Saab invests in IFS Applications 9 to improve IT efficiency and expands IFS to its South African operations

28 December 2015

The Swedish defence and security company will leverage the layered application architecture of IFS Applications 9 to enable more efficient applications development and configuration at a lower total cost of ownership

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Swedish defence and security company Saab has chosen to deploy IFS Applications™ 9 at its Aeronautics unit and South African operations. The agreement is valued at approximately SKr 11m in licences.

IFS Applications 9 will be deployed at Saab Aeronautics, the company’s unit for military and civil aviation technology, including the Gripen fighter system, which was recently purchased by the Brazilian Air Force. The agreement will also see IFS Applications 9 deployed at Saab Grintek Defence in South Africa.

As part of a major IT efficiency improvement program, Saab will leverage the layered application architecture of IFS Applications 9 to deploy a future-proof and highly scalable platform that allows for a multivendor delivery model. This will enable increased efficiency of application management support and upgrade services.

“We became interested in IFS Applications 9 and its capabilities to help global enterprises ensure improved cost efficiency,” Saab CIO Mats Hultin said. “We believe that the new version and its layered application architecture will support our long-term objective of achieving the industry’s most favourable cost-value benchmark.”

IFS Scandinavia CEO Glenn Arnesen commented, “We are very excited to embark on this project together with Saab. Flexibility is a fundamental principle for us, and the layered application architecture of IFS Applications 9 provides a new level of openness that is ideal for global enterprises such as Saab. We are also very pleased to extend our ERP to Saab’s South African operations, drawing on our global network of resources to empower large enterprises with scalable solutions that support business transformation.”

For more information about how IFS supports companies in the aerospace and defence sector, visit www.ifsworld.com/uk/industries/aerospace-and-defense.

moreJet chooses OASES from Commsoft to support its CAMO approval application

17th December 2015

A world leader in aviation engineering and maintenance systems, Commsoft is pleased to announce that moreJet, has signed a five concurrent users, five-year contract for the use of OASES.

Founded in 2013 and based in Hampshire, moreJet offers turnkey solutions from initial aircraft acquisition through to the complete management and aftercare of large business jets. The company will be using OASES initially in support of its CAMO approval application with the UK CAA and subsequently for its planned ongoing CAMO activities across a variety of aircraft types, including Boeing 737 ‘Classic’ and Airbus aircraft in corporate aviation use.

Commsoft’s flagship product, OASES is a ‘best-of-breed’ MRO IT system which offers an industry-leading technical sophistication whilst being intuitively user-friendly. To allow for scalability, OASES is structured in a modular format and moreJet has selected the Core, Airworthiness and Planning modules which will be hosted on Commsoft’s OASES Cloud service.

Nick Godwin, Commsoft Managing Director, commented: “The fact that a newly established company like moreJet has chosen OASES to support its CAMO operations is further evidence that we have developed – and are continuing to develop – an MRO IT system that truly meets the needs of the industry.  We’re very much looking forward to working closely with moreJet to ensure a speedy installation and a successful ongoing business partnership.”  

moreJet co-founder Doug Chipchase, explained “moreJet is delighted to select Commsoft to work with us as we develop the airworthiness support part of our business. Our goal is simple, we make the dreams and aspirations of our clients possible. We believe Commsoft provide the right thinking needed, along with a product that serves us as we serve our clients. “

Focus 2015: Mobile solutions for more efficient navigation
Dec 16, 2015

Strong customer growth seen for Lido/Navigation solutions from Lufthansa Systems

Lufthansa Systems remains on the right track with its navigation solutions. The airline IT specialist reported numerous new Lido/Navigation contracts, contract extensions and product implementations in 2015. 25 new customers opted for solutions from the Lido/Navigation product range. Lufthansa Systems also successfully completed a total of 35 product implementations for customers.

Lido/Navigation solutions are being used by more than 200 airlines and customers of all sizes, with different business models and alliances, including low-cost, network, cargo and charter airlines. Each year around 570 million passengers worldwide fly on planes using Lufthansa Systems’ navigation charts, which are available through the paper-based Lido/RouteManual solution as well as the electronic Lido/eRouteManual (Windows) and Lido/mPilot (iOS) solutions. To ensure smooth taxiing processes, the established Lido/eRouteManual solution can connect seamlessly to Lido/AMM, a geodatabase that complies with the ARINC 816 standard. And Lido/FMS offers highly accurate, customized data for an airline’s flight management system.

“2015 was a year of product developments and mobile optimization for our Lido/Navigation chart solutions,” said Patricia Cramer, Vice President Lido/Navigation at Lufthansa Systems. “The focus was on clarity and efficient use.” The Lido/mPilot iPad app, which was first introduced at the end of 2014, features a useful combination of airport maps, takeoff and landing procedures, a seamlessly zoomable and dynamic enroute chart and a document management system.

The latest software release, which has been available since November, includes additional optimizations: Now all general documents (the GEN part) can be viewed directly in the app in a clear, interactive table, and pilots can search for and bookmark individual files if necessary. The new change log shows the details of updates from the regular data revision cycle (AIRAC), which offers improved data transparency for pilots as well as a swift, targeted overview of changes affecting their flights. As requested by customers, the new version 1.1 also makes it possible to link directly to external systems. This can be activated by a button integrated in the application for quick access to a number of different operational data sources. The customer decides which sources to link to.

In addition to upgrading the Lido/mPilot application, Lufthansa Systems spent the second half of the year focusing on the new Lido/eRouteManual release, which introduced the Mobile Updater. This enables wireless data updates, making it much easier to use the digital navigation solution on mobile devices. Pilots can now update the digital Lido/eRouteManual charts at any time, from anywhere.

Furthermore, administrators can now control the distribution of Lido/eRouteManual data via the DDS (Data Distribution System) portal, create new users, and maintain an up-to-the-minute overview of the update status of all devices across the entire fleet. This is important because each navigation chart update must be clearly documented for the authorities. Airlines that also use the Lido/mPilot app can control both applications via the same web portal, which greatly simplifies administration.

Embedding the navigation solutions in partner systems was another important topic in 2015. Lufthansa Systems worked very intensively to establish useful interfaces to different EFB solutions. Lido/mPilot, for example, has an interface for flight plans so that the navigation solution can be opened in another EFB app to display the selected route. Lido/eRouteManual, in turn, can now integrate information such as current weather conditions. This improved program compatibility gives customers more flexibility when it comes to choosing and using an EFB system. It also further simplifies processes on the flight deck.

Etihad Airways takes off with AMOS

14th December 2015

At a glance

• Etihad Airways joined the AMOS community
• A majority of Etihad Airways’ equity partner already use AMOS
• Taking advantage of AMOS synergies within the Etihad Airways’ equity partners

Ten aircraft of Etihad are already live in AMOS
Last year Etihad Airways had chosen AMOS as their prime MRO software solution for aircraft maintenance. The implementation project had been split into several phases. In a first step AMOS was implemented for the newly phased-in next generation aircraft joining the Etihad Airways fleet. As of today Etihad Airways uses AMOS for five Airbus A380s and five Boeing 787 Dreamliners from its fleet of 120 aircraft. The next project phase foresees the transfer of the complete fleet into AMOS. In the final phase AMOS will also be used for all third-party aircraft maintained by Etihad Airways Engineering.

AMOS is the most commonly used MRO software among the  Equity Partners of Etihad
Etihad Airways and its equity partners (such as Alitalia, Jet Airways, airberlin, etc.) decided to take advantage of the fact that most of them are using the same M&E software – AMOS. The signature of a strategic relationship agreement with Swiss-AS will enable the carriers to move to a common maintenance platform and provide them with the required commercial and operational flexibility throughout their fleet.
In addition, Etihad Airways plans to join forces with its equity partners to establish an AMOS Centre of Excellence which will optimise processes and platforms to boost efficiency, drive economies of skill and scale and share best practices amongst the group.

“This strategic agreement means that we can benefit from significant business synergies across equity partners through a seamless, transparent, and fully-aligned system. Aircraft transfers and parts sharing processes will operate under a common platform and become more flexible and efficient as a direct result – a key element of our group-wide maintenance strategy.” said Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ Chief Operations Officer.

About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and five Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com

About Swiss AviationSoftware and AMOS
AMOS is a comprehensive, fully-integrated MRO software solution being developed and distributed by Swiss AviationSoftware. Swiss-AS, a 100% subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines has almost 140 customers worldwide and belongs to the industry-leading MRO software providers. Our loyal customer base includes pure operators of all sizes, major low-cost, regional and flag carriers, large airline groups and MRO providers. For more information, please contact us via marketing@swiss-as.com or visit us at
SWISS-AS.COM

China’s Juneyao Airlines selects avionics suite by Thales on its new Airbus fleet

Paris La Défense, Beijing China, 10th December 2015

Juneyao Airlines reaffirms Thales as supplier of choice for critical avionics components.

Juneyao Airlines, one of the fastest-growing regional airlines in China operating out of Shanghai in China has selected Thales’s avionics suite for its new Airbus A320 Family fleet. With its name translating into “Auspicious Airlines” the carrier operates out of both Hongqiao and Pudong airports, thereby serving the whole of the Shanghai Metroplex.

The contract signed with Thales will equip an initial 17 Airbus single aisle aircraft with the Thales Flight Management System (FMS), the navigation solution of choice for Airbus aircraft in China1, alongside the THALES/ACSS T3CAS surveillance platform2, the preferred solution for all Airbus aircraft in the world. The new fleet will also feature the Low Range Radio Altimeter (LRRA) and Emergency Location Transmitters (ELT).

Juneyao has been flying T3CAS on their existing fleet and have enjoyed the benefits of a performance-based Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS). In addition, Juneyao is also equipped with Airbus ATSAAIRB (Enhanced Air Traffic Surveillance).

Key points

• Juneyao Airlines reaffirms confidence in Thales as supplier of choice for critical avionics components.
• Thales will equip 17 Airbus single aisle aircraft.
• Thales Flight Management System, THALES/ACSS T3CAS, LRRA and ELT to be installed.

“The confidence Juneyao has placed in us is extremely important to our strategy here in China. With Thales employing over 1,000 employees in the country, 95% of whom are Chinese citizens, China remains one of our most important growing markets. Competition for the growing client base here is fierce and each new contract is very important. Over the course of 2014 and 15, our avionics products have been selected by various local airlines and we will strive to continue to ascertain our leadership position on this market.”
Daniel Malka, Vice President and General Manager Thales Avionics Services Worldwide

Gogo Introduces a New Way to Stay Connected In Flight with Messaging Pass

CHICAGO, Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), the global leader in providing broadband connectivity solutions and wireless entertainment to the aviation industry, has introduced a new way for passengers to stay connected in the air with its new messaging pass.  Gogo’s messaging pass allows passengers to access familiar messaging applications like WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, iMessage and other popular messaging services on their mobile devices.

The messaging pass can only be purchased on mobile devices and can be purchased in the same way a passenger purchases an Internet session – by launching your mobile browser and selecting “Messaging Pass” from the in-flight portal home page.  The messaging pass is priced at under $3.00 and is available on most Gogo equipped flights in the U.S. and Canada.

“We realize that some passengers simply want to continue conversations and stay connected in flight, but don’t necessarily want or need to utilize email or full web browsing,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief commercial officer. “Our messaging pass is a low-bandwidth solution that is offered at a lower price point than our internet service, making it the perfect solution for passengers who simply want to exchange messages with other app users on the ground.”

AAR Aviation Services Implements TRAX M&E Solution



Miami, FL – December 2015

TRAX is proud to announce that AAR Aviation Services has successfully implemented Version 11 of TRAX M&E Software and will now have full access to the system’s capabilities.

Headquartered in Wood Dale, IL., AAR is a leading provider of aviation services to worldwide commercial aerospace and government/defense industries.  AAR has recently signed a contract with US Air Force to sustain a fleet of C-130H aircraft on behalf of the Afghan Air Force. “We had a hard date to standup TRAX in 4 months with all modules, which we did in 3.5 months with a very effective team including TRAX implementation services” said Dharmesh Patel, CTO, AAR Aviation Services. They will be providing operation, maintenance, logistics and technical functions to support the fleet requirements within Afghanistan while using the TRAX Maintenance System as its core ERP System. Ranked as one of the top MRO in North America and in the world, we are honored to have initiated a long lasting partnership with AAR. We would like to congratulate the team at AAR for their achievement & level of engagement during the implementation process. It has been a true pleasure working alongside the AAR team and we look forward to delivering the best maintenance software solution.

New system to streamline maintenance operations for largest air medical provider

Denver, USA / Chennai, INDIA – December 8, 2015 – Air Methods Corporation (Nasdaq: AIRM), the global leader in air medical transport, recently announced it upgraded to Ramco Aviation Suite V5.7 to streamline maintenance, engineering and supply chain functions across its base locations and headquarters in Englewood, Colorado.

“With Ramco, we are able to continue to be a lean organization, yet have the visibility and control that is important to manage our growing business,” said Teri Short, Vice President of Engineering at Air Methods. “I am happy to note that the internal team managed the upgrade to the latest version with minimal support from the Ramco team. In short, Ramco has empowered us to manage our growing business while maintaining our streamlined organizational structure.”

For nearly a decade, Air Methods has worked with Ramco to run its maintenance application software to manage its fleet maintenance operations.

Mr. Virender Aggarwal, Chief Executive Officer at Ramco Systems, said, “Our nine year old relation with Air Methods has touched a new milestone with this go-live. While the upgrade underscores our commitment to offer latest features that help clients’ meet the regulatory and compliance needs; we have focused our efforts to offer features which help improve efficiency and productivity from shop floor to the hangar. The major highlight of this project is the user-friendliness of the solution, which helped Air Methods carry out the project, in-house without any hassle. We are delighted to extend our association with Air Methods and look forward to developing newer features that add greater value.”

The Ramco Aviation Suite V5.7 includes modules for real-time tracking of aircraft movements to improve compliance to regulatory needs; centralized inventory control, allowing mechanics to trace part availability based on closest location to source; warranty tracking of all parts, thereby substantially reducing repair expenses.

With Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Petroleum Helicopters Inc., Era Group, Cobham Aviation Services, Columbia Helicopters, Able Engineering & Aerospace, and seventy others onboard, Ramco is the solution of choice for several large airlines and five of the top heli-operators and multiple MROs in the world. Designed to be accessible on cloud, mobile and tablets, Ramco Aviation Software continues to add technological innovations with wearable devices offering hands-free computing, and the ‘one user once screen’ concept called HUB, amongst others that help significantly reduce transaction time both during AOG conditions and critical aircraft turnarounds.

Somon Air signs 5-year contract to use OASES MRO IT system

7th December 2015

Somon Air, a private airline based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, has selected OASES, the leading MRO IT system from engineering and maintenance systems expert Commsoft, for its airline CAMO activities. OASES will control the airline’s six-strong fleet of Boeing 737 ‘Classic’ and NG aircraft.

The fast-growing airline has signed a 10 concurrent users, five-year contract with Commsoft, with implementation and set-up services provided by FL Technics scheduled to start straight away. FL Technics will use OASES to manage the Continuing Airworthiness of Somon Air’s fleet.  The contract covers three modules: Core, Airworthiness and Planning. It also allows the airline access to Commsoft’s private cloud to manage its OASES operations.

Nick Godwin, Managing Director of Commsoft, commented:
“Somon Air’s decision to entrust its airline CAMO activities to OASES is a major endorsement of our successful strategy with key CAMO partners across the world. It also represents a market break-through for OASES in Central Asia, and we are delighted to have entered into this business relationship.”

Robert Bryant, Engineering and Maintenance Director for Somon Air explains, “I am very happy to initiate this tripartite relationship between Somon Air, Commsoft and FL Technics. Our past experience of FL Technic capability using the OASES system convinced me that the experience they have gained jointly with Commsoft would be of great benefit to a new Airline like Somon Air. The partnership brings together the Aviation Engineering systems expertise of Commsoft with the Continuing Airworthiness management capability of FL Technics. The purpose of the partnership is to elevate Somon Air to self- perform all Continuing Airworthiness functions over the next two years using a cloud based OASES system controlled from Dushanbe. Following on from the acquisition of Part 145 accreditation, this is a further step in the development of the airline and the Aviation population of Tajikistan.”

Somon Air is the first private airline in Tajikistan with an office headquartered in Dushanbe. The airline operations are based at Dushanbe International Airport. Somon Air started operating on 5 February 2008 with regular flights to Moscow and Dubai and also serves as the primary carrier of high ranking officials of Tajikistan. Since formation, Somon Air has been primarily focused on passenger service and transportation to Eastern Europe and other locations. Most flights to international destinations operate from Dushanbe.

Somon Air currently operates a number of international services, linking the Tajikistani cities of Dushanbe and Khujand to Russian cities including Moscow, St Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Orenburg and Ekaterinburg. The company also serves the cities of Almaty, Dubai, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Urumqi. Charters are available, including an annual programme to Saudi Arabia, specifically to cater for the Hajj pilgrimage, which also takes in the Russian cities of Khanti-Mansiysk and Nizhnevartovsk. A domestic route connects the cities of Dushanbe and Khujand.

The current fleet is composed of six aircraft: 2 x Boeing 737-300; 2 x Boeing 737-800 and 2 x Boeing 737-900ER. One of these aircraft is already under FL Technics CAMO control in OASES, while the remaining fleet will be transferred progressively from a Turkish CAMO organisation.

Somon Air’s website is at http://www.somonair.com

David Lavorel Named CEO of SITA OnAir

GENEVA, 07 December 2015 – SITA today announced that David Lavorel, currently SITA’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Development and CEO Office, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of SITAONAIR effective 1st January 2016. Lavorel succeeds Ian Dawkins who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities.

David Lavorel has been appointed CEO of SITAONAIR effective 1st January 2016

Francesco Violante, CEO of SITA, said: “During his five year tenure
leading OnAir, which became SITAONAIR in January of this year, Ian has
grown the Company and positioned it as a leading provider of
nose-to-tail connected aircraft solutions.  I would like to thank Ian
for his hard work and dedication and wish him the best in the next phase
of his career.”

David Lavorel joined SITA in 2000 holding pivotal roles as Head of the
France Telecom Partnership management and as Vice President Mergers and
Acquisitions before being appointed as Senior Vice President for
Corporate Development and CEO office in 2012. In this role, David has
been instrumental in driving the development and execution of SITA’s
growth ambitions through a number of strategic programs and
acquisitions. This includes his leading role in the development of SITA’s 2020 Vision and Strategy, the strategic evolution of OnAir as a fully owned subsidiary of the SITA Group three years ago and his leadership driving SITA’s connected aircraft strategy
which led to the creation of SITAONAIR earlier this year. He has deep
knowledge of the OnAir business to which he has directly contributed in
recent years as a Board Director of OnAir.

Violante continued: “Under David’s leadership, SITAONAIR will
continue its strategic focus on growing revenues and helping airlines
realize the full potential of the connected aircraft. He is well
positioned to lead the organization in its next phase of growth and we
wish him much success in this new role.”