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Monthly Archives: August 2014

Aviation Messaging Consultancy Can Help Operators to Understand Type B

August 25, 2014
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Understand Type B Messaging with ARINCType B messaging can be perceived as complex, confusing and containing an unimaginable mass of data. These would all be correct assumptions to make and operators all over the globe are paying enormous amounts of money for the transmission of millions of these messages every single day.

Type B messages are transmitted for a wide range of reasons within the aviation industry including, but not limited to:

  • ACARS messaging
  • Filing flight plans
  • Exchanging mission critical messages with partner businesses
  • e-Ticketing transactions
  • Maintenance orders
  • IATA and non-IATA messaging

This complicated form of messaging must be seamlessly reliable to avoid ground-delays and to ensure continuation of operational productivity.

Type B aviation messaging consultancy providers can help to take some of the complexity out of the equation and can help operators to understand Type B in order to enable them to simplify their systems and ultimately save money by doing so. ARINC have a Type B messaging consultancy service and draw on more than 8 decades of industry experience. Take a look at their unique messaging calculator and see how much you could save.

Icelandic Volcano Eruption Places Airlines on Alert

August 23, 2014
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A small eruption of Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano has prompted the closure of airspace over the immediate area this weekend. The position of the volcano, under the ice of Europe’s biggest glacier has airlines on alert as the world watches the situation unfold.

Scientists flew over the ice cap on Saturday, but could see no obvious signs of the eruption on the surface, but Icelandic authorities have issued a red warning – meaning that there is a high probability of ‘significant emission of ash into the atmosphere’ and have declared a no-fly zone of 100 nautical miles by 140 nautical miles around the eruption as a precaution, but have not closed down the North Atlantic side.

There is international concern, however, following the disruption of 2010, when more than 100,000 flights were cancelled amid fears of the effects of volcanic ash upon jet engines.

There is still a chance that the eruption could remain contained beneath the ice, which is between 100 and 400 metres thick. The thickness of the ice can affect the ash levels of an eruption, according to Melissa Pfeiffer, Icelandic Meteorological Office volcanologist. “The thicker the ice, the more water there is, the more explosive it will be and the more ash-rich the eruption will be,” she said.

The Top Three Most Popular Business Jets

August 18, 2014
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Bombardier Business JetBusiness jets contribute $150 billion to the U.S. economy and are much less of a ‘frippery’ than once thought. More than 1.2 million people are employed within the sector and although there has been an overall decrease in the industry over the past year, there are many that speculate that the business aviation sector is on the increase across the globe. Many countries outside the U.S. are experiencing high economic growth and the number of wealthy individuals are on the up – let’s take a look at the top three business jets in the sector to see what they will be buying…

Top of the pile is Bombardier, who delivered 180 business jets in 2013. Not the best year, but with 62 of those deliveries being Global 5000 and 600, large business jets with 5,200 nm and 6,000 mn range respectively, these are big players at a cool approximate price of $48 – $60 million.

In second place comes Gulfstream, subsidiary of General Dynamics Group. It was a great financial year for them with 144 business jet deliveries in 2013, making it their best year on record. The Gulfstream 450 jet has a capacity for 16 passengers and has a range of 4,350 nm. The 550 can carry up to 18 passengers and has a range of 6,750 nm and the Gulfstream 650 jets also carry up to 18 people, but have a range of 7,000 nm. The popularity of longer-range jets has been noticeable in recent times. Prices range from $38.9 to $65 million.

Coming in a close third is the famous Cessna manufacturer with 139 deliveries last year. Not a bumper year for them, but not a bad score for the shorter-range family of Citation business jets.

ACARS-Capable SwiftBroadband Safety Equipment Tested by Inmarsat

August 18, 2014
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Inmarsat SwiiftBroadband Connectivity Providers It has been announced that Inmarsat, the British satellite company, is testing its ACARS-capable SwiftBroadband safety equipment on an Airbus A319. SwiftBroadband Safety is for the fast, reliable and efficient delivery of ACARS messaging over the SwiftBroadband link and also supports flight deck voice services and IP connectivity to the flight deck for mission-critical transmissions.

“This is the start of a revolution in communications for the flight deck. It shows the way forward for Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) for the nearly 10,000 aircraft currently relying on our Inmarsat Classic Aero services, which were launched over 20 years ago,” said Leo Mondale, Inmarsat’s President of Aviation. “SB Safety provides prioritised voice and ACARS/FANS data transmission when an aircraft is out of reach of land-based communications, which is indispensable for aircraft flying over oceans.”

Updates and other flight operations messaging can be enabled, such as inflight updates to the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and Flight Data Recorder equipment.

SwiftBroadband (SB) Safety can be operated on all types of aircraft, from large passenger aircraft to business jets and is expected to achieve certification during early 2016.

“A key point is that SB Safety provides a prioritised IP data pipe for the cockpit, for both security and continuity of service” Mondale added. “This is particularly important for airlines that use SwiftBroadband for both safety services and cabin connectivity.”

PSIM & Airport Security Awards for Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Intergraph®

August 14, 2014
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Airport Security Management SolutionsBaltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) recently achieved an award with Intergraph Security Solutions for recognition of their PSIM system for Physical Security Information Management procedures. The airport also won Most Notable Airport Security Program, Large Airports.

The Consolidated Dispatch Centre (CDC) at BWI provides emergency calls delivery across the airport, using a fully integrated platform with software, hardware and multi-system and agency coordination services. The CDC responds to security system-wide calls and additionally, provides a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to the Anne Arundel County.

“This highly successful project provided our security and public safety personnel with cutting-edge emergency response technology,” said Paul J. Wiedefeld, chief executive officer of BWI Marshall.  “The improvements to the consolidated dispatch centre help ensure increased responsiveness and situational awareness.  We are honoured by the recognition from Government Security News.”

Sophisticated PSIM solutions are necessary within a secure aviation environment. Many security systems incorporate physical security systems, from perimeter fencing and monitoring to personnel access systems and information management systems for all mission critical facilities.

Dubai Refurbishment to Bring Surge in Passenger Traffic & Plans for APIS

August 14, 2014
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Find out more about Advance Passenger Information (APIS)According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Makhtoum, president of DCAA and chairman of Dubai airports, the runway refurbishment at Dubai International Airport is expected to bring in a significant surge of passenger traffic.

The expected rise lends weight to the proposed introduction of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).

“We are confident the completion of the major runway refurbishment program in our history and full schedule operations ahead of the Eid holidays will bring in a significant surge in air traffic,” he said in a message to Via Dubai, the official bi-lingual newsletter of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).

“We are confident about the airport handling over 70 million passengers in 2014, which will bring us further closer to becoming the world’s number one airport for international passengers,” he said.

Via Dubai also announced the GDRFA Dubai is working on plans to launch the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) by the end of this year, or early next year, once approval of the Ministry of the Interior has been granted.

The next project in the pipeline for the airport is a new concourse, which will be connected to an existing terminal by train and is expected to be open in the first quarter of 2015.

The new concourse, the fourth at the airport, is part of a $7.8 billion expansion program, specifically designed to boost the airport’s traffic capability to more than 100 million passengers per year by 2020. The development program is intended to give the airport a capacity for 160 million passengers per year by the time the final phase is completed.

Aviation Data Mining Looks for Passenger Opinion for On-Board Experience

August 13, 2014
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Superior Cabin Services Solutions ProvidersIn a bid to look at new ways to improve passenger experience and maximise revenue, multiple companies are now data-mining to find out what passengers really think of aircraft cabins, cabin services In-Flight Entertainment, connectivity capabilities and more.

The creation of a ‘passenger experience’ database is seen by many as a real asset to airlines in terms of potential cabin add-ons and for designers when looking at the future of aviation travel. A comprehensive database will tell the industry leaders exactly what is required.

“I can see why a ‘passenger experience’ database would be a big benefit. It would give valuable feedback to airlines, and to suppliers in the end,” says aircraft interiors and IFE integration specialist Kosta Gianakopoulos. “Look at the experience of buying a car. Before you had the Internet, you’d simply go to the dealership to learn about a new car. But now you can do all the research on the Internet, read reviews, and go to the dealership and educate the sales guy. Why not book a flight armed with the same type of detail?”

Looking at the in-flight connectivity sector data is interesting stuff. “Anyone who flies knows that some connectivity is better than none,” says John Walton, Routehappy’s director of data. “But with the flood of approvals for satellite Wi-Fi following the FAA birdstrike testing, the wave of increasingly better Wi-Fi is cresting. We know what the maximum bandwidth and transfer speed are for each technology, so we’re explaining it to everyday flyers in ways that are easy to understand and familiar to them. People have experienced glacial speeds with older technologies, and it’s time to explain that if connectivity is important to you, you have some really good options out there.”

Data mining is in every other sector of industry and public opinion really does count in a world of competitive pricing and budget airlines. What better way to gain an edge on the competition than by giving the customer what he wants? Cabin services matter to passengers and a grasp of public opinion is vital in this consumer age.

Air Astana Selects Operational Messaging Solution

August 13, 2014
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Other Providers of Operational Messaging SolutionsKazakhstan’s Air Astana is set for further growth with the operational messaging solution for ATS and advanced datalink. Air Astana has expanded in recent times across the CIS and Central Asia regions and has become the travel provider of choice for many passengers, both national and international, with a growth of around 9% annually.

Last year the carrier experienced a 13.5% traffic increase and is preparing for future growth with the latest messaging solutions. Type B messaging underpins every aspect of aviation operations, including commercial and air transport to flight ops and ground support, encompassing passenger services, booking and ticketing to baggage handling and needs to be seamless and reliable to ensure maximum operational productivity.

Providers of Type B Messaging handle many millions of mission-critical transmissions every day and keep the aviation industry smooth running behind the scenes.

Cockpit datalink messaging is critical for management of flight communications, such as ACARS and the provision of datalink technology is a fast-growing requirement across the world for enhanced visibility and transparency of messaging.

Air Astana have selected SITA as their operational messaging provider. Chamindra Lenawa, Vice President IT & eBusiness of Air Astana said, “As Air Astana continues its growth, it is important that we have the right infrastructure in place. We use SITA because it offers excellent service quality and global coverage. Most importantly, because SITA is owned and operated by the air transport industry, the SITA team understands and responds to our needs very well.”

Business Aviation Growth in Latin America and Caribbean

August 13, 2014
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business aviation growth 13-08According to recent data, the region encompassing Latin America and the Caribbean is home to 2457 jet aircraft and 2588 turboprops, which represents almost 15% of the world’s fixed wing business turbine fleet. Mexico, with 851 and Brazil, with 824 business jets have the second and third-largest business jet fleets after the U.S. who carry a fleet of almost 12,000 altogether.

“The LAC business jet fleet growth and LAC GDP growth have been essentially expanding in tandem over the last 10 years, averaging about a 3.9-percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR)–faster than North America,” said Rolland Vincent Associates president Rolland Vincent. “The 50/50 balance between business jets and turboprops in the LAC fleet is in contrast to the worldwide jet/turboprop mix outside the region, which favors business jets by 1.5:1.”

According to Vincent, the LAC region has the highest concentration of business jets – 4.52 per 1000 High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), amounting to more than three times the world average of 1.44 and ahead of the U.S. at 2.87, making the LAC region ripe for business growth and an ‘attractive’ step-up market for the larger corporate jet manufacturer.

This is because, he said, that the average business jet fleet age is approximately 19 years old and 54% of the fleet is in the light jet aircraft segment. The growing number of HNWI’s in the region shows positivity in terms of the potential sales over the next 5 years as the world average age of corporate aircraft is around 16 years old.

Brazil’s business aircraft fleet expansion has been helped by the rising prominence of ‘homegrown’ Embraer, Vincent said. “The fastest-growing OEM, Embraer has established a particularly strong base and loyal following amongst LAC aircraft owners and operators, growing its fleet by 16.5-percent CAGR worldwide since 2008, and capturing more than 7-percent share of the LAC business jet fleet as of mid‐2014.”

King Air SwiftBroadband SATCOM Solution

August 12, 2014
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Other SwiftBroadband SATCOM Solutions ProvidersKing Air will soon be installing its SwiftBroadband SATCOM solution with installers Cobham SATCOM receiving Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from Brazilian Administración Nacional de Avianción Civil (ANAC).

King Air models B200, B200C and B300 (Super King Air 350) will receive access to an extensive range of communications abilities with built-in WiFi options.

The aircraft will receive Cobham’s AVIATOR 200, a compact, lightweight system with the reliability of SwiftBroadband, Inmarsat’s 200 service. With speeds of up to 200 kbps and a single ABME 2 channel for voice calls, the King Air aircraft will be fully connected.

Kevin Harriman, Pro Star Aviation General Manager, said, “The AVIATOR 200 is the perfect choice for King Air operators as it offers the ideal broadband and voice solution and is small and lighter than other solutions. It is practical and affordable, and, with reduced hardware and installation costs, the AVIATOR 200 is everything you need to stay connected.”

Kim Gram, Vice President Aeronautical Business Unit, Cobham SATCOM, said, “The AVIATOR 200 offers in-flight broadband communication to aircraft of virtually any size as it utilizes a low gain antenna. We are particularly pleased to add the Brazilian approval to the FAA and EASA STCs already developed with Pro Star for King Air. This is a world-wide solution which can now benefit many more people. It represents another key step forward in enabling more users to take advantage of modern in-flight communications in the South America region.”

Other Inmarsat SwiftBroadband SATCOM providers, such as ARINC, can offer business jet operators seamless global connectivity with its unique partnership with the Iridium satellite networks.