EL AL will soon introduce a pilot “Electronic Flight Bag” program in which all of EL AL's 777 captains will be outfitted with iPads for use in the cockpit throughout all stages of the flight – a total of 130 devices. iPads will replace the various papers, weighing approximately 40 kilos, that are now in the cockpit, including documents, flight maps, aircraft literature and more.
According to Captain Ofer Yaari the move will save El Al $4,000 in fuel costs on each flight. He said, "Each year we will save about $160,000 in fuel alone on overall flights, and streamlining measures related to the literature required on aircraft will bring savings of somewhere between $250,000 and $400,000."
In the future, the airline plans to equip all its fleets with iPads. Likewise, the airline has embarked on a process of transferring in flight service management to e-Cabin iPads and to equip all pursers with these devices. This will improve passenger service management by providing the pursers with accessible up-to-date information.
EL AL CEO Elyezer Shkedy: “EL AL is constantly striving to be in the forefront of innovation and I am happy that the Civil Aviation Authority is assisting us in obtaining permits as quickly as possible. Today we are embarking on a pilot program on our 777 aircraft and I hope that very soon all EL AL fleets will be equipped with iPads.”With this move, EL AL joins leading world airlines: United, American Airlines, Air France, ANA (Japan) and others that have taken similar steps during the past two years.
The pilots’ iPads will be equipped with a designated application for air crews and will be in use throughout the flights. The device will enable better access to weather data and flight conditions and so will provide supplementary information to the captains and assist as decision-making support systems.
Benny Livne, EL AL Vice President Operations “EL AL is constantly striving to modernize and streamline the flight system, with a special emphasis on safety. The pilots’ equipment is designed to simplify access to essential information during the flight and to strengthen communication channels within the airline.”
