Archive

Tag Archives: aviation messaging

Aircraft Tracking Capabilities Becomes a Priority for Singapore Airlines

February 2, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Providers of Superior Aviation Messaging Services for Flight TrackingFollowing the tragic events of last year, and with a nudge from the UN civil aviation department for the industry as a whole to address the problem, Singapore Airlines is looking to enhance its aircraft tracking capabilities as a priority.

Aircraft and operational messaging systems need to provide seamlessly reliable messaging on a global scale and operate within a messaging architecture than is robust enough to handle real-time conversion, messaging switching and have tracing capability.

Although the capabilities exist, a handful of carriers are working together with communications providers to develop new systems that can recognise when an aircraft is experiencing difficulties or leaves its planned route, in addition to real-time tracking and monitoring.

Mr Nicholas Ionides, spokesman for Singapore Airlines gave confirmation of the carrier’s participation in ‘trials related to aircraft tracking’, but gave no further clue as to the extent of the trials.

Alaska GA Flight Services System & Flight Planning Contract Awarded

February 2, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Flight Planning via iPad - Leading Providers

It has been announced that Florida-based Harris Corporation has been awarded a contract by the FAA to upgrade and manage the Alaskan GA flight services system that delivers flight planning and real time weather capabilities.

The 10-year contract, made up of three base years and seven one-year options, is worth a projected $98 million and will involve the implementation of Harris’ OASIS II program.

Under the contract, flight planning and real-time weather updates and briefing will be supplied to FAA flight service specialists in addition to handling NOTAMs messages.

OASIS II – Operational and Supportability Implementation System – will utilise System Wide Information Management (SWIM) in the National Airspace System (NAS) and will be the first consumer.

Cessna Citation Latitude Celebrations for First Rollout

February 1, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Cessna Citation Latitude RolloutCessna Aircraft Company is celebrating this week as the first production Citation Latitude is rolled out at the Kansas manufacturing facility after just three years since it was first announced to the business aviation marketplace.

FAA type certification can now proceed to the next level and is hoped for by the summer of this year.

The Latitude’s assembly has included a host of technological advancements for the industry and has been an exciting process with the latest automated robotics systems and ergonomic tooling stations.

Scott Ernest, president and Cessna CEO is delighted with their progress, “Our product investments extend beyond design and performance features of the aircraft with innovations in our manufacturing process,” he said. “The Citation Latitude team has redefined what customers should expect from a business aircraft in this segment, while also redefining the aircraft build process.”

Since making its public debut last year at the National Business Aviation Association Convention, the Latitude has been touring and making customer demonstration flights, clocking up 500 flights and 1,200 hours over the four flying aircraft.

Software for Passenger Reservations Selected by Alitalia

January 27, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Passenger Reservations and Aviation Messaging Solutions ProvidersItalian-based carrier, Alitalia has selected an SaaS platform as a part of its modernisation program to handle critical airline operations, including its passenger reservations system.

CEO of Alitalia, Silvano Cassano said, “We are reinventing Alitalia. In the coming years, we expect that you will see a healthy carrier with a fresh and exciting new brand. This is a significant, multi-year initiative and technology will be the cornerstone of our success.”

Alitalia, one of Europe’s largest carriers, have selected Sabre Corporation, U.S. based travel and tourism technology providers, to implement their new passenger reservations system.

Across the globe, the numbers of international travellers is increasing and airlines are seeking new ways to streamline the passenger reservations and processing system. With API requirements also increasing worldwide, it is becoming critical to ensure that reliable aviation messaging solutions are in place, not only for compliance, but also to ensure security.

Other leading solutions providers, such as Rockwell Collins’ ARINC AviNet, provide a robust system architecture to ensure that all mission critical messaging is delivered swiftly and reliably while maintaining seamless security on a global scale.

Many carriers also realise that a reliance upon the latest technology is clearly the way forward.

Real-time Weather Reporting Could Improve Safety for AirAsia

January 20, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Providers of Reliable Aviation Messaging SystemsA recent report following the AirAsia tragedy of Flight QZ8501 revealed that officials did not pick up weather reports in person, which has been hailed as a ‘missed opportunity’ by experts.

This is not to say that AirAsia violated any aviation policies, but it has highlighted an issue that meteorologists and airline officials could have detailed potentially dangerous weather conditions in real-time.

If flight operations personnel typically receive weather reporting updates, then there is time for essential decision-making to take place, including re-routing if necessary. According to CNN, the occurrence of AirAsia flight operations staff not directly collecting weather documents is not uncommon, and weather updates are generally received by email, and not in person.

Although, according to AirAsia, there is no change in the method of receiving copies of weather information, the airline has made a change in how the information is processed by its personnel.

The tragic events of the crash are still being investigated and search efforts have been hampered by severe weather and storm conditions. Of the 162 people on board the aircraft when it downed in the Java Sea, 39 have been recovered and 16 officially identified.

Weather conditions are blamed for a high percentage of aircraft accidents and it is critical that real-time weather reporting is an advantage for airlines and operators for flight planning and enhanced decision-making. Industry messaging and support services providers realise the importance of reliable, timely delivery of aviation messaging in order to maximise efficiency throughout aircraft operations and allowing real-time decision making with the implementation of flight deck weather.

Immigration Pre-Clearance for Passengers Bound for U.S. from Abu Dhabi

January 13, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

API Helps to Maintain Security While Expediting Passenger Processing - Find out more...UAE passengers bound for the U.S. will be able to enjoy immigration pre-clearance from this week, avoiding queues on arrival by undertaking immigration, customs and agriculture inspections at terminal three of Abu Dhabi airport where U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) facilities are in place.

Conditional requirements will be the provision of Advance Passenger Information and an individual, machine-readable passport. In addition, passengers must also produce a return or onward ticket for departure from the U.S. within a 90-day window of departure.

For passengers of Etihad Airways flying to New York JFK, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas, the service will be available from January 15. The facility is currently available in six other countries and 15 airports outside North America.

SESAR Business Aircraft Demonstration Project Led by NetJets

January 10, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Inflight Connectivity Solutions for Business AircraftA two-year demonstration project to test new approach and landing technology is being led by NetJets Europe for the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program.

The project, part-financed by the SESAR joint undertaking, incorporates 15 organisations who will take part in over 200 flight demonstrations at six European airports, including approaches to land (AAL) and 14 other projects throughout 2016 to highlight the benefits of the SESAR initiative.

Business aircraft utilisation of synthetic and enhanced vision for flights in inclement weather at small, regional airports will be examined during the projects, in addition to approach procedures for access to large hubs.

A statement issued by the SESAR joint undertaking said, “The aim of the project is to pave the way for the uptake of these technologies, which are needed to overcome the limitations of the current ILS equipment, which is costly to install and maintain, and which can only guide straightforward approaches.”

Business aviation communications services providers are helping to pave the way for the SES initiative, as operators aim to complete the retrofit upgrades in preparation to fulfil mandatory requirements for compliance.

Making the Transition to CPDLC – Deadline Moved

January 6, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Providers of CPDLC for Enhanced Operational MessagingThe transition to Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), according to the original timeline, should by now be well under way, with retrofit requirements under the Single European Sky initiative due by next month.

The European Commission has indicated that the deadline will now be moved to make sure that the industry is ready and that CPDLC avionics are reliable. Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are implementing the infrastructure in advance of the mandates and the SES initiative is still a global reality.

Although the process is slow, and the costs for retrofitting high, the transition to CPDLC will save airlines and operators in the long-term and increase safety for the skies on a worldwide scale. It is unlikely that CPDLC will replace voice communications altogether, but datalink messaging needs to be implemented in order to cope with the upsurge in air traffic that is expected over the next two decades.

It is not just Europe that is attempting to embrace the CPDLC technology. Data link communications are being trialled in the U.S. under the NextGen program and in Canada, nationwide implementation of CPDLC was completed last summer.

Although phase two of the SES initiative was planned for next month, it seems likely that the plans, so far fraught with technical difficulties, training delays and the cost of retrofitting, may be moved as far as five years into the future.

New Consultancy Service from Aviation Communications Executive

January 6, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Other Providers of Aviation Consultancy ServicesRobert Stangarone, a former aviation industry executive with a respected 40-year career, has announced the inception of a new aviation consultancy firm, utilising a list of experts and colleagues from almost every sector of the industry.

Mr Stangarone offers a global consultancy service, helping operators all over the world with a reliable, knowledgeable network of more than 30 consultants, including former CEOs.

Aviation consultants can help with many aspects of the industry and can assist operators with cost-cutting endeavours for aviation messaging, operational productivity and management systems. Often, aviation messaging can be complex and difficult to understand, particularly with Type B messaging. As millions of messages are exchanged on a global scale every day, it is also difficult for operators to create budgeting.

Aviation consultants can make a significant difference to an airlines’ bottom line when considering operations and what better qualifications are available than decades of industry experience?

$160 Million Bombardier Q400 NextGen Aircraft Contract with GE Capital

January 5, 2015
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

GE Capital Order the Bombardier Q400 NextGenThe year is off to a great start for Bombardier as GE Capital Aviation Services sign a purchase agreement with an order value of $160 million for five of its Q400 NextGen aircraft. The company announced that options have been taken on 10 additional aircraft, which could mean that the GECAS order could reach $448 million, based upon the current list price of the Q400.

The stunning large turboprop aircraft has seating for up to 86 passengers and is optimised for short-haul flights. It is cited as being the most efficient modern turboprop with the lowest seat-mile costs in the short-haul regional marketplace.

In a statement from Norman C.T. Liu, GE Capital Aviation Services CEO and president, the decision-making process for the Q400 is clear. “As we continue to grow our leasing fleet, we are pleased to be adding up to 15 more Q400 NextGen aircraft,” he said. “We have seen a growing demand for turboprop aircraft worldwide and the Q400 NextGen aircraft is ideally positioned to meet the needs of regional airlines now and in the future.”