British Airways has announced plans to introduce new real-time apps in a bid to better predict adverse weather.
BA said that currently its teams rely on manually produced weather reports generated earlier that day, but the two new apps will access real-time data provided by technology firm The Weather Company, and will be used by the carrier’s pilots and flight planning teams.
Pilots will be able to access “comprehensive insights into weather conditions along flight paths both before departure and while in the air” using the Guidor app, while the carrier’s Integrated Operations Control will have access to the WSI Fusion app which will work in conjunction with the Guidor technology to help them give precise information on weather changes.
BA said that it was the first UK airline to introduce the apps, which will enable them to “assess the impact of weather changes in real-time to better plan and adapt flight paths, making more operationally efficient decisions”.
The new technology follows the carrier’s introduction of a new Electronic Aircraft Maintenance (eLog) system earlier this year – which replaces the old paper-based system and allows the immediate transfer of data from the aircraft to engineers, “meaning any required parts can be pre-ordered to help to resolve issues more quickly”.
Commenting on the news René de Groot, chief operating officer at British Airways, said:
“It’s exciting that we’ll be the first UK airline to combine the technology of both apps, which will allow us to make even better operational decisions in the moment using real-time data.
“These applications represent a step-change in the quality of weather information we receive, and, in the future, will enable pilots to collaborate in real-time during a flight with operational colleagues on the ground, allowing faster decision-making for a variety of issues like diversion planning and recovery.”
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