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Three European ATSPs Sign Co-Operative Agreement with Thales ATM
Three European ATSPs (air traffic service providers), the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Sweden's the LFV Group, and Denmark's Naviair, have agreed to a novel purchasing agreement with Thales ATM.

European Consortium Validates New ATM Capacity Improvements with Simulations
The Eurocontrol Experimental Centre (EEC) has completed a six-week real-time simulation as part of the process to validate procedures meant to alleviate a predicated medium term air traffic increase over the continent.

IATA Gets China to Allow New Route to Europe
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has obtained China's approval to implement a new route for international traffic between China and Europe, which could reduce flight time by an average of 30 minutes.

Eurocontrol Approves Transition Program to Increase Airspace Capacity
The Eurocontrol Council agreed to deploy a transition program that it believes - when combined with other measures already underway - will ensure that the European air traffic management system can handle an expected 25% increase in air traffic between now and 2010.

FAA Reports Progress on LAAS Integrity Issues
The FAA group working on GBAS (ground based augmentation system) expects to implement an approved set of integrity monitoring algorithms in a LAAS (local area augmentation system) prototype at Memphis by September of this year.

Airservices Australia and Honeywell to Introduce Satellite-Based Landing Systems
Airservices Australia has contracted with Honeywell International to develop a satellite-based precision aircraft landing system, which will be marketed worldwide by the two companies.

Era Helicopters Acquiring More Sky Connect Satcom and Tracking Units
Era Helicopters, which provides transportation services for the U.S. Gulf Coast offshore oil industry, is acquiring 75 Iridium satellite communication systems from Sky Connect, an Iridium Satellite value-added reseller (VAR).

Emirates Expanding Its Inflight Medical Assistance Capabilities
Emirates has teamed with Arizona-based MedAire to expand the level of inflight medical assistance it can provide its passengers.

Virgin Atlantic Will Equip Entire Fleet with navAero EFBs
Virgin Atlantic Airways will equip its entire fleet with navAero class-2 EFBs (electronic flight bags) that will use electronic applications and documents supplied by Lufthansa Systems.

Embraer Certifies Thales IFE on Its 175 and 190 Models
Embraer has gained certification for Thales digital in-seat IFE (inflight entertainment) system for Air Canada's Embraer 175s and 190s.

DigEcor Launches Portable IFE
DigEcor released the next generation lightweight, portable IFE (inflight entertainment equipment) system with an 8-inch TFT (thin film transistor) screen.

EMTEQ Offering New Lighting System for High-End Aircraft Cabins
EMTEQ is offering a new LED (light emitting diode) technology for business, VIP, very VIP, and first-class cabin installations.

Boeing to Offer AeroMobile Inflight Phone Equipment as Option
Boeing will offer AeroMobile's inflight mobile (cell) phone system as an airline- specified "line-fit" option for all of its in-production aircraft.

Wingspeed Develops New Aircraft Tracking and Communications Systems
Wingspeed Corp has developed two new low-cost tracking systems for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters that also include two-way text messaging, voice calling, and a range of ACARS  (aircraft communication addressing and reporting system)-type data services.

Japanese Disaster Agency Tracking Its Helicopters Using Iridium's Satellite Network
The Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) will track its helicopters using Iridium's satellite network and a system developed by Pioneer Navicom that automatically transmits GPS position coordinates to ground stations and uploads destination point, routes and text messages to the aircraft.

Los Angeles-Area Airports Award Wireless Internet Access to T-Mobile
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a three-year concession agreement with T-Mobile to provide public wireless Internet access at its Los Angeles, Ontario and Van Nuys airports.

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Three European ATSPs Sign Co-Operative Agreement with Thales ATM

Three European ATSPs (air traffic service providers), the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Sweden's the LFV Group, and Denmark's Naviair, have agreed to a novel purchasing agreement with Thales ATM.

The agreement, known as COOPANS, should facilitate the joint procurement of upgrades to existing common Thales Eurocat ATM (air traffic management) systems that each of the ANSPs previously contracted for individually.

Thales says that by jointly procuring under COOPANS, the ANSPs will be able reduce the risks associated with the introduction of completely new ATM systems, while ensuring supportability and reducing the life cycle costs of their present systems.  It will help also in meeting requirements necessitated by the Single European Sky initiative and its move towards common ATM equipment.

The agreement is based on an open door concept whereby other ANSPs will be able to join at a later date, according to Thales.  04-14-2006.  (Top)

European Consortium Validates New ATM Capacity Improvements with Simulations

The Eurocontrol Experimental Centre (EEC) has completed a six-week real-time simulation as part of the process to validate procedures meant to alleviate a predicated medium term air traffic increase over the continent.

EEC's Gate-to-Gate project is a pan-European research and development project that tested various changes in pre-departure, departure, en-route and arrival procedures that have been proposed by a Thales ATM-led consortium of partners including Eurocontrol, five air navigation service providers, three air traffic equipment manufacturers, and seven aircraft and avionics manufacturers.

Twenty-seven fast-time and real-time simulations in different phases of flight, were carried out during a six-week simulation that integrated a representative set of elements covering all phases of flight.

Results of the project will be made public this autumn.  04-14-2006.  (Top)

IATA Gets China to Allow New Route to Europe

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has obtained China's approval to implement a new route for international traffic between China and Europe, which could reduce flight time by an average of 30 minutes.

The new route is officially known as Y-1, but also is referred to as IATA-1, reflecting the air trade organization's role in achieving this development, which could initially benefit 110 flights a week.

IATA-1 could eliminate 2,860 hours of flight time, and save $30 million (U.S.) annually according to an IATA press release.

The route, which will allow airlines more options when flying between Asia and Europe, should have opened for commercial traffic today (April 13^th).  04-13-2006.  (Top)

Eurocontrol Approves Transition Program to Increase Airspace Capacity

The Eurocontrol Council agreed to deploy a transition program that it believes - when combined with other measures already underway - will ensure that the European air traffic management system can handle an expected 25% increase in air traffic between now and 2010.

The program, dubbed DMEAN (dynamic management of the European airspace network), aims to generate 10% additional capacity in Europe's airspace that will be combined with another 15% that European air navigation service providers plan to provide.

DMEAN (Dynamic Management of the European Airspace Network) aims to increase system capacity in the short-term, until operational improvements from initiatives such as SESAR (Single European Sky ATM research) materialize, by consolidating a number of current ATM developments and improving the information exchange process.

At a recent meeting, members of the Eurocontrol Council and European Commission were told that air traffic flow management delays are being reduced and that a goal of no more than one minute of en route flow-management delay per flight could be achieved this year because of cooperation between Eurocontrol, air navigation service providers, the military and airline operators.

Members were told that Europe's traffic will increase by 3.3% this year, but this shouldn't translate into increases in delays, due to better coordination.  04-13-2006.  (Top)

FAA Reports Progress on LAAS Integrity Issues

The FAA group working on GBAS (ground based augmentation system) expects to implement an approved set of integrity monitoring algorithms in a LAAS (local area augmentation system) prototype at Memphis by September of this year.

According to an article written by the FAA's Dieter Guenter for the April edition of SavNav News, while LAAS remains a research and development project, the FAA, Honeywell and the LIP (LAAS integrity panel) are making progress on LAAS integrity issues.  By late summer FAA and FedEx aircraft will fly tests to validate the technical and operational performance of the Memphis prototype.  Following those tests, the processing architecture will be upgraded and a complete set of prototype software functions to host all ICAO SARPs (standards and recommended practices) Category-I functions will be integrated at Memphis and also at a second new LAAS facility at FAA's Hughes Technical Center in New Jersey.  This is to be accomplished by December 2007.

Meanwhile, the FAA is also coordinating with other service providers interested to fund development, test, and regulatory approval activities.  In February, the FAA and Airservices Australia signed a memorandum of cooperation as a first step toward establishing an international cooperative development effort to obtain approval for Honeywell's Category-I LAAS.

As reported in a nearby story, Airservices Australia has a GBAS prototype installed at Sydney and a Qantas B-737-800 has successfully completed initial GBAS flight testing there.  Lessons learned there will be part of the international information exchange, Mr. Guenter reported.

Assuming funding approvals, the FAA plans to proceed towards approving LAAS Category-I operations in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) in 2008. Spain and Germany's service providers also have LAAS prototypes and have shown interest in approving those systems as well, according to Mr. Guenter.  04-16-2006.  (Top)

Airservices Australia and Honeywell to Introduce Satellite-Based Landing Systems

Airservices Australia has contracted with Honeywell International to develop a satellite-based precision aircraft landing system, which will be marketed worldwide by the two companies.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will supply Airservices with a GBAS (ground-based augmentation system) for its larger airports and will also design a complimentary GRAS (ground-based regional augmentation system) for smaller airports used by regional airlines and general aviation aircraft.  GBAS will replace existing instrument landing systems at major airports, while GRAS will provide new precision approach capability at smaller ones.  Airservices and Honeywell see the combination of these two systems as providing a complete seamless solution for all aircraft types in affordable modular blocks.

"Trials have been conducted on the [GBAS] system with Qantas and Sydney Airport Corporation Ltd [at Sydney] over the past six months," according to Warren Truss, Australia's government minister for transport and regional services.  "Sydney will be the first airport to have the system fitted," Mr. Truss said, and added that the trials there "exceeded expectations."

Airservices plans to introduce GRAS trials in Australia once its certification is completed, Mr. Truss said.

The agreement calls for Honeywell is to finalize software development and assist in the certification and integration of both systems over the next two years, after which Airservices and Honeywell plan to offer them commercially to airports worldwide.

Greg Russell, Airservices Australia's CEO, said that while the project is aimed at providing a single gate-to-gate landing system, it also will form part of a broader strategy to introduce future air traffic management concepts.  He described the partnership as a "better, faster and safer" way of introducing new technologies, "through an international collaborative approach."

Era Helicopters Acquiring More Sky Connect Satcom and Tracking Units

Era Helicopters, which provides transportation services for the U.S. Gulf Coast offshore oil industry, is acquiring 75 Iridium satellite communication systems from Sky Connect, an Iridium Satellite value-added reseller (VAR).

Era has ordered 75 Sky Connect TRACKER systems, with an option for 50 more. The company, which has already installed the first 20 units, plans to put the units on its entire fleet of Agusta, Bell, Eurocopter, and Sikorsky helicopters.

The TRACKER system provides operators with real-time information about the position of equipped assets anywhere in the world, and allows global voice communications through Iridium's network of LEO (low-earth orbiting) satellites.  04-16-2006.  (Top)

Emirates Expanding Its Inflight Medical Assistance Capabilities

Emirates has teamed with Arizona-based MedAire to expand the level of inflight medical assistance it can provide its passengers.

Emirates' cabin crew can now obtain clinically-accurate vital signs data from a stricken passenger using a new passenger health monitoring system, called Tempus, supplied from U.K.-based Remote Diagnostic Technologies Ltd (RDT).

Tempus records data about a passenger's blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, which is sent via the aircraft's inflight communications system to MedAire's Global Response Center in Phoenix.  MedLink's certified emergency physicians are available to review the data, assess the situation and advise the crew and/or medically-qualified onboard volunteer on the best course of action.

Tempus is now installed in all Emirates' A340-500s that are currently operating between Dubai and New York, Osaka, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Christchurch.  The unit will be fitted also into the B-777s and A380-800s that Emirates will be receiving.

Emirates' pursers and senior flight stewards are trained in the use of the Tempus system, which besides sending a patient's vital signs, also sends high-resolution pictures to MedLink's responding physicians for further assessment and treatment. The flight crew can use a satellite telephone from either the flight deck or a seat phone to make contact from anywhere around the globe.  04-16-2006.  (Top)

Virgin Atlantic Will Equip Entire Fleet with navAero EFBs

Virgin Atlantic Airways will equip its entire fleet with navAero class-2 EFBs (electronic flight bags) that will use electronic applications and documents supplied by Lufthansa Systems.

According to navAero Virgin Atlantic chose its class-2 t∙BagC22 system because its lower retrofit cost, without having to sacrifice many of the operational functionalities of a class-3 system.

(Class 2 EFBs, unlike class 3 systems, aren't integrated with an aircraft's other systems, but they may be used to display flight critical pre-composed information such as charts or approach plates for navigation.)

The dual hardware cockpit installations that includes a navAero ARINC 429 receiver interface and its t∙Pad 1000 10.4" display will be installed on Virgin Atlantic's aircraft by Avionics Support Group, navAero's partner for engineering services.  Avionics Support Group also will execute the STCs (supplemental type certificates).

Virgin Atlantic will use Lufthansa Systems SkyBook for its EFB applications and content that will include Lufthansa's eRouteManual electronic charting solution, the Lido OC route planning system, and its Topas (take-off performance calculation) tool.

Data updates for flight preparation and ground briefing will be accessed via update stations at Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester via a USB (universal serial bus).  Updates at all other airports will be accessed through the Internet using a Web application.

Virgin Atlantic will conduct flight trials of the EFB system this year, which should be deployed and operational on its entire fleet by the end of 2007.  04-15-2006.  (Top)

Embraer Certifies Thales IFE on Its 175 and 190 Models

Embraer has gained certification for Thales digital in-seat IFE (inflight entertainment) system for Air Canada's Embraer 175s and 190s.

The Thales TopSeries i-4500 AVOD (audio and video on demand) system is based on Thales' earlier i-4000 AVOD, but without a box under the passenger seat to house required electronics, which are now contained in the passenger display.

In addition, Thales offers a new high resolution, 8.9 inch interactive passenger display for its new i-4500 that accommodates a format of 16:9.

Over the next few years, Air Canada will install the i-4500 system on its CRJ705s, A320s, A319s, A321s, B-767s, B777s and A330s, making it the first airline to have digital IFE across its entire fleet, according to Thales.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

DigEcor Launches Portable IFE

DigEcor released the next generation lightweight, portable IFE (inflight entertainment equipment) system with an 8-inch TFT (thin film transistor) screen.

The digEcor IFE unit, dubbed the digEplayer XT, can be used by passengers to view DVDs in their seats, after swiping their credit card.  The device can accommodate a 60 gigabyte or larger hard drive, and has a USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 host port, plus two independently controlled headphone mini-jacks.

An optional 802.11 a/b/g wireless card can be added to facilitate uploads of movies, TV sitcoms, games, audio, credit card transactions, usage statistics, and more.

Optional adapters can also be added supporting AC, DC, and power over an Ethernet.  And the unit's modular accessory bay can be used for other options, including a 10-hour battery, or expansion.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

EMTEQ Offering New Lighting System for High-End Aircraft Cabins

EMTEQ is offering a new LED (light emitting diode) technology for business, VIP, very VIP, and first-class cabin installations.

According to EMTEQ, the design of its Quasar™ full-spectrum mood-lighting system can capture nuances of white light that are brighter and more consistent than current industry offerings.  Features include thirty-two color blending presets, 100% dimming capability and real-time color and intensity feedback.

The lights themselves are controlled by a compact, lightweight LCU (lighting control unit).  Individual lighting segments can be interconnected, in series of up to 12-foot sections. The lights carry their control signal internally which minimizes the number of LCUs (lighting control units) required.

More information can be found on EMTEQ's Website.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

Boeing to Offer AeroMobile Inflight Phone Equipment as Option

Boeing will offer AeroMobile's inflight mobile (cell) phone system as an airline- specified "line-fit" option for all of its in-production aircraft.

AeroMobile signed a technical services agreement with the manufacturer, leading Boeing to offer the option initially on the B-777.  The first installation should be completed as early as this year's fourth quarter.

According to AeroMobile, three airlines in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions are working with it to fit its technology and two should have the system operational by the end of this year.  Additionally, a European airline plans to install the equipment sometime in 2007.  Around 100 aircraft will be fitted with its system by the end of 2007, AeroMobile says, during their production at Boeing, or through retrofits.

The airborne mobile phone company - a joint venture of ARINC and Telenor - says it is also working with Panasonic Avionics to integrate its system as an optional upgrade to Panasonic's current and future IFE (inflight equipment) product lines.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

Wingspeed Develops New Aircraft Tracking and Communications Systems

Wingspeed Corp has developed two new low-cost tracking systems for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters that also include two-way text messaging, voice calling, and a range of ACARS  (aircraft communication addressing and reporting system)-type data services.

Wingspeed says its new models, the XLLink System Model L and Model H, were designed for diverse application requirements, but also for operators that want compact systems that are "aggressively priced."

Both models are integrated with Flight Explorer's tracking and messaging software, which uses Iridium Satellite's global network, to pass data and messages to Wingspeed's ground-based servers, where they are formatted and routed via a secure Internet connection to a customers' operation center anywhere in the world.  Appropriate end users with only a personal computer with Internet access can securely use the system to track and communicate with their aircraft.

The Model L will retail for approximately $3,500, and offers tracking and ASD (aircraft situational display) capabilities, as well as the ability to generate and send messages containing aircraft GPS position information.

The Model H has flight tracking as well, and in addition, offers voice calls, free-text messaging, and ACARS-type data services.  Furthermore, the Model H can be connected to a hand-held PDA (personal digital assistant) or portable EFB (electronic flight bag), which essentially makes the cockpit a network node. The complete Model H system (not including PDA or EFB) will retail for approximately $9,000 per aircraft.

Both systems are RTCA DO-160 and D0-178 certified, and their LRUs (line replaceable units) share the same equipment footprint, standard aviation sled and ARINC connector.

Wingspeed says it will be conducting live demonstrations of the XLLink System at the AEA Convention, April 20-22, 2006, in Palm Springs, California.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

Japanese Disaster Agency Tracking Its Helicopters Using Iridium's Satellite Network

The Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) will track its helicopters using Iridium's satellite network and a system developed by Pioneer Navicom that automatically transmits GPS position coordinates to ground stations and uploads destination point, routes and text messages to the aircraft.

Besides its flight following and associated messaging capability, the Pioneer system can also provide two-way voice communication between the aircraft and ground personnel.  Its technology suite includes an AirCell ST3100 satellite transceiver terminal integrated with an Airmap AMS 3000S moving map display.   FDMA had the first system installed on one of its new Eurocopter AS365N3s late last year, and during its initial, two-hour ferry flight between Osaka and Tokyo, it transmitted flight following data every four seconds through an Iridium circuit-switched data channel.

Iridium service is provided in Japan through KDDI Network & Solutions (KNSL), which has been authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to offer Iridium mobile phone and data products and services since June 2005.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

Los Angeles-Area Airports Award Wireless Internet Access to T-Mobile

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a three-year concession agreement with T-Mobile to provide public wireless Internet access at its Los Angeles, Ontario and Van Nuys airports.

T-Mobile will provide broadband wireless Internet access (WiFi) to all public areas in passenger terminals, as well as to airport tenants. Users will pay a basic industry-standard access fee of $9.99 for each 24 hours.  Existing T-Mobile customers will be charged according to their current wireless plans.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified Airbus's 340-600HGW (high gross weight).  The Trent-powered, 380-tonne variant should provide as much as 18% higher productivity compared to earlier versions, Airbus says.  It has a range of 7,900 nm, which is an increase of 250 nm over the base A340-600 with a typical three-class seating configuration.  04-17-2006.  (Top)

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said its reporting domestic airlines carried 48.6 million domestic passengers during January 2006, up from 48.2 million from January 2005.  These passengers were carried on 774,532 flights, down 4.5% from the 811,071 flights operated in January 2005.  In other domestic comparisons from January 2005 to January 2006:

• RPMs (revenue passenger miles) a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 2.4%.

• ASMs (available seat-miles), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were down 1.5%.

• Load factor, passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was up 2.8 points.

• Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 2.6%.

• Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 1.6%.

Other information, plus revised BTS data from December 2005 and previous months are posted at http://transtats.bts.gov.  04-17-2006.

Embraer delivered four ERJ-145s, eight 170s, one 175, eight 190s and six business or defense aircraft, for a total of 27 in the first quarter.  It expects to deliver 145 aircraft this year and 150 in 2007.  04-17-2006.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that the price of benchmark crude averaged $63.27 in the first quarter, up 27% over the same period in 2005.  John Heimlich, the U.S. Air Transport Association's chief economist, commented that refining costs adding a further $14.24, "the average price of jet fuel rose approximately 40 cents per gallon, from $1.45 to $1.85," year-over-year.  ATA has called for airspace modernization to mitigate the impact of rising jet fuel prices.  04-17-2006.

FlightStats latest monthly analysis of on-time arrivals and delay characteristics for the top 40 U.S. air carriers shows that while their number of scheduled services increased from 675,769 in January to 804,185 in March, their on-time arrivals remained essentially the same (77.9% in January to 77.1% in March). Cancellations decreased from a rate of 1.8% in January to 1.3% in March.  The overall length of delay trended up slightly from 50 minutes to 53 minutes.  More data and analysis are available at www.flightstats.com.   04-17-2006.  (Top)

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