines.com
Location: UK
Location: Germany
Location: France, Hong Kong, USA, Canada
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ConNVerge for Aviation
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • OffBlock Corporate • Offblock Personal
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • SkyBreathe® Analytics — Fuel management software • SkyBreathe® MyFuelCoach — Pilot engagement app • SkyBreathe® OnBoard — Real-time eco-flying app • SkyBreathe® APM — Aircraft Performance Monitoring • SkyBreathe® OCC — On-time performance analysis
an Airbus Company
Location: 2 Rond-Point Emile Dewoitine, 31700 Blagnac, Toulose, France. Waterloo, Canada; Hersham, UK; Stockholm, Sweden; Bangkok, Thailand; and Gdansk, Poland
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Electronic Flight Bag applications • Fuel applications • Dispatch & Crew Planning • Airspace & Airport Consulting KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Electronic Flight Bag & Documentations • Fuel Solutions • Ops Control Center Solutions • Consulting • Flight Data Analysis NAVBLUE is a leading services company, wholly owned by Airbus, dedicated to Flight Operations solutions and services for airlines and aircraft operators, on the ground and onboard. NAVBLUE combines aircraft manufacturer expertise, flight operations know-how and agile development to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resources and increase productivity, for a safe and sustainable aviation. NAVBLUE delivers a reliable, optimum and customized user experience to more than 600 customers worldwide, in a range of areas, including digital cockpit operations, Operations Control Centre (OCC) systems, Flight Ops Engineering and Performance Based Navigation (PBN). NAVBLUE employs 500 employees spread across the world, with offices in Canada, France, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, UK and US and representatives in several other countries across the globe.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Electronic Techlog • Electronic Forms (Assessments) • Document Management • Operational Analysis • Station Operational Compliance The concept behind our CoNVerge platform is simple. We believe that businesses should have the flexibility to easily innovate and add new applications to their toolbox, without being stifled by legacy technology or a single technology brand. CoNVerge is all about minimising risk, fuss and capital costs and maximising efficiency. Provided as a service, it combines a hosted environment and web portal with mobile applications and data interfaces to virtually any system.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Crew Management Solutions for Airlines • Pilot Logbook • Flight Crew App • OffBlock Family OffBlock GmbH, based in Crailsheim, Germany, is dedicated to innovative software solutions for the crew management sector. Since its founding in 2018, the start-up has very quickly developed into a 21-strong team behind the brand. On the B2B side, the company offers a cloud-based add-on solution for airline crew management systems. On the B2C side, the portfolio includes an interactive all-in-one app that bundles flight crew communication, including roster management, on one platform. The OffBlock app is also a complete digital pilot logbook.
The platform is easily integrated into your existing business systems and brings together the best tools to handle data acquisition and data analysis — all on scalable infrastructure. Best of all, we even take the day-to-day management off your hands.
Starting from the observation that every year, nearly 660 million tons of CO2 are emitted by airplanes, i.e. more than 20 000 kilos of CO2 per second, OpenAirlines has developed innovative solutions to help airlines reduce their costs and environmental impact.
Our CoNVerge platform is blazing a trail in the aviation sector. In a hi-tech industry, where the stakes are even higher, long-standing clients such as British Airways Cityflyer know they can rely on NVable and our custom-designed software to make things simple, safer, more secure and streamlined. We provide airlines with technology solutions that reduce effort, improve processes and produce useful information, with one simple goal — to change things for the better.
Drawing on eight years of R&D, SkyBreathe® came into the market in 2013 as an innovative eco-flying solution based on Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data to save fuel and reduce airlines’ carbon footprint by up to 5%. Every department contributes to a safe and efficient fuel culture. That’s why SkyBreathe® is a 360° eco-flying platform designed to connect all stakeholders — Chief Pilots, Fuel Managers, Dispatchers, Pilots, and Performance Engineers, to name a few. The platform provides all the tools they need to build and grow a successful fuel efficiency program without juggling many different tools.
Bring everything together and do IT better when you bring onboard CoNVerge and NVable.
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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fuel Efficiency • EFB app for In-flight optimization • Aircraft Performance Monitoring • CORSIA & EU-ETS Management • On-time performance analysis
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 88
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DIRECTORY
AIRCRAFT IT REDifly
The SA Group
SITA FOR AIRCRAFT
W: www.redifly.com T: +41 43 555 31 65 E: las@redifly.com
W: www.scanav.com T: +45 7950 8000 E: sa@scanav.com
W: www.sita.aero E: worldwide@sita.aero
Location: Switzerland (HQ), Ireland
Locations: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Greece, Bahrain, CIS, India and Malaysia
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • REDiFly Pilot Log • REDiFly Tech Log • REDiFly Cabin Log • REDiFly Command (Ground System) • REDiFly Core (Integration Module)
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Scandinavian Avionics’ Tablet Based EFB Solution
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Full Electronic Technical Logbook • Digitization of paper process • Data harvest, storage & analytics • Maintenance and scheduling integration • CAME & compliance support • Defect management REDiFly delivers a sleek and modern Electronic Technical Logbook. We are an independent, data-driven company that offers bespoke software solutions for the aviation industry. We provide a comprehensive framework that can integrate with an airline’s current systems, including MRO, flight scheduling, and crew management, amongst others. What do we do? At REDiFly we work with the key people involved in digitizing your current paper-based aircraft technical logbook. In doing so, we increase levels of safety and regulatory compliance, streamline flight-to-ground connectivity and enable digital archives of secure and searchable aircraft records. We provide a seamless intersection between flight operations and aircraft maintenance to minimize communication errors while maximizing the efficiency of daily operations.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Electronic Flight Bag Solutions • Avionics Certification • Avionics Installation • Avionics Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul • Avionics Training Scandinavian Avionics offers a state-of-the-art, future-proof, tablet based Class 2 EFB solution, which provides the functionality to meet today’s operational requirements of airlines and aircraft operators and in addition is simple to upgrade in the future to meet coming requirements. The concept consists of two ruggedized 10.1” Panasonic tablets installed in the cockpit combined with a data integration center and a communication unit installed in the avionics compartment. The data integration center is used for power, aircraft interface and server capability and the communication unit enables and controls the data communication between the EFB system and the airline’s ground infrastructure. The SA Group provides complete turn-key avionics solutions for civil and military aircraft.
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Location: Switzerland - Regional offices: Spain, France, Canada, USA, UAE, UK, Brazil and Singapore
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • SITA Flight Folder • SITA eWAS • SITA OptiFlight® • SITA Mission Watch • SITA Mission Control • SITA Safety Cube KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Connected EFB Applications • Weather Situation Awareness • Inflight Fuel Burn Optimization • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Safety Management SITA For Aircraft represents the aircraft arm of SITA. SITA is the IT provider for the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Today, SITA drives operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports. SITA’s technology provides solutions that help more than 40 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel, while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to more than 400 airlines on 17,000 aircraft globally. SITA is powering a digital shift to make air travel more connected, seamless, efficient, safe and sustainable. Its communications network connects every corner of the globe and handles vast volumes of data every second. SITA is 100% owned by the air transport industry, with a presence in 200 countries and territories and a customer service team of more than 2,000 people around the world.
What makes us different? We are an independent company that applies a user-centric approach by working closely with our customers through the onboarding, trial and go-live phases of an implementation. Our flexibility means that REDiFly adapts to your current processes rather than the other way around.
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Operations
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 89
Webinars eJournals Software Conferences News Advisory Unit Want to be involved? Simply email info@aircraftIT.com for more information www.aircraftIT.com
DIRECTORY
SkyPath
SkyPlan
Smart4Aviation
StorkJet
W: skypath.io T: +972-3-9003510 E: Contact@skypath.io
W: www.skyplan.com T: 1844SKYPLAN(7597526) E: info@skyplan.com
W: www.smart4aviation.aero T: +31 20 654 1824 E: info@smart4aviation.aero
W: www.storkjet.com T: +48 600 800 528 E: info@storkjet.com
Location: Tel-Aviv, Israel; USA
Location: Canada, UAE
Location: Netherlands, Poland, Canada, USA
Location: Poland
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • SkyPath™ Turbulence • SkyPath™ PIREPS • SkyPath™ data services
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Flight planning • Cost Indexing, Air Nav charge, route optimization • Integration — Airline Scheduling, EFB, Performance • Automated flight planning, briefing, filing • Flight watch
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Smart LOAD, Smart COMM, Smart BRIEF • Smart VIEW+, Smart OPERATIONS MANAGER
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • FuelPro — Fuel Efficiency Dashboard • AdvancedAPM — Aircraft Performance Monitoring • FlyGuide — EFB app to engage pilots
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • EFB iOS App • Dispatch flight planning WEB module • Management Analytics and Bi • Incidents and playback Debrief • EFB and WEB integration SDK & APIs Skypath is world’s leading turbulence and auto-PIREPs data service provider whose alert system improves cabin safety and cuts airline operating costs. Established in 2015, It is a one-of-a-kind software-only solution which provides unique turbulence data based on a smart patented algorithm. SkyPath already has more than 30K subscribers, including major US airlines. Airlines using SkyPath join a larger crowdsourcing network, and gain access to turbulence mapping generated using SkyPath’s patented AI technology and real time airborne data collection. SkyPath provide service to thousands of users a day and is becoming the industry gold standard
Skyplan services Ltd. is an industry leading airline service provider of flight planning solutions, consulting, IT services, fuel, and trip planning services. Aurora2 is a comprehensive, fully-integrated SaaS package that successfully manages flight planning, maintenance, briefing, automation, and integration requirements of modern airlines. It supports flight operations to evaluate the optimal route while taking current flight related data into account. The route module identifies the best route from multiple options while taking current flight-related data into account. The flight planning solution not only optimizes flights, but also allows the strategic evaluation of future routings and the statistical analyses of city pairs. Aurora2 creates a universal framework of airline pre-flight planning and coordinates airline scheduling, maintenance, performance, EFB, briefing, weight and balance, and flight watch. It is designed to reduce or eliminate manual processes, enabling semi- or full automation for airline dispatchers to save time and money for more strategic technology usage. Skyplan can help reduce airline IT complexity, lower costs, and eliminate inefficiencies by making flight planning and business solutions work harder for you. The Skyplan support team takes a holistic view of your needs and designs solutions for your environment and business objectives while leveraging proven delivery methods, local talent, and in-depth domain knowledge for the lowest TCO.
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CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Weight and Balance • Communication and Alerting • Pilot and Cabin Crew Briefing • Flight Planning and Tracking • Fleet Management Smart4Aviation is one of the fastest growing companies in aviation operations, founded to provide web and mobile based products and services designed to optimize, simplify and improve airline operations. Our company is committed to delivery of the highest quality, most innovative and costeffective, state-of-the-art solutions to support all of your current and future operational business needs. Our products effectively manage all operational business units, such as Operations Control Management, Load Planning and Weight & Balance, Communications (all Operational and Corporate branches), Flight Planning, NOTAM Management, Flight Dispatch, Flight and Cabin Crew Briefing, Weather, Flight Tracking and Aircraft Performance. Our web based and mobile solutions with an exceptional support are recognized within the industry as being some of the most dependable and innovative in the market. All of our current customers such as among others Air Canada, Delta Air Lines, Qantas, Emirates, Air France, easyJet, Alaska Airlines, Iberia and Cebu Pacific have all benefitted from implementing Smart4Aviation solutions. Smart4Aviation’s web and mobile-based solutions have been acknowledged as the “Smart Choice” within the industry by a number of international and domestic air carriers.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 90
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fuel efficiency • Flight Profile Optimization • Aircraft performance monitoring • Idle Factor We help airlines save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by analyzing their flight data. StorkJet is the only company on the market that provides a full scope of fuel efficiency solutions for all aircraft types: FuelPro — Fuel Efficiency Dashboard powered by AI to save fuel within 44 initiatives from all flight stages. FlyGuide — an engaging EFB app designed by pilots for pilots, which helps prepare for the flight, gives real-time support during all flight phases and shares reliable feedback. AdvancedAPM — Aircraft Performance Monitoring software provides up-to-date performance factors for accurate fuel planning. Idle Factor — for descent optimization. In 2022 StorkJet helped its customers save over 60 million USD and reduced carbon emissions by 186k tons. These achievements have earned StorkJet numerous awards, including being named the world’s best technology company last year.
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DIRECTORY
Taillog
Tomorrow.io
TrustFlight
Ultramain
W: www.Taillog.aero T: 0045 2929 3020 E: sales@taillog.aero
W: www.tomorrow.io E: sales@tomorrow.io
W: www.trustflight.io T: 44 (0) 330 229 0219 E: info@trustflight.io
W: www.ultramain.com T: +1.505.828.9000 E: sales@ultramain.com
Location: Leamington Spa, UK; Edinburgh, UK; Luton, UK; St Helier, Jersey
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
KEY BUSINESS / SOFTWARE AREAS • Weather Insights • Hyperlocal Weather • Airline Collaborative Decision Making Platform • Lightning Detection and Alerting
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Tech Log, Task Cards • Digital Logbook • CAMO (service) • Aircraft Registry (service)
Tomorrow.io is the world’s leading Weather Intelligence Platform™, helping countries, businesses and individuals manage their climate security challenges. Fully customizable to any industry impacted by the weather, customers around the world including Uber, Delta, Ford, National Grid and more use Tomorrow.io to dramatically improve operational efficiency. Tomorrow.io was built from the ground up to help teams predict the business impact of weather, streamline team communication and action plans, improve productivity, and optimize profit margins.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aircraft log books • Aircraft maintenance task cards • Digital and paperless working • CAMO support • Aircraft Registry support
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ULTRAMAIN® v9™ M&E / MRO • ULTRAMAIN Mobile Mechanic™ • ULTRAMAIN Mobile Inventory™ • ULTRAMAIN ELB™ • ULTRAMAIN M&E / MRO: 31 modules including: Configuration Management; Line/Base Mx Planning; Line/ Base Mx Scheduling; GATe; Quality Assurance; Asset Management
Locations: Boston, Tel Aviv, Boulder, Singapore
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Taillog EFB KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Digital OFP • Weight & Balance • Journey-/Techlog • Data Analysis tool • Aircraft Data integration TAILLOG EFB System is a fully integrated EFB and flight progress tool containing your flight plan details, company documents, weather charts and NOTAM’s, to name a few. The digitalization of the workflow amongst operators is of high priority to Taillog EFB System and they have achieved this with a ‘Go for Simplicity’ approach ensuring satisfaction amongst their customers. TAILLOG interfaces with pre- and post-flight systems and enables both automatic and manual control, supporting calculation of abeam times and fuel consumption thereby eliminating miscalculations and human errors. Their EFB is continuously evolving based on the market developments and Taillog’s latest capability of retrieving, utilizing and distributing data from the aircraft directly within their EFB, which is truly optimizing the efficiency amongst operators throughout their respective departments.
From inception, TrustFlight has been ingrained in the aviation industry. Founded by two commercial pilots with a proven track record at the intersection of technology and business, the business has grown considerably and with stability, having recently celebrated the opening of a fourth office. Throughout, TrustFlight gained an incredible team with backgrounds spanning different areas of aviation and technology, ensuring a solid presence in the industry. Now offering a range of products and services within the sector, TrustFlight helps to remove costly paperwork and associated errors, preserve aircraft value, and increase efficiency and safety in aircraft operations. Five values shape TrustFlight’s culture, guide the business’s work and the way it grows. Integrity Transparent and open: offering trust to partners and assuming it from them. Responsibility Owning the work they do and taking responsibilty for it: striving to make it the best possible. Leadership Leading from within: providing support for the team to do incredible work and drive the industry forwards. Innovation Products are crafted for the future needs of the industry, going beyond what exists in the market. Excellence Every one of TrustFlight’s values contributes towards the excellence in their products.
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CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
CLICK HERE for Product Details CLICK HERE to Request Private Demo
AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 91
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Maintenance & Engineering • MRO • Military Maintenance • Maintenance Planning & Scheduling • Paperless Customer Care on Mobile Devices • Electronic Technical Logbook Ultramain Systems, Inc. develops M&E / MRO and ELB software for the aviation industry and is the only aviation software provider with customers running full, end-to-end paperless operations from the cockpit to the ground. ULTRAMAIN v9, featuring Mobile Mechanic and Mobile Inventory enables real-time paperless data collection for the full maintenance and inventory process. Combine ULTRAMAIN v9 with ULTRAMAIN ELB, the easy-to-use electronic logbook, and the entire maintenance process becomes paperless. Contact us to learn what you need to equip your organization with customer mobile devices and see why elite aviation customers around the world are choosing ULTRAMAIN to reduce costs and increase aircraft up time.
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DIRECTORY
Vistair Systems
Weathernews Inc.
Web Manuals International
Yonder
W: www.vistair.com T: 01454 550663 E: info@vistair.com
W: global.weathernews.com T: 00 45 392 78720 E: skysales_eu@wni.com
W: www.webmanuals.aero T: +46 (0)40 694 10 40 E: info@webmanuals.aero
W: www.yonder.info T: +41 43 215 27 94 E: contact@yonder.info
Location: United Kingdom and USA
Locations: Tokyo, Oklahoma, Copenhagen, London Moscow, New York, Paris, Athens, Sao Poulo, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Yangon, Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, Shanghai, Seoul
Location: Sweden, USA
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • DocuNet • SafetyNet
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Go or No-Go Decision Support • Personal weather briefings • En-Route Weather Forecast • Foster Flight Watch • Foster EFB • Flight Operations Control Support • Airspace Critical Operations Support
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Web Manuals
NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Yonder
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Monitoring • Authoring • Editing • Publishing • Distribution
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Content Management System • Workflow-based Content Distribution • Compliance Tracking • Content-based Learning • Smarten Up Your Documents
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Airlines weather support • Daily weather forecast • Weather IT solutions
Web Manuals International AB has developed knowledgemanagement solutions for the aviation industry since 2008, with the headquarters in Malmö, Sweden and an office in San Diego, California. Web Manuals is a tool for digitizing manuals to simplify authoring and distribution of company manuals for the aviation industry.
Smart, fast, reliable — Yonder empowers you to take the next step in information management. Yonder leverages the full potential of digitalization by offering you a solution built around dynamic content rather than static documents, creating a modern, user-centric experience. As well as providing intelligent solutions for operations manuals, guidelines, regulations and standards.
KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aviation Document Management (All format types inc. PDF, XML, S1000D, I Spec 2200) • Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) • Document Management and Distribution Platform • Maintenance & Engineering • Flight Operations • Compliance Tracking • Form Creation and Management • Aviation Safety Management Software Vistair provides document, safety, and quality management technology solutions to support the delivery of improved safety, compliance, and operational efficiency that results in significant commercial savings to aviation organizations. Combining technology, development expertise and service delivery, Vistair’s suite of aviation technology solutions provides both commercial airlines, aerospace and defense organizations with an approach that helps demonstrate a clear link between increased reporting and a change in procedures and behaviors, which fundamentally drives a safer organization. Document Management: DocuNet is the aviation industry’s leading end-to end document management solution, providing a coherent, single point of control for editing, publishing, distributing, and viewing all operational documentation. It provides the flexibility to access documents via the web and mobile devices and can also manage documents in all formats.
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Weathernews Inc. is a private weather company operating worldwide within 44 different industries, collecting weather data from various sources as well as using their own proprietary infrastructure. They use their proprietary infrastructure to provide support where there is no or scarce weather information. Weathernews Inc. supports flight dispatchers, operations members and pilots with a wide range of services during all phases of the flight, from planning, en-route and landing. The business serves customers in Star Alliance, SkyTeam, oneworld and Value Alliance, with support for more than 350 airports, Weathernews Inc.’s risk communicators are available to assist users in any weather-related needs. Weathernews Inc. has more than 30 years experience supporting and servicing airlines, and strives to learn each airline’s weather-related needs and challenges to fully support and ensure safety, efficiency and contribute to sustainability. Weathernews Inc.’s services are easily accessible through web links, and were developed with the focus of user friendliness and clear user interface.
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Web Manuals is available as a Software-as-a-Service subscription, with minimal training and configuration required to get started. The service includes support, hosting, availability monitoring, maintenance, and at least two system upgrades per year. We set the standard for digitizing manuals for the aviation industry by providing an easy-to-use solution enabling endto-end control, compliance, agility and cost-efficiency.
Yonder brings operations manuals and aircraft manufacturers’ handbooks together in one place. The solution’s smart features — including intuitive dashboards, role-specific updates and a responsive offline app — make life much easier for aircrews and ground staff alike. But Yonder has many advantages for editors and authors too: as well as making it simple to cross-reference content and avoid duplicates, it offers fully-integrated approval and publication processes.
In short, our clients save time and money in editing, publishing and distributing their operational manuals while being able to publish new revisions as often as needed and gain a full control of their documentation and communication systems.
Our Highlights • User- and task-specific information management • Automated revision management syncing manufacturers’ and operations manuals • Manual and compliance connectors
The Web Manuals Compliance Libraries enable compliance automation by allowing controlled real-time compliance monitoring of company procedures linked to Implementing Rules and Acceptable Means of Compliance in the EASA and FAA regulations, as well as a number of aviation standards such as IOSA, IS-BAO and ARGUS.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations • AUTUMN 2023 • 92
First-class service: Yonder’s personalized customer care Looking for advice? Need help with onboarding? Or day-today support? Our expert team offers outstanding customer service with all the hallmarks of Swiss quality and is ready to help you tailor Yonder to your every need.
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AIRCRAFT IT Operations