Luxembourg airline Luxair has unveiled its new electronic flight bag (EFB) Class II solution which will optimise the flight operations of all Luxair aircraft.

The EFB is the culmination of two years development and seeks to reduce aircraft weight and offer swift access to relevant and up-to-date information for the cockpit crew.

"Since we are a small independent regional airline, it was a major challenge for Luxair to develop our own EFB Class II solution," explained EVP Luxair Luxembourg Airlines and Accountable Manager, Martin Isler. "The success of this project, which included the in-house developing, comprehensive testing and obtention of certification from Luxembourg’s national aviation authorities, constitutes a major achievement we can legitimately be proud of."

Daniel Colling is Luxair Luxembourg Airlines' Head of Flight Operations and oversaw the implementation of the project. He added:

"Many suppliers of similar systems as well as flight operations officers from major global airlines have judged the Luxair EFB II solution to be one of the best and most efficient products currently available. We were able to achieve this thanks to our own work expertise and with the much valued contribution of Luxair flight engineers, pilots and Luxair operations management."

The electronic flight bag replaces the paper-based documentation such as maps, routes, weather reports or airport  notifications which pilots until recently had to update manually for each flight and carry around in their so-called “flight bag”. This documentation is now collected automatically from the relevant sources and handily made available in a device connected to the airplane. This connection allows the device to display real time technical data received from the aircraft systems. For the pilots and co-pilots, this will signify safer and faster access to the information they need before, during and after the flight. The EFB constantly keeps track of the flight evolution, alerts the pilot of any problems with routings or fuel and enables him to further optimise flight parameters during the flight, thus also contributing to improved flight safety. Additionally, the regulatory reporting routine has been made easier.

The EFB solution also enables the pilot, through the provision of real-time wind and temperature data, to optimise flight parameters and aircraft performance and consequently achieve fuel savings of about 200,000 litres per year and a non-negligible contribution to Luxair’s effort to reduce its CO2 emissions. The EFB also helps diminishing the non-payload weight of Luxair’s aircraft as well as, on a more global scale, paper consumption.

 

Photo by Luxair