SITAOnAir’s EFB Weather Awareness Solution Certified by Inmarsat

SITAOnAir’s EFB Weather Awareness Solution (eWAS) is the latest application certified by Inmarsat for use across its next-generation SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) communications platform for the flight deck, allowing airlines to now receive the latest weather view in real-time during flights.

Following its certification under Inmarsat’s Aviation Certified Application Provider (CAP) Programme, eWAS users will now be able to seamlessly utilize SITAOnAir’s best-in-class technology for pilots using real-time SB-S datalink connectivity.

The popular pilot weather solution offers up-to-date views of severe weather, which can then enable a smoother, more efficient inflight experience for passengers and crew – and avoid related cost implications that were once deemed unavoidable.

Severe turbulence, lightning, ice crystalization and other volatile weather phenomena can significantly impact an airline’s bottom line, with a single weather event sometimes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, in addition to negatively impacting on-time performance targets. Such weather phenomena can rapidly appear, shift location, and grow in intensity, posing an increasing problem for airlines that traditional weather briefing packages cannot deal with.

According to a recent study published by the London School of Economics, optimizing flight routes in real time, through IP-enabled communications that provide better weather information to the cockpit, yields an estimated 1% fuel reduction per flight. This equates to 3.39 billion litres of fuel, 8.3 million tonnes of CO2 and $1.3 billion in fuel savings annually, based on current fuel costs.

SB-S entered commercial service in April of this year. Utilizing market-leading aviation applications, SB-S can improve delay management and scheduling, maintenance capability, fleet and flight crew management, efficiency and predictability, and can reduce aircraft turnaround time.

In the future, through its use with modernization programmes such as the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), it will enable enhanced air traffic management, allowing reduced separation standards and enabling dynamic rerouting and tailored arrivals.

Dominique El Bez, VP, Product & Strategy, SITAOnAir, said, “More than 10,000 pilots are already using the eWAS application, with its best-in-class features, helping them to stay a step ahead and avoid the avoidable. By connecting the eWAS application over SB-S’ dedicated IP platform for the cockpit, pilots will experience the added benefits of real-time weather updates inflight. Even avoiding a single weather event brings an immediate return on investment to an airline.”

John Broughton, VP Safety and Operational Services, Inmarsat Aviation, said, “We are proud to welcome SITAOnAir’s eWAS solution to the family of integrated, certified applications now available to SB-S customers. Delivering enhanced weather awareness to the connected aircraft represents a significant opportunity for fuel savings and reduced emissions for airlines.”

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