Flight trials integrate uncrewed aircraft into controlled airspace

A partnership of aviation leaders come together to demonstrate that uncrewed aircraft can be safely integrated into controlled airspace among piloted aircraft through multiple test flights.

A partnership of aviation leaders has successfully completed a first-of-its-kind trial, including a series of test flights aimed at evaluating the operational integration of uncrewed aircraft flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) into controlled airspace. The successful completion of these trial test flights in New Zealand demonstrates that safe, uncrewed flight operations are possible, today, in controlled airspace among other piloted aircraft.

Through this trial program, the partnership has established a safe process for uncrewed aircraft to access controlled airspace and created a significant new understanding and capability for commercial autonomous flight operations. The trials offer key insights for regulators and industry players globally to facilitate further testing and inform rule-making.

Led by Wisk Aero, the trials included the New Zealand Government and industry partners, including Insitu Pacific as the approved Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operator, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) as the regulatory observer and Part 102 approver, Airways New Zealand as the air navigation service provider alongside Airways International’s uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system AirShare, and indigenous-led aerospace venture, Tāwhaki, providing the flight testing site.

The latest test flights were part of Wisk’s multi-phased testing programme under the New Zealand Government’s Airspace Integration Trial Programme (AITP). This latest phase of testing involved multiple flights that took place between November 17 and December 1, 2023, which demonstrated that a RPA can be operated under instrument flight rules (IFR) in controlled airspace and integrated with regular crewed traffic. The flights took place at the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, involving take-offs, landings, and uncontrolled and controlled airspace navigation.

“The successful completion of this phase of testing demonstrates that it is possible to safely integrate autonomous aircraft into controlled airspace that is shared with piloted aircraft,” said Catherine MacGowan, Wisk’s Vice President of APAC and Air Operations. “The processes, data, and learnings from these trial flights will help shape the future of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and the broader aviation industry.”

Airbus starts Galileo Second Generation satellite production

Manufacturing of six state-of-the-art GNSS satellites to augment the current Galileo constellation

Full production has begun on the six Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites at Airbus’ site in Friedrichshafen, Germany, with the arrival of the first satellite Flight Model structure from Beyond Gravity in Zurich. After initial preparation the panels will be dispatched to other Airbus sites before final integration and testing at Friedrichshafen. The Galileo G2 satellites are scheduled for launch in the coming years to support the initial deployment and validation of the G2 System.

Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said: “After the successful design phase we are now kicking off production in earnest of the state-of-the-art Galileo G2 satellites. Our teams in Friedrichshafen are working with engineers across Europe to meet the challenging schedule and finalise these sophisticated satellites which will further improve the global Galileo system opening up even more opportunities for services on Earth.”

To meet the demanding schedule to deliver all six satellites in less than two years, Airbus has developed a coordinated production programme to leverage the spacecraft manufacturing, integration, and testing expertise across Airbus sites including Backnang (near Stuttgart), Friedrichshafen, Madrid, Ottobrunn (near Munich) and Toulouse. The second satellite structure is due to arrive in early 2024 and the third towards the end of next year. Airbus’ modular approach to the manufacturing of the G2 satellites will see three spacecraft being produced in parallel at any one time.

The G2 satellites will incorporate enhanced navigation antennas which will help improve accuracy of the flagship European Global Navigation Satellite System. The spacecraft, equipped with electric propulsion for the first time and higher-strength navigation antennas, will also feature fully digital payloads which will be easily reconfigured in orbit, enabling them to actively respond to the evolving needs of users with novel signals and services.

 

A waste of money? 80% of people think AI investment should be spent elsewhere

The latest research from digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that 80% of the UK public believe Jeremy Hunt’s recent Autumn Statement announcement of increased government investment into the AI sector is money that would be better spent elsewhere. 

In his recent Autumn Statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremey Hunt, announced that the government will invest a further £500 million in AI research and development over the next two years, which will ‘allow researchers and SMEs to develop new foundation models and maximise the UK’s potential in AI’.

But how do the people of the UK feel about their government pledging this sort of investment at a time when the economy seems to be hanging on by a thread? To find out, ID Crypt commissioned a survey of 1,052 members of the UK public, asking them what they thought about Mr Hunt’s recent pledge. 

The results show that news of another £500 million investment into AI is not particularly popular among the people of the UK, with 68% saying they do not welcome the announcement. 

More directly, 79% say that the money could be better spent on other areas of the economy at such a financially difficult time. 

Intelsat Inflight Connectivity Coming to Aerolíneas Argentinas

Intelsat, operator of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network, today was selected by Aerolíneas Argentinas to provide multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on 18 Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The airline will become the first in Latin America to offer service using Intelsat’s new electronically steered array (ESA) antenna.

“Aerolíneas Argentinas’ passengers will soon benefit from multi-orbit connectivity that will provide the same fast and dependable internet access they enjoy at home,” said Dave Bijur, Senior Vice President for Commercial Aviation. “Intelsat’s partnerships with innovative Latin American airlines highlight how the region’s carriers are leading the way when it comes to the most advanced connectivity.”

The airline’s Airbus and Boeing aircraft will soon offer Intelsat’s new ESA, which is less than seven centimeters tall and interoperates on both Intelsat’s family of geo-stationary satellites and its partner’s constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites.

United introduces more tech innovations to save passengers time during the thanksgiving holiday season.

                        United is gearing up for a record-setting Thanksgiving travel season, with more than 5.9 million people expected to fly the airline between Nov. 17-29. Knowing that every minute will count for travellers eager to reunite with loved ones for the holiday, United's customer experience team has been working all year on industry-first innovations that help travellers skip lines, get through security faster, make tight connections and improve the overall travel experience.  

"This time of year is all about connecting with family and friends, and we're preparing to help all customers – whether they're a seasoned traveller or once-a-year passenger – get to their destinations on time," said Linda Jojo, United's Chief Customer Officer. "Nearly three-quarters of our customers travel with the United mobile app, and they tell us that they like the ability to skip many lines, enjoy prompt personalized service when they need it and appreciate the peace of mind they get from the information on the United app."

Since the start of the year, United has launched or enhanced dozens of new innovations in its mobile app, at its airports and onboard its aircraft to help travellers prepare for their trips – offering more transparency, saving time and reducing stress from booking to departure.

Singapore Airlines and TATA Communications partner for employee productivity enhancements.......

Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA), the national carrier of Singapore, announced a multi-year agreement to transform the airlines communications and collaboration tools to enhance employee productivity and boost user experience.

SIA and Tata Communications have a successful, long-standing association that has been strengthened over several years. This new transformative initiative delivered on Tata Communications GlobalRapide platform enables SIA users to be connected and collaborative anytime and anywhere globally.

"We take great pride in our long-standing relationship with Singapore Airlines. As a global CommTech player, we are privileged to be chosen as their partner in progress as they emerge stronger than ever and strive to create new benchmarks in customer experiences," said Amitabh Sarkar, Vice President & Head of Asia Pacific and Japan – Enterprise, Tata Communications.

Cyprus Airways has selected AirFi as its wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) provider.

      Cyprus Airways has become the latest carrier to deploy airline technology provider AirFi’s wireless in-flight entertainment across its fleet of Airbus jets.  

The newly resurrected flag carrier of Cyprus is gearing up for both fleet and route expansions, with new aircraft on the horizon and a commitment to be a catalyst for tourism growth on the island. As part of its focus on innovation and customer service, the airline is installing AirFi’s portable wireless streaming solutions onboard its all-Airbus fleet of two A320 and two A220 aircraft. It will also seek to outfit new aircraft that are added to the fleet with AirFi’s products in the near-term.  

Each aircraft will be equipped with two AirFi boxes, enabling passengers to access digital entertainment on their personal electronic devices including movies, TV games, music, a moving map, and destination-based video content. AirFi’s streaming in-flight entertainment solution is set to go live with Cyprus Airways in time for the holiday season, thanks to a swift rollout by the AirFi team. 

Excitingly, Cyprus Airways has chosen to include AirFi’s Dance24 channel as part of its entertainment offering. With a special focus on electronic dance music, the channel is well suited to a considerable demographic of the airline’s market, who will be travelling to and from the country’s music festivals and party resorts, such as Ayia Napa.  

Riyadh Air and IBM sign collaboration agreement to establish technology foundation of the digitally led airline

Today, Riyadh Air and IBM announced the signing of a strategic agreement in which IBM Consulting will be the lead systems integrator to support creating, building and orchestrating the technology foundation that can help the digitally native airline offer exceptional and seamless travel experiences.

Together, Riyadh Air and IBM Consulting have already created the airline's digital and technology strategy. Now, Riyadh Air has selected IBM Consulting to support building the key business and technology capabilities that underpin the strategy. That includes implementing and integrating more than 50 airline industry solutions and core technology capabilities, including security, infrastructure, integration and data platforms, using a hybrid cloud approach. IBM will also orchestrate the work of over 40 partners by providing program and technical governance, project management, quality assurance, change and communications management and training.

The collaboration is expected to help position Riyadh Air strategically within the broader ecosystem to offer digital innovations and exceptional experiences for travellers and guests. Riyadh Air aims to create a world-class airline with personalized and seamless guest experiences powered by AI and state-of-the-art digital technology, taking obsessive care for details that create memorable micro-moments across the traveller journey. It also includes empowering employees with data-driven insights and new ways of working to help Riyadh Air better serve their guests.

"Our ambition is to launch our first flight in 2025 and put Riyadh Air at the cutting edge of digital technology and innovation within the aviation industry, adopting the best international sustainability and safety practices to deliver an exceptional travel experience, for our guests locally and internationally," said Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer, Riyadh Air. "IBM Consulting will be our principal partner driving us towards our vision with their deep expertise in managing large complex systems and integration programs as well as their expertise in the travel industry."

"We're proud to be Riyadh Air's partner and help them bring this new era of the Kingdom's aviation industry to life," said John Granger, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting. "A technology foundation built with an open, hybrid cloud approach and AI can help them achieve the flexibility and agility needed to support their goal of delivering an exceptional travel experience for their guests."

IBM Consulting will also establish and maintain Riyadh Air's hybrid cloud integration platform. With IBM CloudPak for Integration and Red Hat OpenShift, this platform will provide integration tools to connect applications and data within a unified and simple user experience.

Riyadh Air's digital and technology strategy supports its mission and is aligned to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to lead the aviation industry by transforming Saudi Arabia, given its unique strategic location, into a global aviation and trade hub.

TUI Group deepens partnership with IBS Software to optimise operations

TUI Group (TUI) has extended its decade-strong partnership with IBS Software, to optimise its Airline IT operations platform, allowing TUI to disrupt its existing business models, enhance scalability and accelerate speed to market, all while enhancing the customer experience.

IBS Software, a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, has a long-standing partnership with TUI to overhaul its IT processes to deliver transformational value. IBS Software currently maintains all 35+ airline backend systems at TUI, across legacy and modern technology stacks.

This renewed partnership will see IBS Software continue to own, operate and enhance TUI's Integrated Disposition Planning and Statistics product (IDPS), which manages flight planning and control, crewing and rostering, flight operations, maintenance planning, HR, and statistics and reporting across all five of TUI's airlines. The IDPS platform is a strategic priority for TUI in its mission to build a virtual airline and future-proofing its airlines by finding economies of scale that deliver growth.

Isabelle Droll, Chief Information Officer, Holiday Experience and Corporate & Sustainability, TUI, said, "IBS Software is passionate about developing a strategic approach to optimise our Airline IT operations platform, adapting constantly to our business model. Partnering with IBS Software and utilising its expertise in airline operations and business processes as well as technology has enabled us to realise the full potential of our IDPS system."

"Our long collaboration with TUI has been marked by mutual trust and exceptional service, resulting in the successful evolution of the IDPS platform to meet TUI's dynamic business requirements. With this renewed commitment, we look forward to playing a crucial role in enabling TUI's growth and success in the ever-evolving travel market," said Latha Rani, Vice President & Head of Service Delivery at IBS Software.

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To explore how IBS Software enabled continuous digital transformation at TUI Group through collaborative technology partnership, download the case study here.

IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise, hospitality, and energy resources industries. IBS Software's solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel and air cargo management. 

JR Technologies and IAG Loyalty partner to provide a multi-product retailing solution to the airline industry

The industry-first B2C solution incorporates modern airline retailing concepts, creating a better transaction experience and boosting revenue

JR Technologies, a pioneer in airline retailing, has partnered with IAG Loyalty (IAGL), a leader in loyalty who own and manage Avios, the global loyalty currency of the Aer Lingus AerClub, the British Airways Executive Club and other international airlines, to offer a comprehensive, simplified loyalty booking solution, including one of the airline industry's first multi-product shopping carts with loyalty currency + cash settlement capability.

IAGL uses JR Technologies' Aerostream platform, specifically its Order Management solution, to create a streamlined multi-product shopping flow, resulting in a seamless and fast checkout experience for the traveller.

The technology enables travellers and members to earn and redeem Avios on each product in their cart, including flights, hotels, and ancillary products, all within the same transaction. Additionally, travellers and members have the option to pay for individual products with cash, the Avios currency or a combination of both. IAGL also uses the Aerostream Offer Management platform for its hotel and car rental products.

Aerostream, JR Technologies' latest travel technology solution, is a highly configurable retailing platform developed for airlines and the travel industry. Built on NDC and ONE Order concepts, Aerostream's Offer and Order Management solutions provide the foundation for an effortless travel booking and post-booking experience incorporating e-commerce best practices that have upgraded online retailing in other industries.

Aero Design Labs hits fuel and carbon emission reduction targets with its drag reduction kit for the Boeing 737-800

Aero Design Labs (ADL) has this week reported the results of its in-service data validation aboard a Boeing 737-800 equipped with ADL's proprietary drag reduction kit.

"Over the last several months since the installation and certification of our drag reduction kit on a 737-800 aircraft, we have gathered and studied results from several hundred in-service revenue flights at multiple altitudes, speeds and operating weights to verify the cruise fuel benefit of our kits," said Jeff Martin, ADL President and CEO. "We are delighted to share that we have measured cruise fuel burn reductions of between 1.5 and to 2.0 percent. This is consistent with our computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations with results verified by an independent third party."

"With solid fuel reduction data in hand, we can turn our efforts towards assisting airlines around the world," commented Chris Jones, ADL's Chief Commercial Officer. "Whether airlines are looking at saving on the cost side or the carbon reduction side, we have a very relevant product that delivers on both for airlines operating the 737NG family of aircraft. With delivery delays of new aircraft impacting plans for airlines to modernize their fleets, our kit can immediately deliver lower fuel costs and an alternative to carbon offsets. Our teams are actively working on kit designs for other aircraft which will help airlines achieve their cost and carbon reduction goals and build out our portfolio of product offerings."

Our manufacturing partner, NORDAM, will be ramping up production in accordance with customer demand in the second half of 2023 and the process of certifying our 737-800 drag reduction kit with other regional authorities, including in Europe and Latin America will follow accordingly."

The Endeavour Scholarship Class of 2023 graduated from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp “Advanced Academy” last month .....

The Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship Class of 2023, four teams of students and educators representing Australia, Bahrain, France, and the United States, graduated from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp “Advanced Academy” last month. The event and related activities in Huntsville, AL and Washington, DC capped the growing programs’ fourth year of building influential “nation-to-nation" partnerships to promote STEM education around the world and advance the global engineering workforce.

Launched by Tom Kallman, President and CEO of USA Partnership Pavilion organizer Kallman Worldwide at the 2019 International Paris Air Show, the program honors its namesake Worden, pilot of the Apollo 15 Command Module “Endeavour,” for his lifetime commitment to science, technology, engineering, and math education. From 2014 until his passing in 2020, Worden served as Kallman’s STEM Ambassador at industry trade events around the world.

In established and emerging space communities, scholarship selection committees choose four students and an educator annually to represent their countries as “Mission Teams” in an all-expenses paid, week-long, hands-on astronaut training experience at the renowned Huntsville campus. The 2023 Endeavour class joins alumni from Chile, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Singapore on the program’s growing roster.

“Every country we work in — and we’ve worked in at least 50 of them since our company was founded in 1963 — is facing the same challenges to prepare its young people for the future. Many also see that future in space,” Kallman said. “As an extension of our work advancing global trade in exhibition halls around the world, and with the support of global partners in government, industry, the military, and academia, the Endeavour Scholarship mission is to connect with worldwide interest in space to promote STEM careers.”

There's more.....

Royal Jordanian selects Medallia and Kantar to power new Voice of the Customer programme

Royal Jordanian enhances end-to-end flyer journey through new CX initiative

Royal Jordanian announced the launch of its new Voice of the Customer programme, powered by technology from Medallia, the global leader in customer and employee experience, and delivered by Kantar. The new initiative has been designed to further enhance the end-to-end journey of passengers across RJ’s flight network covering 141 destinations.

Royal Jordanian’s Vice Chairman and CEO Samer Majali commented: “Improving the customer experience is at the heart of RJ’s mission, as we strive to better our business performance and deliver class-leading quality products at all journey touchpoints. Our new Voice of the Customer programme has been engaging different customer segments, and we have already received 17,000 pieces of valuable feedback, which we will use to drive the RJ brand towards greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.” 

RJ’s new Voice of the Customer programme will capture feedback from its flyers from the moment of booking right the way through to their final destination, gathering insight at eight key touchpoints across the end-to-end journey. Using the Medallia Experience Cloud and its AI-powered text analytics capability, RJ will be able to easily identify key trends in passenger feedback and use these insights to drive meaningful change to enhance customer journeys for its growing base of flyers. 

TSS Solutions gets top contract

TSS Solutions, an Acorn Growth Company, announces contract award to fully upgrade an AN/TPS-43 Radar System for the Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE).

TSS Solutions, a defence electronics engineering and manufacturing company focused on the repair, upgrade, operations, maintenance, and leasing of radar systems, announced the award of a contract through the Defense Logistics Agency with U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Program Management Warfare Office (PMW 740). This contract will deliver a completely modernized radar system for the FAE. The face value of the contract is $11.7 million dollars with a period of performance ending in September 2025.

MOST selected for inflight retail revamp at Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has selected MOST, a leading provider of intuitive and customized retail and payment solutions, to power its inflight retail experience, launching a new era of flexibility for onboard sales. 

Fleet-wide deployment of hardware and software solutions delivers improved passenger experience and data analytics for on-board sales.

The solution brings together onboard product management, bespoke payment hardware, and efficient payment processing, all customized for the airline, to improve the passenger experience.

MOST’s modular application architecture allows partners to develop a new retail experience with minimal effort. Integration of a digital shopping cart, payment processing, and onboard product management is easily managed through the MOST ecosystem.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

“Deploying a solution at the scale of Southwest Airlines and at a rapid pace was a huge accomplishment for our team,” said MOST CEO Jan Blanchard. “Adopting the MOST solution makes for smoother exchanges between the airline's Flight Attendants and Customers.”

“As we reimagine our inflight retail process, we needed a solution that eased workloads and improved our data collection, while reducing the time to handle each passenger transaction,” said Ron Freer, Senior Manager of Inflight Mobility at Southwest Airlines. “MOST’s agile development process and rapid iterations allowed us to continuously revise the application, ensuring a successful deployment on a very aggressive timeline.”

On the hardware front, the most.Onthego solution combines an iPad Mini 6 with a dedicated payment device in an ergonomic package with a single point of charge. Credit or debit card payments can be processed via NFC/Contactless tap (including Apple and Google Pay), Smart Chip, or swipe. The most.Pay payment gateway handles the transactions during flight and enables an innovative and frequent transmission of offline payments for processing. Data analytics, including product management, can also be relayed in near real-time to back-office systems, thanks to the most.Retail connected management architecture.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Aeroporti di Roma gets more travellers to their destinations on time with Dynatrace

Dynatrace has announced that Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the largest airport operator in Italy – serving nearly 50 million people annually via more than 100 airlines and the Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci and Ciampino airports – is using the Dynatrace® platform to keep travellers flowing through its airports quickly and efficiently. Digital systems are at the heart of ADR’s efficiency, underpinning all critical airport processes, including security checks, border control, baggage handling, airside operations, and traveller information systems such as those used for check-in and travel updates.

Previously, the ADR team had limited in-house visibility into its applications or the underlying on-premises and cloud infrastructure. They relied on multiple third-party systems integrators to share information on the performance of their software and its impact on travellers’ experiences and satisfaction. This reliance on multiple systems and manual triaging with no single source of truth complicated ADR’s efforts to resolve issues quickly and optimize digital experiences. Dynatrace has enabled ADR to overcome these challenges by unifying observability and security data from its hybrid-cloud environment.

Expert calls for adoption of decentralised digital identity security systems

Expert calls for adoption of decentralised digital identity security systems

The latest research by digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that more than 80% of the British public have taken active steps to deny tech companies permission to access and use their personal data, but it’s not enough to abate wide-spread concern about digital identity security. 

When we sign-up to and use online technology services, we invariably have to grant them access to a lot of our personal digital identity. The companies then use this data for various, often highly profitable, purposes including commoditising to to sell to third parties, predicting future behaviour, and improving the accuracy of targeted advertising. 

Who are the worst data-hoarding offenders?

It seems that social media platforms are the worst data-hoarding culprits. The likes of Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram (itself owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta) are known to gather information such as face recognition, environment recognition, personal contacts, voice data and recognition, as well as photos and videos. 

Even the tech-based services we use track a good amount of personal data. Uber, for example, grabs face recognition data, while also accessing contacts and images. 

Advanced £870 million radar contract could sustain 600 UK jobs...

An £870 million five-year contract has been awarded to upgrade radar capabilities on the RAF Typhoon, fitting one of the world’s most advanced radars.

The UK government has confirmed that an £870 million five-year contract has been awarded to BAE Systems and Leonardo UK to upgrade radar capabilities on the RAF Typhoon, fitting the fighter jets with one of the world’s most advanced radars – the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2.

Following last year’s announcement at the 2022 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), in which Defence committed to a £2.35 billion investment to several upgrades for Typhoon, this is the first contract allocated from that major and complex investment and will see the completion of the development and integration of the ECRS Mk2.

The state-of-the-art radar will transform the Typhoon’s control of the air, bringing a world-leading electronic warfare capability which will allow the aircraft to simultaneously detect, identify, and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground. ECRS Mk2 will be integrated onto RAF Typhoon Tranche 3 aircraft and offered to other nations that operate the aircraft, boosting UK defence exports.

New technology hub to accelerate next-generation Airbus wings

New technology hub to accelerate next-generation Airbus wings

Airbus is investing further in its UK innovation capabilities, with the opening of a new Wing Technology Development Centre (WTDC) at its Filton site. The facility, which will be used to build and test demonstrators for a range of programmes and research projects, was opened by Nusrat Ghani, UK Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade. 

The new facility will help Airbus accelerate the design, build and testing of wings for next generation aircraft, by using the latest technology and world-leading demonstrators to further improve the performance of its wings. 

Alongside engine optimisation, making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the biggest opportunities to improve fuel efficiency, reduce CO2 and ultimately work towards the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Airbus Head of Filton site and Wing of Tomorrow Programme Sue Partridge explains,

“The new Wing Technology Development Centre will help us to ground our research in practicality. A key element of how we deliver technology for next generation aircraft wings is through Wing of Tomorrow (WoT), our largest research and technology programme led by the team in the UK. 

MSC Air Cargo partners with IBS Software to power its global air cargo business

MSC Air Cargo partners with IBS Software to power its global air cargo business

Through the multi-year cargo management agreement, IBS will deploy its iCargo solution to completely digitalise MSC’s air cargo operations

IBS Software, a global leader of SaaS solutions to the travel and cargo industry, has been selected by the air cargo unit of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, as a strategic partner in a bid to digitally transform its air cargo operations.

iCargo, the Software as a Service solution for air cargo management from IBS Software, will install a true digital platform that covers cargo sales, operations, cargo accounting and portal for MSC. The standard product implementation will help MSC to go-live faster and start business operations at the earliest opportunity. Once fully implemented, iCargo will enable MSC to have full visibility of its air cargo value chain, covering sales, operations and accounting, while also gaining insights for continuous business improvement. 

The partnership enables IBS Software to deploy iCargo for a company that is already the world’s largest container carrier and which is now growing its MSC Air Cargo unit, as a complementary business to its core ocean shipping solution. iCargo adheres to best practices in the air cargo industry and is fully compliant with global industry standards and initiatives – such as Cargo iQ, C-XML, OneRecord, e-AWB and e-Freight – making this latest development a remarkable moment across the logistics industry. It is an important step toward achieving seamless operations across multi-modal logistics models, increased efficiency and the productivity to power rapid global trade and growth IBS Software has long advocated for.