The national flag carrier has already distributed 1,650 copies of EFB in the form of iPads among flight deck crewmembers after feeding them with the required information and systems to help pilots navigate the aircraft easily and efficiently by improving their capabilities.
EFB is an electronic display device intended for flight deck crew use. The device is equipped with FDC related applications including charts, performance data and manuals to aid in managing flight task more easily and efficiently in a paperless environment.
During the project’s first phase, EFB devices have been loaded with necessary information and programs and distributed them among all SAUDIA flight deck crewmembers. Preliminary troubleshooting of functionality issues and user familiarization with basic EFB applications were carried out during this phase.
In the ongoing second phase of the project, the airline has stopped printing the traditional paper-based flight bags in preparation for experimental use of EFB devices and discontinuing the use of paper-based manuals such as FCOM, AOM, QRH, GOM and MEL, which have been a burden for pilots not only because of its heaviness but also because of the difficulty in obtaining desired information from thousands of documents and charts.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year with the provision of all the necessary information, programs and applications in EFB devices and after authorization from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) when SAUDIA flights will have full paperless cockpits.
In a statement on the occasion, Captain Khaled Al-Shumasi, EVP Flight Operations emphasized SAUDIA’s desire to cope with new developments in the air transport industry for achieving high standard of performance in terms of safety and providing the best working atmosphere inside the cockpit, enabling pilots and copilots to carry out their missions efficiently, providing them with the necessary information during the flight.
“SAUDIA intends to provide the best training and suitable technical environment for its pilots,” Captain Al-Shumasi said, adding that SAUDIA pilots enjoy the best training compared to other international airlines. “We follow up the latest developments in aviation technology and implement the best air navigation systems,” he added.
The EFB project includes provision of advanced air navigation charts and maps developed by Gibson, a pioneer in the field. Boeing and Airbus have designed automatic takeoff and landing systems for SAUDIA. EFB devices also contain applications to monitor electronic aviation systems and selected support applications. It has a secure content locker, which is a drop-box like application and reader that assists in viewing and editing SV documents and using official SV emails for interaction between pilots and the operations center.
“We have set up a working team under the leadership of Captain Arif Jaza Al-Shammari to implement this project and provide the necessary technical support to pilots around the clock through an office specially opened for the purpose at the Flight Operations Building,” said Captain Al-Shumasi, adding that the new EFB devices would help pilots and copilots save a lot of time and energy.
“Pilots often use their spare times to study the various documents and maps related air navigation, aircraft and airports,” he said. The EFB will provide pilots an exemplary working atmosphere in cockpits and save 25 million papers related to aviation maps and other publications, thus reducing the weight of SAUDIA flights by 5.1 tons monthly and helping to conserve about 500 tons of jet fuel annually.