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LEVEL SELECTS DOCUNET TO SUPPORTS ITS NEW A330 FLEET

LEVEL, the International Airlines Group’s (IAG) newest transatlantic carrier, has chosen Vistair’s DocuNet for the management, control and distribution of its airline flight operations manuals, for its new A330 fleet. 

The decision to implement DocuNet was made following IAG’s decision to expand LEVEL’S operation, acquiring the French air operator’s certificate (AOC) of premium carrier and existing DocuNet client, OpenSkies.

Having planned to commence operations for the first of its A330-200s in July this year, LEVEL recognised the need for a fully managed solution for its flight documentation. The objective was to reduce the time taken for staff to manage manual content, leveraging the power of XML in a single platform.

As the fourth member of IAG (following British Airways, Vueling and Iberia) to select DocuNet, the Group’s airlines will further benefit from standardised processes across the Group. As a managed service, DocuNet delivers a cost-effective and scalable solution that supports the simplification an airline’s drive for ongoing revenue improvement opportunities and enhanced service delivery.

Unparalleled structured editing service 

Entry into service is both fast paced and complex, requiring the significant customisation of key documents by the CAA to a deadline. Therefore, for both Vistair and LEVEL initial concerns focused upon the time it would take to implement last minute requirements from regulatory bodies to their MEL and FCOM. Vistair’s specialist in-house document services team were able to implement these changes in rapid time, ensuring LEVEL were able to commence operations as planned.

Peter Nye, former Director of Flight Operations for Openskies who has now transitioned to LEVEL comments “I would like to thank the Vistair team for their support and hard work during LEVEL’s recent A330 entry into service with OpenSkies in France. Some very short-notice but critical documentation changes were required, Vistair were always available, and the team worked very effectively with us to ensure we received the documentation on-time. We were very impressed with the accuracy and high standard of work, as well as the ease of use of the DocuNet tools. I would recommend them to any other airline.”

Ability to demonstrate Regulatory Compliance 

Implementing the DocuNet solution also brings other benefits. As an IATA-accredited airline, LEVEL will benefit from DocuNet’s Compliance and Regulation Matrix which has been developed to provide clients with enhanced usability and improved linkage functionality to support regulation tagging and tracking. In most airlines this has both a cost and personnel saving in terms of audit preparation and delivery.

Ian Herbert, CEO of Vistair comments: “We are thrilled to be working with another member of IAG. It was fantastic to receive LEVEL’s vote of confidence for DocuNet and to assist with the transition from our former and valued client, OpenSkies.

It is also enormously pleasing to know that LEVEL, as with all of other clients, will benefit from the developments we continue to make to the DocuNet service.”

Vistair provides aviation document management services through its DocuNet solution to airlines throughout the world and counts AirAsia, BMI, DHL, easyJet, Loganair, Norwegian, Qantas, Saudia, SAS, TUI and Virgin Australia amongst its valued clients.

For further information about DocuNet CLICK HERE.

All Lufthansa Group airlines to use Lufthansa Systems solutions for navigation

Ten-year contract signed for Lido/RouteManual, Lido/mPilot, Lido/eRouteManual, Lido/AMDB, Lido/AMM and DVMS navigation solutions

Raunheim, November 27, 2018 – Lufthansa Systems today announced that all airlines in the Lufthansa Group will use its entire portfolio of navigation solutions over the next ten years. This includes the Lido/mPilot and Lido/eRouteManual electronic map solutions based on the Lido/RouteManual paper maps, the dynamic Lido/AMM airport moving map with the high-precision Lido/AMDB airport mapping database, and a solution for document management (DVMS).

“As the process owner, we sat down with our Lufthansa Systems colleagues very early on and constructively fleshed out the arrangement that now benefits all of us,” said Robert Nyenhuis, Vice President Flight Operations Standards & Projects Lufthansa Group Airlines.

Many airlines in the Lufthansa Group were already using the Lido/eRouteManual electronic navigation maps. The different individual contracts with these airlines have now been harmonized. Lufthansa Aviation Training will also employ the electronic navigation maps in the future so that pilots in training can use the same solution they will later find on the flight deck. This harmonization will reduce both administrative effort and costs. Up until now, only Lufthansa Passage pilots have benefited from the high-precision Lido/AMDB data. A master agreement for Lido/AMDB now offers other companies the opportunity to use the product as well.

“Despite the airlines’ different needs, we were able to quickly find solutions based on pragmatic, constructive collaboration,” said Dr. Bernd Jurisch, Head of Flight & Navigation Products & Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “We are grateful for the great trust the Lufthansa Group is placing in us with this ten-year agreement.”

The Lufthansa Group is an aviation company with operations worldwide. Cargo and passenger transportation together account for about 87 percent of the Group’s revenues. The airlines in the Lufthansa Group include Lufthansa Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine, Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss and Brussels.

Caption (copyright Lufthansa Systems): The electronic Lido/eRouteManual maps support pilots during navigation.

Willis Asset Management chooses Commsoft’s OASES for new CAMO operation

23rd  November 2018 – Commsoft is delighted to announce that its industry-leading MRO IT system, OASES, has been selected by Willis Asset Management Ltd to support its newly launched CAMO operation, which will be a key service provision in its growing platform of aviation advisory and asset management services

Willis Asset Management, a subsidiary of Willis Lease Finance Corporation, provides independent and expert aviation advisory services as well as technical and commercial management solutions for both aircraft and engines. The company currently manages a global portfolio of over 700 aero engines with customers including a large variety of airlines, major lessors, OEMs, MROs and financial institutions around the globe.

Karl Gibson, Vice President, commented:

“The launch of Willis Asset Management CAMO services will add a new dimension to our broad range of aviation programs. We will be growing the Willis CAMO platform in combination with our Part 145 maintenance and Airframe services to provide a truly unique service offering for our clients.” 

Nick Godwin, Commsoft’s Managing Director, commented: 

“OASES is continually being developed with the active participation of our users and reflects the breadth and depth of our experience in all areas of aviation maintenance support. We are proud that Willis Asset Management has chosen OASES for its specific needs and we’re very much looking forward to working with them to ensure an early and successful implementation.”   

Combining a high level of technical sophistication with an intuitive user interface, OASES is currently being relied on by more than 130 aviation operations in over 55 different countries; a customer base that includes national and regional airlines, charter operators and cargo specialists as well as 3rd party maintenance and leasing companies. To provide maximum flexibility, OASES is designed in a modular format and Willis Asset Management has selected the Core, Airworthiness and Planning modules which will be accessed by the company through Commsoft’s Private Cloud service.

‘Software Pioneer of the Year 2018’

23rd November 2018 – Our team attended the Digital Entrepreneur Awards in Manchester on Thursday 22nd of November as we were finalists in the category of ‘Software Pioneer of the Year’.

The whole team were over the moon to have made it through as finalists so imagine our reaction to hearing our all new Flight Following solution being read out as the winning entry on the night. 

We know how good a product skybook is and how big a difference it can make but receiving plaudits like this goes a long way to recognising the ongoing hard work by everyone back at Bytron HQ who keep pushing skybook to the next level. 

Once again, competition was stiff in every category so we want to congraulate everyone that made the finals. There were some superb solutions recoognised and its great to stand alongside them. 

So thats 3 technology awards in 2 years – we better start thinking about where our 4th is coming from. 

To find out what all the fuss is about, email us via info@bytron.aero for a skybook demo or visit our website for more information https://www.bytron.aero/skybook-software

SITAONAIR enhances flight planning operations with private cloud-based FREQUENTIS smartMessenger

SITAONAIR upgrades to latest version of Frequentis smartMessenger

SITAONAIR has been operating Frequentis’ messaging, NOTAM and weather data management system since 1990. With the latest upgrade, the system is now hosted in the SITA ATI cloud, enabling improved performance, availability and scalability while reducing costs.

SITAONAIR is the air travel industry’s trusted connected aircraft service expert, empowering 400+ airlines and 16,000+ aircraft worldwide with services for passengers, cockpit and cabin crew, flight operations, aircraft big data and air traffic management. The Frequentis system ensures that SITAONAIR’s customers receive the most up-to-date information throughout the flight planning process, allowing them to optimise their flight costs by reducing fuel consumption and flight times.

“SITAONAIR and Frequentis California enjoy a long-term partnership and we continue to operate and regularly upgrade the system with Frequentis because some of our specific requirements cannot be easily met by other systems available on the market. By upgrading to Frequentis’ latest technologies, we are able to host the system in a virtualised environment on the SITAONAIR cloud, offering contingency in the event of an incident, and enhanced performance to our customers.” Said Ian Gray, Senior Product Manager for SITAONAIR’s AIRCOM® FlightPlanner.

With the latest upgrade, SITAONAIR maintains a database containing a global coverage of airspace, NOTAM and weather data received from systems operated by the FAA, UK NATS, UK MET Office and EAD.

“This upgrade was particularly challenging as SITAONAIR operates smartMessenger in a complex environment and it was also essential to coordinate the implementation with SITAONAIR staff located across the globe, operating in varying time zones. With the upgrade to the latest release of smartMessenger, SITAONAIR will continue to provide timely and accurate information to its customers and be prepared to meet requirements of future air traffic growth.” Added Jesper Duprez, Vice President of Operations at Frequentis California.

Albawings takes off with AMOS

15.11.2018 – Swiss-AS is happy to announce its latest addition to the AMOS customer community: Albawings.
Albawings is an Albanian airline headquartered in Tirana that operates services from its hub to several Italian destinations.

Global Eagle Increases Games Leadership by Bringing UNO The #1 Card Game in the World to Passengers 

Los Angeles – November 14, 2018 – Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. [NASDAQ: ENT] announced that it will collaborate with Mattel to bring UNO™ the number-one card game to airline passengers worldwide. 

The move further strengthens Global Eagle’s onboard games leadership – with 120 games flying on more than 100 airlines – after recently signing new agreements with Japanese game-maker Sanrio and Monopoly owner Hasbro.

UNO is ranked the number one game by market research firm NPD Group and will debut on airline seatback systems during 2019. Global Eagle has global aviation distribution rights for UNO, and Global Eagle expects to bring the game to maritime and other markets in the future.

“Mattel is a world-class, global learning, development and play company. We are proud partner with Mattel to expand the breadth of entertainment portfolio for children on board flights worldwide,” said Per Norén, Global Eagle President.

UNO is available to fans worldwide in over 80 countries that have win real money games. For more information on UNO, game availability and purchasing details, please visit MattelGames.com or find the brand on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Global Eagle has created a center of excellence for Digital Media and Games in Montreal, where we design, innovate and adapt popular games for the travel market. “Our 120 games are played more than 150 million times by passengers annually,” said Norén. “We are driving passenger engagement for all ages and tapping into a growing $108 billion worldwide market for games.”

Global A&D manufacturer Terma ensures data management and traceability with IFS Applications 10

• Worldwide upgrade will see Denmark’s largest aerospace and defence (A&D) company roll out comprehensive IFS solution to all 1,600 staff

13 November, 2018 – IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Terma, a global manufacturer and provider of military and civil electronics, software, and aerostructures, has chosen to upgrade its ERP platform to IFS Applications™ 10.

As the Danish defence industry’s biggest player and a supplier to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Terma is experiencing rapid growth. Increasing its top line by double digits for four consecutive years, the organisation is delivering a growing number of projects through its 16 units worldwide.

Since 2001, IFS Applications has played a critical role in supporting Terma’s complex operations and stringent requirements for project management and traceability. To support its global expansion, the company needed to modernise its enterprise software platform with robust tools delivered through a state-of-the-art, browser-based user experience. 

By upgrading to IFS Applications 10, Terma will benefit from powerful functionality in key areas such as project management, CRM, and HR. In addition, the new IFS Aurena user interface will help optimise mission-critical areas such as documentation and traceability by empowering users with intuitive access to the ERP platform on any device, at any time. 

“Companies in our industry must comply with very high standards of data management and traceability,” Terma vice president of IT Jørgen Eskildsen said. “By upgrading to IFS Applications 10, we are ensuring that we continue to meet these demands and remain in full control of the entire supply chain. Another key consideration for us were the new version’s extended capabilities for automating previously labour-intensive business processes. One example is financial management, which is now automatically consolidated across all subsidiaries involved in a project and enables global date change management. These enhancements give us an important competitive edge in terms of optimised project management and process efficiency.”

Eskildsen continued, “IFS Applications is ideally suited for project-centric companies with global operations, which is why we are using it as our central system of records. Thanks to the solution’s comprehensive set of fully integrated functionality, we are able to deploy robust additional CRM and HR capabilities without any need for complex systems integration. This means that we are able to leverage one central platform using fewer resources.”

Elni Kullmer, head of IFS in Scandinavia, added, “We are proud of the continued trust that Terma places in our people and solutions and we look forward to continuing the journey we embarked on together some 17 years ago. IFS Applications 10 is the ideal choice for global, project-driven businesses that are looking to boost value creation through fit-for-purpose capabilities coupled with an intuitive user experience.”

Argentum Provides Growth Capital to EmpowerMX.

FRISCO, TX and NEW YORK, NY – November 13, 2018 – EmpowerMX, a leading provider of cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions used by major commercial airlines and MROs to manage, plan, execute, and optimize aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul, announced today that it has received a significant investment from Argentum, a growth equity firm that partners with entrepreneurs to build industry leading B2B software and technology-enabled services companies.  Dan Raynor and Chris Leong of Argentum have joined EmpowerMX’s Board of Directors in connection with the investment.  EmpowerMX represents Argentum’s third portfolio investment in aviation software and / or services within the last 12 months. 

EmpowerMX has established itself as an innovative provider of cloud-based mobile software technology to the commercial aviation industry by delivering new levels of efficiencies and cost savings through the automation of the complex workflows of MRO tasks and activities.  The company’s core software suite, FleetCycle, is being used by many of the world’s largest commercial airlines and MROs to reduce maintenance costs and lower aircraft maintenance turn-around times (TAT) by eliminating unproductive processes, supporting higher workforce utilization, automating traditionally paper-based and manual processes (including FAA-approved electronic task cards) and providing real-time visibility into task completion.

“Argentum has a long and successful track-record partnering with growth stage companies, including high growth aviation software and MRO services businesses that are synergistic with EmpowerMX,” said Dinakara Nagalla, CEO of EmpowerMX.  “Accordingly, we feel they are the ideal partner for us as we look to further broaden our cloud offerings, expand our customer base, and bring unprecedented levels of efficiencies and cost savings to the commercial aviation industry by replacing antiquated processes with modern automation.”

“We are excited to be supporting EmpowerMX as it brings game-changing automation to the maintenance operations of commercial airlines and MROs,” said Dan Raynor, Managing Partner of Argentum.  “EmpowerMX is growing rapidly based on its proven ability to deliver labor hour savings to its customers, resulting in lower maintenance costs and more rapid return of aircraft to service. With the airline industry highly focused on reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies, we believe that the company is ideally positioned to continue to build upon its market leadership position.”

Chris Leong, Partner at Argentum, added, “We have been impressed by the validation of EmpowerMX’s cloud-based software solutions by an enviable roster of major airlines and MROs, and look forward to partnering with Dinakara and his team to accelerate the company’s growth.”

Global airlines turn to SITAONAIR as ICAO officially raises bar for flight tracking

Wednesday 7 November 2018 – ICAO recommendations calling for airlines to report flight positions every 15 minutes become official on Thursday 8 November 2018  – and SITAONAIR is helping multiple airlines around the world meet them, thanks to its cutting-edge AIRCOM® FlightTracker.

Major airlines including Avianca Brasil, Azul, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Singapore Airlines and Vistara, already use AIRCOM® FlightTracker, across more than 250,000 flights a month. In delivering flight precision, enhanced awareness and reinforced safety, FlightTracker enables airlines to unlock greater operational effectiveness in an increasingly congested airspace, to minimize costs and support passenger satisfaction.

The International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) recommendations compel airlines to commit to minimum standards of aircraft tracking, with the aim of improving safety, detection of aircraft in distress, and efficient and effective search and rescue. The ICAO urges operators to report aircraft positions at least once every 15 minutes as of Thursday 8 November 2018, and additional aircraft distress processes will be added from 2021.

SITAONAIR has led the way in preparing airlines for this major milestone in aviation safety. Its ground-based, easy-to-implement AIRCOM® FlightTracker software system guarantees regular flight position updates, without requiring any new avionics or modifications to aircraft. 

Gathering data from multiple global sources – including FlightAware’s Firehose data feed – it bridges gaps between air navigation services provider tracking, to offer 100% global flight tracking with position updates at least once-per-minute. The FlightAware feed delivers live aircraft position data from its terrestrial network of ADS-B receivers, as well as from Aireon’s space-based ADS-B network, which, hosted on the Iridium® NEXT constellation, is now providing live flight tracking.

In incorporating this space-based ADS-B data, SITAONAIR’s enhanced FlightTracker gives airlines the tools to receive the precise position, speed and altitude of their airborne fleet anywhere in the world – even over oceans and polar regions. They are also able to exceed the ICAO 15-minute recommendation, in readiness for 2021’s anticipated one-minute recommendation.

Dominique El Bez, Vice President, Product and Strategy, SITAONAIR says: “SITAONAIR is proud to have been at the fore in empowering global airlines to respond to the ICAO’s vital recommendations. Our AIRCOM® FlightTracker provides the cost-effective, multi-fleet, multi-data solution, for airlines all over the world. With the inclusion of Aireon space-based ADS-B, SITAONAIR’s solution enables airlines to exceed GADSS standards and recommended practices and automatically alerts users if an aircraft ceases to broadcast its position. As the first and only space-based ADS-B network, Aireon’s coverage represents a significant advancement in flight tracking abilities for the entire aviation industry.

“We urge airlines to speak to us now, to discover how our cutting-edge AIRCOM® FlightTracker can enable them to deliver greater flight precision, awareness and reinforced safety, today.”

Discover SITAONAIR’s AIRCOM® FlightTracker by exploring our whitepaper, webinar and videos online at comms.sita.aero/soa-flighttracker-home.