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How 5G connectivity ensures cargo airline West Atlantic delivers on time
May 17, 2024
Two pilots from British cargo airline West Atlantic explain how connectivity has made the way they work safer, faster, and more efficient.
West Atlantic employs more than 100 pilots, who fly around the world carrying cargo which ranges from parcels to live animals. The company has recently switched from having flight plans and other documentation delivered on paper, to using 5G-connected tablets which can update pilots and ground staff with crucial flight information, instantly.
“Over the past five or six years, we have transitioned away from paper-based support documentation to electronic,” said Matthew Moran, Senior First Officer on a Boeing 737 at West Atlantic. “Switching to using tablets has enabled us to take between 20 and 30 kilograms of paper off every flight.”
Safer and more efficient
Previously, pilots were issued with flight plans and weather reports printed off on paper before every flight, along with paper manuals (which also meant that weather reports were frequently out of date). Jessica Haddon, another senior first officer with West Atlantic on the company’s Boeing 737s, said that using tablets rather than paper means the airline can avoid delays and work more safely.
Ms Haddon said: “We can make the decisions based on the most relevant information. And if we ever get things like a change in load, we can log those changes so much quicker and send that information on to the Operations Control Centre.”
*according to Ookla (1)
Keeping everyone connected, from the ground up
“Everything is done electronically now,” Mr Moran explained. “If a captain needs to call the operations control centre, they do so on a company mobile phone, and everyone is also given a tablet on which to do the rest of their work – that’s how we stay in touch. But we also use emails and Microsoft Teams for meetings.”
Cargo airlines are often put in remote parts of an airport, meaning that pilots can’t rely on a Wi-Fi connection, which makes powerful and reliable 5G capability even more important. They also need SIMs that work in many different countries, which is something that Three Business’s 5G SIMs service is able to provide.
“It's essential that we have coverage everywhere we go... Now we can just get that information ourselves, wherever we are in the world, thanks to Three Business.”
Mr Moran said: “It's essential that we have coverage everywhere we go. We often had to deal with companies delivering information on paper in airports we didn't know – you might have a language barrier and a company that hasn't supported you before. Now we can just get that information ourselves, wherever we are in the world, thanks to Three Business.”
Fewer delays can save thousands
Delays of even a few minutes can be disastrous in the cargo industry, Mr Moran said.
“Historically, we have had delays due to waiting for paper to be delivered to the aircraft. Delays of just minutes can cost thousands. When we used to be waiting for a printed flight plan, you would literally be counting the seconds – now we just press refresh on the tablet.”
“Everyone is connected now,” Ms Haddon said. “It’s made things so much easier.”
This is a shortened version of an article produced by and published on Telegraph.co.uk - read the full article here.
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