Small changes can make a big difference: Lufthansa Systems’ new optimizer concept for fleet assignment supports maximum profitability for the flight plan
The correct choice of aircraft is crucial for airlines with regard to the profitability of a flight: the better the match of aircraft seating capacity to the number of passengers booked on the flight, the more profitable the flight will be. This is where fleet assignment comes in. The term describes the process of assigning the right aircraft to each route. In order to do this, the flight planner utilizes forecast data for the expected number of passengers. The nearer the actual departure time for the flight, the more accurate this forecast data becomes. Standard optimizers carry out automated checks on the basis of mathematical optimization models. As a result of such tools, up to 60 percent of a flight plan may be changed. If plans can be improved this much weeks before a flight, imagine how much room for improvement there must be in the period between the finalization of a plan and the departure of the flight.
But how can an airline take advantage of this optimization potential? Maintenance requirements and labor regulations require flight plans to be confirmed five or six weeks before the actual flight - which is much too early for really optimized flight planning. While operating costs and regulatory matters can be calculated relatively reliably, planners don't know just how many passengers will actually fly until shortly before departure. In the past there was no other option but to work with this long-term and therefore imprecise forecast data.
With its NetLine/Sched Local Fleet Assigner, Lufthansa Systems now offers airlines a new concept that enables an airline to identify and carry out optimizations until shortly before the time of departure- within the framework of legal regulations and with a minimum of effort.
The innovative optimizer concept from Lufthansa Systems aims at maximizing the profitability of a flight plan with minimum effort while maintaining compliance with deadlines. It seeks out potential improvements which, though small, can save an extraordinary amount of money. The Fleet Assigner suggests changes which can be made immediately, and it estimates the savings potential of each change. In particular, the solution ensures that the changes made are in agreement with the global flight plan and regulations at the end of the process. In this way, maximum profitability can be achieved for the flight plan.
130 customers and counting: Lufthansa Systems’ Flight Management System sweeps the market
Precise in-flight navigation is essential not only for flight safety but also for cost control. And, of course, navigation from a departure airport to a destination is a central process which makes flight operations possible in the first place. Lufthansa Systems has established itself as an industry leader in the field by offering a full range of solutions to support airline with these processes, including the Lido Operations Center (Lido OC), Lido Flight Planning, Lido eRoute-Manual and the FMS database.
Among these solutions, the FMS database has proved particularly popular for airlines. More than 130 customers worldwide, and counting, among them British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, and TAP, to name just a few. During the last few months, the database attracted even more followers, most recently the Russian carriers SkyExpress, Vladivostok Air and AirBridgeCargo. Is there any major airline that doesn’t rely on Lufthansa Systems’ FMS database? But how does the system work and why do all these airlines need it?
The FMS database is based on the Lido navigation database from Lufthansa Systems containing all aeronautical data available worldwide. All of Lufthansa Systems’ Airline Operations Solutions utilize this database. In short, FMS supplies comprehensive navigation data for cockpit systems and contains important route information including data pertinent to altitude and alternate airports. On the one hand, the FMS database provides all relevant information for the complex functioning of the autopilot and the guidance of the aircraft through the entire flight. On the other hand, the database also contains helpful specifications relating to, for example, the engine. For airlines this is particularly interesting in terms of cost reductions since it leads to fuel savings.
The source from which the Lido FMS database is extracted is the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) of every country, published monthly by the respective civil aviation authorities. A complete aeronautical coverage consisting of all elements needed in aviation today has been included in the FMS database, covering, but not limited to, airport information, airways, terminal and enroute waypoints, navaids, holding and approach procedures, etc. This data, combined with information such as that pertaining to company routes and individual procedures, results in a specific database tailored to each customer’s requirements. This updated FMS database is delivered to all customers once every 28 days. These updates will then be exported to the on-board computers via floppy disks. In addition, airlines also receive a special reporting service that enables them to view and track all mission-critical data and changes to the Lido navigation database and manage company routes at any time.
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