Aerospace Diary

SITA has the potential to dramatically improve ATC communications through the implementation of IP suites SITA is accelerating innovation in air traffic control (ATC) communications as part of Boeing’s 2019 ecoDemonstrator program, alongside key industry partners including NASA and long-standing airline customer, Etihad. The program tests pioneering and promising technologies that aim to solve air transport industry challenges for airlines and passengers, as well as enhancing sustainability. The most recent program saw the implementation of such technologies onboard a Boeing 777 and tests a total of 50 different projects. SITA’s involvement in the program highlights the strength of its SITA FOR AIRCRAFT portfolio, which delivers the promise of the connected aircraft by providing services that enable communication between aircraft, ground systems, ATC and other operators. SITA is working in collaboration with Honeywell to optimize the transmission of digital infor...

Jane's Airport Review Ben Vogel Neelam Mathews 04-Oct-2017 SITA and Hamad International Airport (HIA) in  Qatar  have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to trial passenger identity management systems across all prime service points, using biometric sensors. SITA will supply and commission 62 common-use self-service (CUSS) check-in kiosks with an.......JanesAirports

Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India is pursuing a mobile, social strategy aimed at strengthening its interface with passengers.The airline, which has been battling negative perceptions for quite some time, last year introduced  a mobile app  that enables passengers to manage every step of their journey on their smart phone or tablet. Delivered by SITA, the so-called iTravel app serves as an appendage to Air India’s GDS-neutral next generation passenger service system, the SITA Horizon Passenger Management and Distribution solution. When Air India joined the Star Alliance in 2014, Horizon made the airline technically compliant with alliance requirements for reservations, departure control services, ticketing, e-commerce, loyalty, fares, and revenue integrity.“This new app is an extension of that relationship…opening up new opportunities in the fast-changing market here in India,” explained Maneesh Jaikrishna, VP for India a...Read on ...

Story published before release of draft aviation policy, though issues remain http://asianaviation.realviewtechnologies.com/#folio=44

Neelam Mathews Oct 14, 2015 Five bidders are in contention to build a new greenfield  airport  at  Mopa  in the Indian state of  Goa . Construction by a public-private partnership is planned to start in August 2016 and will be completed by 2019, Chief Minister of  Goa Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar announced at an aviation summit held by technology provider SITA on 13 October. "We want  Goa  to be a hub for aviation," Parsekar said. " Mopa  will serve as an engine for growth for the economy of  Goa  state." Responses to a Request for Qualification in October 2014 came from the Airports Authority of  India ; Essel Infra with Flughafen Zurich; GMR Infrastructure; GVK; and a consortium of .............. Goa  is served by Dabolim  Airport , which is run by the Indian N......more on Janes Airports

Flyers still coming to grips with apps Neelam Mathews   /  February 25, 2015 Adapting to apps, passengers want personalised connections -- -- -- The world is getting more connected with 97% of airline passengers carrying at least one personal electronic device. However, passengers have been slow to adopt new airline and airport mobile services when travelling, says a report by air transport IT provider, SITA, titled ‘The Future is Personal”. Adapting to apps, passengers want personalised connections Airlines have made significant investments in mobile services over the past four years and half of the world's airports provide flight information via apps. The report involved talking to more than 6000 passengers “at 106 airports across the world which handled 2.35 billion passengers last year and with airlines that together carried more than half the world’s passenger traffic". Airlines have made significant investments in mobile services ov...

Neelam Mathews Dec 3, 2014 Steeped in the heat of intense competition, Asia-Pacific airlines must now confront additional challenges related to safety and health pandemics. With the loss of Malaysia Airlines flights  MH 370  and  MH 17  earlier this year, it came as no surprise that safety became the prime focus at the recent 58th Assembly of Presidents of Association of Asia Pacific Airlines ( AAPA ) in Tokyo. The 16-member  AAPA , which recently added Air Astana to its membership base, articulates views on common areas of interest of airlines in the region that jointly fly 5,911 aircraft, carrying 31 percent of global passenger traffic and generating $163 billion in annual revenues. “ AAPA  urges governments to improve efforts in the sharing of accurate intelligence and information related to flight safety on a global basis and to support the development of an augmented distribution system for the enhanced sharing of conflict zone ri...

Neelam Mathews   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 27 October 2014 Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) intends to introduce beacon geolocation technology at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. "We're at an advanced stage of implementation," MIAL CEO Rajeev Jain said on 16 October at the Aviation Information & Communication Technologies Forum in Jaipur. IHS Jane's understands that the Request for Qualification for a pilot project will be made in the first quarter of 2015. If successful, it will be replicated in the GVK consortium-owned Bangalore International Airport. Beacons can track passengers inside the airport within a radius of 50 m in real time. They can help in delivering personalised messages to travellers as they enter business lounges and help airports identify staff movements. To read the full article,  Client Login (111 of 226 words)

India’s new domestic carrier to be well connected 20-10-2014   |   By Neelam Mathews Tata-SIA owned domestic carrier Vistara, set to be take-off soon, has signed an agreement with air transport IT company SITA for aircraft communications, operations and network connectivity. Vistara will use SITA's integrated suite to manage air-to-ground communications among the flight crew, airline operations and air traffic controllers. SITA's VHF network, the largest in India, will provide the connectivity for these services. The airline will initially use the IP Network to connect its back offices, ticketing desks and check-in counters at 10 airports across India. “We need a network infrastructure that is cost-effective, resilient, easily deployable and scalable….SITA has designed a comprehensive network solution to fit our specific requirements against a very ambitious rollout schedule,” said Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO TATA SIA Airlines Ltd. SITA is also wo...

Neelam Mathews July 15, 2014 Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July in an official ceremony at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi, India. An earlier invitation for Air India to join Star was extended in late 2007, but was later withdrawn after the airline failed to meet the minimum criteria to join. The business environment has changed since then. Air India showed signs of stability while European airlines lost market share to Middle Eastern carriers, and Star approached Air India again in December 2013. Air India has met 221 of the 226 requirements to join the alliance, Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan told  IHS Jane's  a few days before the ceremony. More on ...IHS Janes...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS SITA expects the use of new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to enhance passengers’ experience at airports. (Photo: SITA/Ernst Tobisch) June 30, 2014, 11:53 AM IT  provider  SITA  has begun using new technologies such as Apple’s iBeacon to provide real-time information on mobile devices to help passengers move seamlessly across airports to board flights on time. American Airlines has become the first airline to use the  SITA common-use beacon registry, launched at the recent  SITA  Air Transport  IT  summit in Brussels. A six-month pilot program at Dallas/Fort Worth will use 100 iBeacons–the largest ever deployment and a precursor to a permanent implementation in eight hubs. SITA  installs the Apple-supported iBeacons on airport walls; they measure about one inch in diameter and carry a range of 2 meters to 100 meters. The iBeacons use Bluetooth low energy and g...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Lufthansa CEO Christoph Franz (far left) greets Rohit Nandan, Air India chairman and managing director (far right), following the December 13 Star Alliance board meeting in Vienna as Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab (center left) and Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu (center right) look on. (Photo: Star Alliance) January 10, 2014, 12:19 PM The Star Alliance has set a new target of 2015 for Air India to join its ranks following a unanimous vote by member airlines to restart the process of integrating the Indian flag carrier. The alliance suspended integration in 2011 on grounds that Air India had “not met minimum joining conditions agreed in December 2007.” With signs of stability and fleet rationalization, however, Star has agreed to give Air India a second chance. “When we stopped integration, we thought Air India needed more time for its merger and preparation for its future growth and development…We feel t...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 7, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Bangladeshi government has tasked Biman Bangladesh Airlines CEO Kevin Steele with returning the carrier to profitability and preparing it for an initial public offering in 2014 or 2015. October 7, 2013, 3:05 PM Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which has operated at a loss since 2008, expects to break even in the current 2013/14 financial year and to return to profitability the following year after cutting its losses from $75 million in 2010/11 to $25 million in 2011/12. At a press briefing in New Delhi last week, the Asian carrier’s  CEO , Kevin Steele, announced plans to rationalize and double the size of its fleet from eight to 16 aircraft to allow it to expand its route network with new services such as Dhaka-New York starting next April. The Bangladeshi flag carrier has issued a request for proposal to wet-lease a pair of Boeing 777s to add to the...

Neelam Mathews Dec 5, 2012 Scoot, the low cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is the first airline in the world to adopt the flexible data link management service powered by the Air Transport Industry (ATI) Cloud from IT provider SITA.  The service manages the exchange of messages between the ground and cockpit, connecting airline users and applications to the aircraft. It is already in use at Scoot and will continue to be rolled out across the airline’s expanding fleet. Campbell Wilson, CEO, Scoot, said: “SITA’s cloud-based data link offering is ideal for Scoot. We are growing fast and need our data link services to be agile and able to scale quickly while ensuring safety and efficiency throughout our operations. S electing SITA’s ATI Cloud service requires minimal resources from our side, minimizing the staff and overheads that come with licensing, maintenance and support. The combination of safety, flexibility and cost-effectiveness supports Scoot’s ability to grow fa...