AeroLogic, a joint venture between DHL and Lufthansa Cargo, has become the first European cargo airline to implement SITA’s eWAS Pilot as it aims to minimise the costs incurred for weather-related flight disruption.
This weather monitoring solution can be a standalone iOS or Windows application that provides accurate 4D weather forecasts and real-time updates from various sources to warn about weather hazards like thunderstorms, lightning, clear air turbulence, strong winds, icing, and even volcanic ash.
“Weather phenomena are a significant cause of flight delays, which cost airlines billions of dollars annually,” the cargo airline said, citing research from data group Cirium.
“Adverse weather, such as icing conditions, can also cause up to US$500,000 in damage to a modern aircraft engine,” it added.
AeroLogic, which transports most of its cargo to Asia, noted that the solution can help its pilots make informed decisions to re-route flights and avoid severe weather as needed.
The airline is complementing this weather monitoring system with Safety Line’s OptiDirect software. This optional feature proposes shortcuts and shows possible fuel and time savings based on historical flight data to ensure on-time performance whilst reducing fuel burn and carbon emissions.
“Safe, efficient and sustainable operations are a key part of AeroLogic’s long-term strategy, and COVID-19 has accelerated our digital transformation plans to deliver cost and time savings,” said Joe Moser, managing director.
“eWAS Pilot helps our crews stay a step ahead, avoiding the avoidable and delivering more efficient flight paths and better fuel usage,” he noted.
AeroLogic operates around 12,000 international cargo flights a year with its 17 B777 freighters and SITA says the eWAS technology was implemented in just four weeks for the whole fleet.
As part of the airline’s transformation, AeroLogic has also signed up to a suite of integrated IT solutions to centralise and manage air-to-ground communications for greater efficiency and collaboration.
“The financial impact of COVID-19 on airlines has necessitated more intelligent operations to optimize costs and ensure long-term sustainability,” said Sébastien Fabre, head of SITA FOR AIRCRAFT.
“Our eWAS and AIRCOM products are already helping passenger airlines become more efficient through the digital exchange of data and messages. These solutions can also be successfully applied to cargo airlines,” he added.
