National carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has received authorisation for paperless flight deck operations.

The airline has integrated the installed version of Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro as its electronic flight bag (EFB) solution and uses a portable iPad-based EFB as a backup with its Boeing 787 aircraft. Jeppesen, a Boeing Company, provided support for the airline to reach the significant operational milestone, granted by the General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia.      

Using FliteDeck Pro, Saudia accesses Performance and Flight Document applications on both installed EFB and portable EFB on the ground and in the air, to enhance planning efforts and in-flight operations. With the authorisation now in place, Saudia continues its progression to eliminate paper-based flight information materials in a digital operating environment.

"Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro on installed EFB and iPad provides a mobile, digital platform for eliminating paper in our operations and enhancing situational awareness," said Captain Khalid Alshammasi, COO, Saudi Arabian Airlines. "This transition marks a major technological advance, which allows for increased efficiency and customized access to flight information that is determined by the preferences of our pilots. Updating the content for the airplane and the iPad is done wirelessly and via 3G through local servers, which eliminates the requirement for updates from maintenance personnel. We look forward to continuing our programme to establish fully digital operations."           

"We congratulate Saudia on their forward-thinking EFB integration and paperless operations programme, using FliteDeck Pro to achieve their goals," said Mike Abbott, director, Jeppesen Navigation and Flight Deck Programs. "This authorisation establishes Saudia as a leader in EFB integration in the Middle East and the tools we provide will increase fuel efficiency through reduced paper-based weight and eliminates cumbersome pilot interaction with paper materials across the Saudia fleet." - TradeArabia News Service