"Lufthansa on the way to a paperless cockpit"

Press conference, September 30, 2004, 1:00 PM
Statement by Carl Sigel, Executive Vice President Operations for Lufthansa Passage Airline

- Check against delivery -

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Together with Lufthansa Systems, I would like to present the new Route Manual to you today. The roll-out of the charts began at the start of September, and today we are already using the new charts for 50% of all of our takeoffs and landings worldwide. What's more, the new charts are not only being used by Lufthansa Passage, but also by Lufthansa CityLine, Condor and Lufthansa Cargo.

The name of Lufthansa has always been closely linked to innovation and quality. When regular services started on April 6, 1926, the vision of flying was already associated with high quality expectations for Lufthansa. Since then, we have continued to develop further by modernizing our aircraft and improving passenger comfort, for example. We have also always placed great importance in taking a technologically pioneering role. Innovative IT solutions are not just the ideal answer to the enormous cost pressures that are currently shaping the industry, they also support a company like Lufthansa as it strives to strengthen and secure its quality advantage.

In switching to these new charts, Lufthansa is aiming to lay the groundwork for the introduction of a paperless cockpit. Despite modern cockpit technology and diverse possibilities for electronic navigation, the flight and route information necessary for every flight is still delivered to the cockpit almost exclusively in paper form. Every aircraft carries double sets of charts for each destination. The documents for each leg of a journey are displayed on a clipboard for the duration of the flight. Even for a short flight within Europe, there may be up to 30 pages of charts. This should soon be a thing of the past, however. Lufthansa Systems has developed an electronic route manual, and it would now like to begin replacing the paper charts in the cockpit with an electronic display for digital charts.

We pilots were involved in the development of the Lido Route Manual right from the start. The experts from Lufthansa Systems worked hand in hand with our flight operations specialists, our experienced pilots, and our young pilots as well.

The Route Manual enhances the product portfolio of Lufthansa Systems in the area of Airline Flight Support. The data required to produce the charts also forms the basis for the system we use for route planning (Lido OC, Briefing) and the Flight Management System. With the introduction of the Lido Route Manual, Lufthansa Systems has come full circle in the integrative approach it has taken with its entire portfolio in the area of Flight Support.

We were impressed by Lufthansa Systems' promising overall concept and by the charts themselves. At the start of September, we began the transition to the new Lido Route Manual, and by the end of 2004 charts will be available for all 650 airports. In this first stage, the charts will continue to be supplied on paper.

Parallel to this, the charts will be displayed electronically on the LH Workpad. The LH Workpad is now taken for granted as a useful tool during flights. This laptop solution was developed by Lufthansa Systems to calculate takeoff data and to access duty rosters, flight instructions and standard regulations. But as you probably know from firsthand experience, laptops must be stowed away during takeoff and landing, even in the cockpit. This is why, up until now, electronic charts could not be provided for cockpit use. Together with the specialists from Lufthansa Systems, we are already working on the technical requirements necessary to create a suitable hardware solution for a paperless cockpit.

The new charts offer numerous advantages. Colors and symbols ensure that the correct information can be found quickly. Furthermore, all information is drawn to scale, the charts are oriented magnetic north up, and the content is optimally structured. All chart categories are differentiated by colored borders. The information on the charts, too, is color-coded and thus much easier to identify, both on paper and electronically. The arrangement and display of the information has been optimized and structured according to its importance. Data in tables is displayed graphically. The Airport Facility Chart is a new concept. This overview chart contains all the information needed for takeoffs and landings. An Airport Ground Chart is displayed on the chart's back side. In combination with the on-board Flight Management System, this single sheet could in principle allow pilots to approach or take off from any airport in the future.

Our next step will be to use the other new development, the electronic Route Manual. With the electronic Route Manual, Lufthansa will be able to considerably reduce paper, printing, amendment and distribution costs. Great savings potential is opening up here for the Lufthansa Group. The use of the electronic Route Manual will also mean that charts are more up to date. Flight charts contain data which changes quickly, and updating such charts is an ongoing issue. The changes must be processed, entered into the database and added to the charts, and the charts must then be printed, sorted and distributed. With the electronic Route Manual, charts can be updated on a daily basis for the first time, and additional information like the Notam chart will become unnecessary.

The construction of the charts will remain the same on the electronic display in the cockpit, the eRoute Manual. Although we had very specific demands and special needs, Lufthansa Systems has managed to develop a marketable product which I am certain will interest not only Lufthansa, but also numerous other airlines. And we can heartily certainly recommend it.

Quality and safety in aviation are particularly important to us. With the new route charts, we have set the right course, and we will continue to pursue this course together with Lufthansa Systems.