Transavia France to Adopt SITA OnAir’s EFB Technology

Transavia France, sister company of Transavia Airlines, owned by the Air France-KLM Group, has become the latest airline to adopt SITA OnAir’s Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) technology.

By using EFBs, Transavia France will streamline maintenance reporting and consequently reduce costs. They also require less logistical and infrastructure cost than traditional paper-based processes. On average, SITA OnAir EFBs generate annual savings of around $120,000 per aircraft.

Implementation work has already started and the EFBs will be deployed on Transavia France’s 21 x B737s over the coming months.

Transavia Netherlands has been using SITA EFBs on its 31 x B737s since 2013 and Transavia France will share the same infrastructure. Both will benefit from the EFB application being based in the SITA ATI Cloud.

“With the ATI Cloud, we can provide large airline groups that own several airlines, with a highly scalable solution,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of SITA OnAir. “The EFBs can be integrated into each airline’s individual IT infrastructure, using a common base in the Cloud. We are experts at integrating new technology solutions into existing airline IT structures, which is a key skill for developing the connected aircraft.”

The EFBs, which will be fitted to the aircraft rather than pilot assigned, are Class 2 navAero hardware with LIDO charts and the full suite of SITA OnAir EFB applications. They can be used during all phases of the flight and once the aircraft is on the ground, the EFBs are synchronized with the airline’s back office over 3G or using a USB key for larger files.

“As a low cost carrier, we are cost conscious so we need a solution that delivers a real return on our investment,” said Cyril Canu, Operations Control Centre Manager of Transavia France. “EFBs will enable us to streamline engine maintenance costs by being more efficient about how we collect, collate and communicate operational information across the airline. In doing so we will reduce our logistics and infrastructure costs because EFBs enable digital processes that share operational data in real-time versus paper which took days.”

The next development for the SITA OnAir EFB will be inflight updates, using the aircraft’s satellite connectivity. Cabin Wi-Fi cannot be used in the cockpit. However, SITA OnAir has started provisioning cockpits with wired access to the satellite server. This provides a dedicated and secure channel for the pilots.