Archive

Tag Archives: flight support services

NZ Aviation Communications System Modernisation

September 1, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Aviation Consultancy for Streamlining Aircraft MessagingA plan to modernise the aviation communications and navigation system in NZ has been announced today by the Transport Minister, Gerry Brownlee. Named the National Airspace and Air Navigation Plan, the system will enable the introduction of technological solutions to improve safety, emissions and journey times for travellers and operators in the aviation sector through the ‘Southern Sky’ initiative.

The NAAN Plan covers eight key elements of New Zealand’s aviation system, namely: navigation, surveillance, communication, aeronautical information management, air traffic management, airspace design, aerodromes, and meteorological services. Working with the FAA, the plan directive will aim to improve overall flight efficiency and help operators to manage the costs of mission critical transmissions.

“This plan outlines how the government and aviation industry will manage the transition from ground-based to modern satellite-based navigation and surveillance technologies, digital information and communication systems, and streamlined air traffic control,” Mr Brownlee says. “It promotes the uptake of new technologies with an estimated economic benefit of almost $2 billion over the next 20 years. These technologies have the potential to bring about significant improvements in efficiency, safety and environmental outcomes in the aviation sector, especially as air traffic volumes increase. As the new technologies are implemented, passengers will benefit from shorter, more direct flight paths and fewer delays”.

Some of the changes will require aircraft operators to make retrofit upgrades, which will mean investments in new equipment. It is hoped that a portion of these cost will be recouped through the efficiencies and lower operational costs as a result of the changes. Smaller operators and private pilots should receive consultations via the Plan and the CAA to ensure that the financial burden can be spread, with a smooth transition between what pilots and operators need in the short term and what they will need for future operations.

Changes to controlled airspace, a part of the Plan, will give private pilots the opportunity to fly in a bigger area without the need to retrofit their aircraft.

Icelandic Volcano Eruption Places Airlines on Alert

August 23, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

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.

Air Astana Selects Operational Messaging Solution

August 13, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

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.”

Signature Flight Support Adds Scottsdale AirCenter to Its Global Portfolio

August 6, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Arizona Airport FBO, Scottsdale AirCenter’s aFlight Support & Business Aviation Services Providersssets have been acquired by Signature Flight Support, it was announced today. The 16th largest business aviation airport in the U.S. and a dedicated general aviation airport serving the Greater Phoenix Metro Area, Scottsdale AirCenter is one of only two FBOs on the field. Signature Flight Support is the world’s largest fixed-base operation and distribution network for business aviation services and is a division of BBA Aviation PLC.

Services include fuelling, hangar and office rentals, ground handling, maintenance and an extensive range of passenger and crew facilities.

Business aviation services and flight support services providers across the world ensure the smooth running of operations within airports. Many providers also offer flight planning and communications solutions for the flight deck and for airport operational productivity, largely running ‘behind the scenes’ of operators.

Scottsdale AirCenter is housed in a modern facility with 145,000 square feet of hangar space for large cabin business aircraft and 12,000 square feet of terminal space. Additionally, the centre has concierge services, passenger lounge, pilot and crew lounge and gift shop with an extra 32,000 square feet of shop and office space.

Maria Sastre, President and Chief Operating Officer for Signature Flight Support commented on the acquisition, “Scottsdale AirCenter represents an important addition to our world-class FBO locations in our global network. Their reputation for exceptional customer service was one of many attributes Signature considered in making this acquisition. Scottsdale AirCenter is a fantastic facility in a key market for Signature. We welcome the staff and customers of Scottsdale AirCenter to the Signature family.”

 

 

Airport Operations Management Business Acquired by Exelis

August 4, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Airport Operations Integrated with Management SolutionsExelis, aerospace and defence information company headquartered outside Washington, VA, have announced their acquisition of Orthogon; German airport operations management business, providing applications for air traffic flow management and decision-making to airport operators and ANSPs across the world.

The Orthogon business designs and develops traffic optimisation applications and predict traffic demand on runways, giving airport operators flexibility to optimise their resources both on the ground and in the air.

“The acquisition of Orthogon expands our aviation solutions portfolio and international market position,” said Pam Drew, Exelis president of the Exelis Information Systems division. “With our global airport presence and Orthogon’s queue management applications we see opportunities to deliver solutions to our customers that will lower costs and increase capacity and efficiency of their operations.”

Airport management systems integration is a necessary part of the process of information management. Additional applications available from other providers of airport management systems can include ‘back-office’ applications that assist with the smooth and efficient operation of baggage handling systems and passenger processing. As airports grow busier, with estimated passenger flow on the increase to the tune of more than 5% each year, operational productivity can suffer without key integrated systems in place.

New Pilatus PC-24 with Avionics to Support Graphical Flight Planning

July 13, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

PC24 with Graphical Flight Planning - Find Out More...Pilatus have announced that the new PC-24 business jet is ready to be rolled out, expecting to make its first flight before the end of the year.

The stunning new jet will be fitted with a Honeywell Primus Apex flight deck, branded as the Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment and will support graphical flight planning on a moving map displayed on one of the four impressive 12-inch displays. The cockpit will also feature an integrated navigation data service (INDS) for the iPad, supporting the paperless cockpit initiative.

Already, the Pilatus PC-24 has received 84 orders, causing a temporary suspension of new bookings with all projected delivery positions now taken from the end of 2017 to the end of 2019.  As the program continues, the company plan to reopen the order books for the $8.9 million aircraft for 2020.

The aircraft combines the performance of a light jet with the range and size of a midsized aircraft and seats up to 10 passengers in a commuter figuration or six to eight in an executive arrangement with options to remove seats to create a larger baggage compartment.

Certification from Europe and the U.S. will be planned for 2017.

Aviation Messaging Solution Improves Communications

July 10, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Understand Complex Aviation MessagingAviation messaging involves a complex system of communications across many different mediums and the support infrastructure can become cluttered, difficult to understand and expensive.

Earlier this month, Canada underwent a completion of safety and efficiency enhancements with the implementation of Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). The introduction of CPDLC offers controllers and pilots the opportunity to communicate over data link or text-type messages rather than voice.

“Miscommunication is a common air safety issue, but there is much less chance of error when both the flight crew and the controller have the ability to communicate using standardized text messaging. With data link there is no need to read-back and hear-back instructions, which often need to be repeated several times due to poor radio reception or voice quality due to static interference and poor reception.” said Rudy Kellar, Executive Vice President, Service Delivery.

Aviation messaging consultants can assist airlines and operators with understanding, simplification and cost-saving with CPDLC and other critical messaging solutions. Type B messaging within aviation environments can streamline processes both in the air and on the ground, minimising delays and increasing operational productivity.

ARINC, Developers of ACARS, Suggest Technology Exists to Improve Aircraft Tracking

July 9, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Providers of Aviation Messaging SystemsARINC Inc, acquired last year by Aeronautics giant, Rockwell Collins, developed and introduced ACARS messaging during the earliest years of commercial flight and insist that the technology is available today for real-time aircraft tracking. The debate continues in the wake of the tragic disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370, now into the fourth month with no news.

In-flight connectivity providers and satellite companies are currently competing for business with Inmarsat, the British satellite company that provided additional information about the ill-fated flight and Iridium both supporting flight deck communications and aircraft tracking solutions as they have done for years.

More than 300 airlines and 15,000 aircraft have relied upon the industry-standard ACARS and ARINC GLOBALink for mission critical transmissions. Rockwell Collins’ CEO, Kelly Ortberg said, “We may have to write some software, we may have to do some different things; upgrade the aircraft to implement this capability, but we don’t need to invest in new technology.”

With VHF datalink extending throughout Central and North America, most of Europe and Asia, Inmarsat’s satellite network providing coverage to expand VHF capability to encompass real-time data reporting and weather updates and Iridium’s network reaching the remote oceanic expanses and Polar Regions, it is clear that the technology is indeed available to bring global coverage within reach of the world’s airlines and operators.

Aviation messaging is under scrutiny at the moment, particularly by IATA and ICAO, who are working together to investigate the options for airlines in terms of global tracking to avoid another MH370 crisis at all costs.

Skyservice Business Aviation Signs Deal to Include Flight Tracking

July 7, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Other Real-Time Flight Tracking ProvidersIt has been announced that Skyservice Business Aviation operators have signed a deal that will give real-time flight tracking benefits on a global scale.

The solution, to be installed on Learjet 45’s that make up the Skyservice Air Ambulance fleet, will also offer data collection for maintenance purposes and monitoring functions to enable issue fixing and thus minimising potential downtime and helping to increase operational productivity.

The agreement has been signed initially for five years at an estimated value of $550,000, based on potential flight hours and list prices. Skyservice has signed a contract with Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd, a Canadian-based technology company with a focus on aerospace solutions.

Sam Cimone, President of Skyservice Business Aviation said “Our company is continuously looking at improving its operations and efficiency and more importantly, the safety of our passengers and clients. The STAR-A.D.S. (TM) solution, with the precise data it continuously and globally provides, coupled with its analysis abilities, will enhance our performance, and assist us in monitoring the aircraft in real time. This will ensure better utilization of the aircraft and safety for the passenger”.

As we enter the fourth month following the unprecedented disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, more airlines and operators are looking to real-time flight tracking solutions.

World Cup Hopes to Boost Business Aviation Conference Interest

July 3, 2014
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Business Aviation Conference in BrazilThis years’ EBACE show to be held at São Paulo Congonhas Airport, will be operating under tough conditions as facilities are limited and a large tent at the show entrance will need to be erected. Organising the event has been a catalogue of delays for the Brazilian industry group, Associação Brasileira de Aviação Geral (ABAG) during a period of remodelling for the venue.

“We’re working with the expectation that the fair will be smaller this year than in 2013, which was smaller than in 2012. If it’s bigger, it will be only slightly bigger,” said ABAG executive director, Ricardo Nogueira.

Attendees for the show have declined over the past few years, with 13,823 visitors last year compared to 16,722 attendees in 2012, which at the time, was largely attributed to bad weather during the show’s opening days.

This year it is hoped that figures will rise due to the location of the World Cup tournament, which will bring a boost to local business aviation.

“All our airplanes are chartered for the World Cup, there’s a lot customer aircraft activity, and we’re doing a lot of FBO work for international visitors,” said a spokesman for TAM Aviação Executiva.

There is already a shortage in ramp space available during the tournament with 83% of business aviation slots reserved – equating to approximately 89,640 movements out of 108,000. Slots for 1,000 business aircraft have been reserved for the tournament traffic, which is expected to decrease as teams are eliminated.

The building that has been used during previous shows for LABACE conference sessions and registration has been commandeered as a remote terminal for business aviation during the World Cup tournament. Infraero airport authority Investments in this facility should benefit LABACE when it is finally handed over for use by ABAG.