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The best airport to remotely manage take-offs and landings

Budapest has become the first airport in European capitals to have its air traffic controlled from a high-tech facility outside the airport grounds, thanks to a new contract Indra’s with the service provider Hungarian Air Navigation HungaroControl.

This new Indra solution called InNOVA will provide air traffic controllers with an even better view than that generally obtained from a conventional control tower. In addition, they will have all the necessary information, air traffic control functionalities, and security functions from a single integrated screen, a concept already operational in remote control centers.

“Intelligent technology and automation are tools to support human decision-making. By equipping our air traffic controllers with the latest technology, we improve operational efficiency and situational awareness. This benefits us, the airport, the airlines, and ultimately the passengers”, said Kornel Szepessy, CEO of HungaroControl.

While air traffic controllers typically must monitor different screens to get a complete view, the tower InNOVA system takes care of integrating all relevant functions and information on a single screen.

This system will improve controllers’ situational awareness, effectiveness, and flight safety. Thanks to augmented reality that will allow controllers to automatically zoom, identify and track moving objects.   

The system is prepared to carry out operations in multiple airports. For now, the cameras will be located in various locations around the Budapest airport to improve visual observation of this and other areas of interest to controllers. 

Read the full note in Aviación al día.

 

Wing of Tomorrow: The New Green Airplane Wing

Airbus has started the process of assembling its prototype “green wing” within its “Wing of Tomorrow” technology research program.

This program will test each of the wing aerodynamic materials and technologies while investigating how to improve wing fabrication to meet future demand as the industry recovers.

Airbus plans to build three life-size prototypes: the first will be used to study systems integration, the second will undergo structural testing, and the third will be assembled to test increased production and compare it with industrial models.

Wing of Tomorrow is part of several Airbus divisions in different parts of the world, including the Wing Moveables team, based in Germany. It also has the financial support of the UK Institute of Aerospace Technology, which will bring together more than 100 technological applications, to explore new manufacturing and assembly techniques, to promote more sustainable aviation.

Undoubtedly, this project is part of one of the many solutions that the large companies of the aeronautical industry seek to implement every day to accelerate the process towards the decarbonization of aviation.

 

Read the note at: Europapress.

Spain seeks to become a leader in maritime transport in Europe

Spain seeks to implement a wide variety of technological tools to boost competitiveness in the Spanish port system, and thus become the leader in maritime transport within Europe.

In the report published by the Ports Commission of the Chamber of Spain, entitled “Measures to promote the competitiveness of the Spanish port system”, all the measures to be implemented are detailed and are grouped into 5 categories such as: governance, management of border control ports, intermodality, digitization, and training, which will be renewed thanks to technological advances.

Among the technologies that they will implement at the port, digitization level is 5G sensorization, automation, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and distributed ledger technology such as Blockchain.

The purpose of these measures is to take advantage of an industry that is underdeveloped in terms of innovation and digitization and thus transform Spanish ports into a 4.0 model, which are intelligent, interoperable, and transparent.

There are currently 3 Spanish ports (Valencia, Algeciras, and Barcelona) that are in the top 30 of the world ranking of ports thanks to the influx of merchandise, so this type of measure seeks to promote logistics and port development, which will help Spain to become a leader in the maritime sector in Europe.

 

The new simulation system to train pilots

Indra, a leading global technology and consulting company, has developed a new simulation system to train pilots. It is easy to transport and install in any space, so the time required to train a pilot, civilian or military, of any type of aircraft can be reduced by half. 

This multipurpose and interoperable simulation system (SIMCUI). It is of high quality, easy to maintain and operate. Includes virtual reality glasses, which increase realism and allows the student to connect from home and continue with the training.

In its development, flight models are used, completely adapted to the needs and degree of realism required by each client. Whether it is a small flight academy, an airline, or an entire army. It even has artificial intelligence algorithms to measure the performance of each pilot and analyze strengths and areas for improvement.

The controls and throttle levers are quickly and easily interchanged depending on the type of aircraft in which the flight simulation exercise is to be performed.

So far, the system has 18 simplified flight models available, ranging from a Boeing 737 to an F18 fighter jet, light aircraft models, civil helicopters, among others.

More and more airlines, armies, and pilots are demanding a more continuous and easily accessible training, which complements the training they receive in the simulation systems of the highest level and realism, in which they are examined to obtain their licenses and certifications; with this SIMCUI, Indra covers this great need of the aeronautical industry.

 

Read the complete article in Aviación al Día.

Drones: The future of the airline industry

Drones have become one of the key advancements in the future of technology and could change the air logistics of the coming years, becoming part of the world’s transportation system.

On April 14, a conference called “Drone Enable” was held, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (OASI), where several specialists met and discussed the importance of creating a regulatory framework that allows the integration of drones into the system. World air transport.

The objective is not to replace traditional transport, but to bring great value to areas with high traffic congestion, rural and isolated sectors, speed up freight transport and provide fast services in cases of emergency.

Drones have been very useful in agricultural processes, in the control of forest fires, even in the analysis of traffic in some cities, and in the delivery of medicines. In 2015, the United States Government authorized the delivery of emergency medications to a rural clinic located in Virginia, which was 90 minutes by land from the nearest pharmacy.

There are many benefits that this type of unmanned aerial vehicle provides, and in logistics processes, its advantages are extremely positive.

In this sense, the OASI is working on an international registry of drones that allows their integration into the airspace. Koen de Vos, a member of the transport department of the European Commission, said that: “The challenge is to maintain a balance between promoting the potential of drones and addressing the concerns of society and the airline industry. Safety in the skies depends on the responsible behavior of all operators ”.

However, for society to fully accept the use of this new technology, the benefits of it must be totally clear to all people, especially if one considers that the negative aspects of these vehicles, such as noise and pollution, affect everyone.

Source: A21

 

How will the Blockchain influence the aeronautical industry?

Although the financial sector was the first to benefit from new technologies such as blockchain, today it is the aeronautical industry that takes the most advantage of it, but the question is, how?

Currently, most of the crucial information needed to keep aircraft operational is processed manually and when it comes to aircraft that carry hundreds, thousands, and even millions of parts, it becomes a nightmare to track each maintenance of each aircraft. Many times it brings with it human errors that can trigger air accidents and human and material losses.

What technologies such as blockchain can bring to the aeronautical sector is facilitate the traceability of each spare part. From its manufacture, through its configuration, maintenance, or replacement.

Blockchain technology can generate a birth certificate for each part of an aircraft and thus provide access and update of its current condition each time the aircraft is inspected. This will allow everyone involved to be aware of the real state of the airplane.

It is estimated that the use of blockchain could increase the industry’s revenue by up to 4% which translates to about 40,000 million dollars, while it could cut maintenance costs by 5%.

The aerospace industry will be in constant search to integrate new technologies that strengthen its capabilities, impacting on the improvement of services and their operation, so in the coming years, we will be able to see the full integration of this technology as well as the influence of artificial intelligence or 3D printing.

 

Automation of the airline industry

The airline industry has been forced to digitize and automate each of its processes, to reduce physical contact, to protect those involved, preventing the spread of covid-19, and, in turn, improve the user experience and boost efficiency.

SITA, an international telecommunications company that provides technology services to companies in the aeronautical industry, says that the fall in demand for this industry in 2020 has forced them to focus on new cost efficiencies.

“In addition to the pressure, airlines and airports had to quickly incorporate new sanitary measures, such as contactless processing of passengers and the management of health information and new protocols, including PCR tests in many destinations,” said David Lavorel, CEO of SITA Airports and Borders.

To solve these challenges, the aviation industry turned to technology and, in many cases, changed the investment priorities they had set in 2020.

In this sense, many airports and airlines are interested in investing in biometric technology, implementing automated boarding gates, and guaranteeing a check-in process without physical contact, as well as self-service baggage delivery.

“Most airlines plan to send real-time notifications to passengers directly to their mobile devices about the status of their bags, and they also plan to provide real-time baggage tracking information to staff,” SITA noted.

It is estimated that by the year 2023, all essential customer service services will be without physical contact, from reservation to arrival, including delayed baggage reporting.

 Source: Aviación 21.