GENEVA -- Satellite communications group Inmarsat has certified the EFB Weather Awareness Solution from mobile technologies company SITAONAIR for use across its SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) platform.
SITAONAIR's EFB Weather Analysis Solution (eWAS) gives airlines the ability to track weather in real-time on the flight deck, giving pilots the ability to better optimize their routes around turbulence, lightning, ice crystallization and other weather events that could increase operating costs.
Inmarsat's review falls under its Aviation Certified Application Provider Program, which enables companies to utilize its real-time SB-S datalink connectivity.
"SITAONAIR and Inmarsat have been partners for years in bringing the benefits of satellite communications to the aviation market, and we are proud to welcome SITAONAIR's eWAS solution to the family of integrated, certified applications now available to SB-S customers," said John Broughton, Vice President of Safety and Operational Services at Inmarsat Aviation. "Delivering enhanced weather awareness to the connected aircraft represents a significant opportunity for fuel savings and reduced emissions for airlines."
These savings could equate to up to $1.3 billion in annual fuel savings worldwide, according to a recent study published by the London School of Economics, with nearly 3.4 billion liters of fuel reduced through better flight planning.
"By connecting the eWAS over SB-S' dedicated IP platform for the cockpit, pilots will experience the added benefits of real-time weather updates inflight," said Dominique El Bez, Vice President of Product and Strategy at SITAONAIR. "Even avoiding a single weather event brings an immediate return on investment to an airline."
