Africa´s fastest growing airline relies on proven flight planning solution

Raunheim | September 10, 2018– Lufthansa Systems and Ethiopian Airlines Group today announced the introduction of Lufthansa Systems’ Lido/Flight 4D solution in Ethiopian’s flight planning system. This new generation of the proven flight planning solution from Lufthansa Systems offers extensive automation and optimization functions for flight planning and control processes. Ethiopian Airlines will be using Lido/Flight 4D for the next five years.

“We are pleased to further cement our collaboration with Lufthansa Systems by upgrading our flight planning system to Lido/Flight 4D, having used the Lido Flight Planning Service Lido/FPLS for the last five years. Lido/Flight 4D is one of the most effective flight planning solutions worldwide and has been rewarding in augmenting our efforts to optimize flight planning and control endeavors in our expanding service and latest technology acquisition. With the introduction of Lido/Flight 4D, we are aiming to further optimize our routings and flight planning processes, thereby reaping benefits in terms of reduced flying time and fuel consumption,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, Group Chief Executive Officer at Ethiopian Airlines.

The core features of Lido/Flight 4D are its integrated and continually updated aeronautical database and the so-called optimizer. Lido/Flight 4D calculates the most suitable route for each flight based on all flight-related data, weather conditions and the current airspace situation including any restrictions.

Around 120 airlines with a total of more than 6,000 aircraft are currently using Lufthansa Systems’ flight planning solution, which has been successful in the market for more than 17 years. The most recent releases covered certain basic components for migrating to current technologies as well as functional innovations and improvements for takeoff and landing weight optimization, crew briefing and route optimization. In various comparative analyses based on thousands of flight plans, Lido/Flight was able to reduce fuel costs by an average of 2 percent, cut flying times by 1.9 percent and save 1.6 percent of air traffic control fees compared to its competitors.

“The contract with Ethiopian Airlines is strategically important to us,” said Marco Cesa, Senior Vice President Regional Management EMEA at Lufthansa Systems. “The deal will be noticed throughout Africa and strengthens our position in the local market. The reliability and flexibility of our product won over Ethiopian Airlines and will provide considerable support to the carrier going forward.”

Heading Into the Future with the Flight Planning Solution from Lufthansa Systems

Raunheim | August 21, 2018–Lufthansa Systems today announced that Cargolux Airlines will be deploying Lido/Flight 4D, the new generation of its proven flight planning solution that automates and optimizes flight planning and control processes. The two companies recently signed a long-term agreement to this effect.

„We want to continue our growth in the future and impress our customers with the quality of our services. This is why we presented our 2025 Strategy last year and began to review and optimize all business processes. Going forward, Lido/Flight 4D will calculate the most efficient route for us from countless possible combinations while taking all current flight-related data into account. Its high degree of automation allows us to calculate the best route in terms of costs, flight time or fuel consumption without having to add personnel,” said Claude Zehren, Executive Vice President Flight Operations at Cargolux Airlines.

Lido/Flight 4D calculates the most suitable route for each flight based on all flight-related data, weather conditions and the current airspace situation including any restrictions. Lido/Flight 4D also enables the strategic analysis of future flight routes and statistical evaluation of specific city pairs. The core features of Lido/Flight 4D are its integrated and continually updated aeronautical database and the so-called optimizer. In various comparative analyses based on thousands of flight plans, Lido/Flight was able to reduce fuel costs by an average of 2 percent, cut flight times by 1.9 percent and save 1.6 percent of air traffic control fees compared to its competitors. In addition to Lido/Flight 4D, Cargolux also uses obstacle data from Lido/ObstacleData and the Lido/FMS data for a flight simulator.

„Cargolux thoroughly reviewed Lido/Flight 4D before opting for our solution based on its performance and the expertise of our team. We are delighted to be able to support Cargolux in achieving the goals of its 2025 Strategy,” said Marco Cesa, Senior Vice President Regional Management EMEA at Lufthansa Systems.

The Luxembourg-based freight carrier Cargolux was established in 1970. It operates a global network spanning more than 90 destinations with its fleet of Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. Cargolux is a member of the Association of Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Lido/Flight 4D, Lido/Navigation and Lido/Performance: New features, agile develop­ment and enhancement, and in-depth exchange at customer conference in Madrid.

Raunheim | June 5, 2018–Lufthansa Systems today announced that it will be hosting its first ever joint user conference for customers of Lido/Flight 4D and Lido/Navigation this year. The Lido User Conference will take place this week from June 5 to 7 in Madrid. Using the tagline #takeoffwithlido, the airline IT experts from Lufthansa Systems will present innovations from their successful Lido product lines for flight planning and navigation.

“Digitalization is affecting the entire aviation industry. Airlines are increasingly investing in connectivity solutions and networked systems both on the flight deck and on the ground. This enables carriers to boost the efficiency of flight operations since data such as weather, airspace and traffic control information will be updated in real time. As a result, airline requirements for flight planning and navigation systems are changing. Everything is becoming more dynamic and data-driven,” said Dr. Bernd Jurisch, Head of Flight & Navigation Products & Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “This is why we have merged the previously independent Lido product lines. We have taken this decision to match our solutions perfectly to the collaboration between dispatchers and pilots. This ensures that flight operations overall become more efficient, thus enabling substantial savings to be generated. The approach pursued by Lido in this context is called ‘total mission optimization’ and expressly includes the Lido/Performance products.”

The Lido/Flight flight planning solution with its new generation Lido/Flight 4D has been marketed successfully for more than 20 years. Around 120 airlines are using the systems. Since 2015, Lufthansa Systems has worked intensively on developing Lido/Flight into the new Lido/Flight 4D generation to further increase the level of automation in flight planning and enable airlines to achieve even larger savings by benefiting from a new optimizer generation.

The Lido/Navigation success story is over 15 years old, with more than 100 airlines using the solution. In addition, Lufthansa Systems launched the Maps program to integrate various airport, takeoff/landing and enroute navigation maps. The goal is to produce a dynamic map solution. As the innovative Lido/Flight 4D, Lido/Navigation and Lido/Performance solutions continue to converge, Lufthansa Systems is taking its Lido product lines to the next level and creating new added value for airlines. Lido enables a seamless digital process for flight operations – from planning a flight to the aircraft’s parking position at the destination airport.

In addition to explaining the new strategy, this conference will offer breakout sessions on special topics, customer presentations on current projects and the opportunity for in-depth discussion. This will benefit around 270 product experts and customer representatives from about 70 airlines and partners attending the event.

Taiwan-based Star Alliance member signs contract extension for the flight planning solution and migrates to the new Lido/Flight 4D product generation

Raunheim, Germany | August 31, 2017– Lufthansa Systems today announced that the Taiwanese airline EVA Air has renewed its contract for the Lido/Flight flight planning solution for another five years. EVA Air will also migrate to the new Lido/Flight 4D product generation, enabling the carrier to benefit from even better integration, a more modern graphical user interface, 4D optimization and extensively automated flight planning and control processes.

EVA Air has been managing its flight operations with Lufthansa Systems solutions for many years. In addition to Lido/Flight, the airline has also deployed NetLine/Sched and SchedConnect. “We are impressed by the outstanding quality of Lufthansa Systems’ products and its reliable customer service,” said the Flight Control Department at EVA Air. “Lido/Flight 4D will certainly help us to improve further and make progress in the market.”

The new Lido/Flight 4D product generation includes certain basic components for migrating to current technologies as well as initial functional innovations and improvements for takeoff and landing weight optimization, crew briefing and route optimization. The core features of the IT solution are its integrated and continually updated aeronautical database and the so-called optimizer. Lido/Flight 4D calculates the most suitable route for each flight based on all flight-related data, weather conditions and the current airspace situation including any restrictions.

“Our innovative solution offers reliability and flexibility, simplifies routine tasks and enables dispatchers to quickly make the right decisions in critical situations,” said Tom Vandendael, Senior Vice President Regional Management Asia/Pacific at Lufthansa Systems. “We are in regular dialogue with our customers and are continually enhancing our solutions bearing in mind airlines’ needs.”

Around 120 airlines with a total of more than 6,000 aircraft are currently using Lufthansa Systems’ flight planning solution, which has been successful in the market for more than 15 years. In various comparative analyses based on thousands of flight plans, Lido/Flight was able to reduce fuel costs by an average of 2 percent, cut flying times by 1.9 percent and save 1.6 percent of air traffic control fees compared to its competitors.

EVA Air has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2013. From its main hub, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Taiwanese carrier serves destinations in Asia as well as Oceania, North America and Europe with a fleet of 74 aircraft. In addition to passenger flights, EVA Air also operates a cargo service.

• Spanish regional airline renews contract for flight planning solution from Lufthansa Systems

Raunheim, Germany | September 27, 2016– Lufthansa Systems today announced that the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum has renewed its contract for the Lido/Flight flight planning solution for another four years. The contract renewal is accompanied by a migration to the new product generation Lido/Flight 4D. With this Air Nostrum will benefit from an even better integration, a more modern graphical user interface and display, 4D optimization and extensively automated flight planning and control processes.

“We have been using the flight planning solution from Lufthansa Systems since 2005 because the product is very reliable and meets our needs,” said Carlos Lloréns, Ground Operations Director at Air Nostrum. “The new generation Lido/Flight 4D impressed us above all with the range and quality of its functions.”

The core features of the IT solution are the integrated and continually updated aeronautical database and the so-called optimizer. Based on all flight-related data, weather conditions and the current airspace situation including any restrictions, Lido/Flight 4D calculates the most suitable route for each flight.

Around 120 airlines with a total of more than 6,000 aircraft are currently using the flight planning solution from Lufthansa Systems, which has been successful on the market for more than 15 years. In June of this year, the first release of the new Lido/Flight 4D product generation was unveiled at the Lido/Flight User Group Conference – the next one is coming up this fall. This year’s releases cover certain basic components for migrating to current technologies as well as the first functional innovations and improvements for takeoff and landing weight optimization, crew briefing and route optimization.

“Air Nostrum’s contract renewal shows that our investment in the refinement of the solution based on feedback from our customers has paid off,” said Marco Cesa, Senior Vice President Regional Management EMEA at Lufthansa Systems. “Our innovative solution offers reliability and flexibility, simplifies routine tasks and makes it possible to quickly make the right decisions in critical situations.”

In various comparative analyses based on thousands of flight plans, Lido/Flight was able to reduce fuel costs by an average of 2 percent, cut flying times by 1.9 percent and save 1.6 percent of air traffic control fees compared to its competitors.

Air Nostrum operates under the Iberia Regional brand mostly within Spain, although it also serves destinations in Europe and North Africa. The Spanish airline is based in Valencia and is one of the three largest regional airlines in Europe.

Picture description (copyright: Lufthansa Systems): Airlines can optimally plan their routes with Lido/Flight from Lufthansa Systems.

– Integration of Lido/Flight Winds – More efficiency for flight planning process

January 8, 2013– Lufthansa Systems today announced that it has added the powerful module Lido/Flight Winds for visualizing flight paths and other information to its well known flight planning solution Lido/Flight. This enables airline dispatchers to better monitor active flights until landing and to offer support to pilots when necessary. This new module enables airlines to increase the efficiency of their flight operations and the punctuality of their flights. By integrating Lido/Flight Winds, the airline IT specialist has once again enhanced the range of features offered by Lido/Flight.

“The integration of Lido/Flight Winds once again underlines how we continually invest in innovative technologies,” said Stefan Auerbach, SVP Airline Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “This boosts the value of our products and makes a significant contribution to improving our customers’ competitiveness.”

Lido/Flight is one of the most powerful flight planning solutions in the world and is used by airlines of all sizes with a wide variety of business models. The solution calculates the most efficient route for each flight from countless possible combinations while taking all current flight-related data into account. This makes it possible to optimize routes in terms of costs, flight time or fuel consumption. Airlines can reduce their fuel costs by up to five percent with Lido/Flight. The integrated Lido/Flight solution also offers numerous additional modules for calculating the optimal takeoff thrust, making the best use of temporary flight paths and automatically generating electronic briefing packets for crews, for example.

The supplementary module Lido/Flight Winds generates precise cartographic visualizations of the flights planned with Lido/Flight. These can be superimposed with data from other sources, such as weather radar images or information on the airspace situation.

The user-friendly graphical display of the flight situation enables airline dispatchers to make prompt tactical decisions while tracking a flight, such as whether to fly around areas of bad weather or airspaces with capacity bottlenecks. This can increase flight punctuality and reduce the costs associated with delays.

– Asian carrier uses new additional modules for efficient route planning

Kelsterbach | September 11, 2012– Lufthansa Systems today announced that Singapore Airlines will continue to optimize its route planning using the leading flight planning solution Lido/Flight. Lido/Flight uses a variety of factors to calculate the optimal route for an aircraft. This can decrease an airline’s fuel costs by up to five percent. The airline is extending its long-term agreement with Lufthansa Systems for another eight years. Singapore Airlines has also significantly expanded the scope of this agreement by adding a number of additional Lido/Flight modules, including aircraft performance solutions. The route planning solution has also been deployed by the airline’s subsidiaries Singapore Airlines Cargo and SilkAir.

With its modern technology and user-friendly design, Lido/Flight takes into account all aspects of flight planning. The system automatically calculates the best route, taking into consideration all current flight-related information such as weather data or aeronautical restrictions. Lido/Flight, which has been deployed by leading airlines around the world operating in different business models, provides dispatchers with many optimization options regarding flight time, fuel consumption or the cost of each flight.

Singapore Airlines uses the Lido/Flight TFR (Traffic Flow Restrictions), InflightMonitor and FreeFlight modules, among others. While Lido/Flight TFR opens up a host of new route options by considering time restricted airways, Lido/Flight InflightMonitor automatically informs the dispatcher about all notifications relevant to flights which have been calculated but not yet completed. Lido/Flight’s FreeFlight module is the first solution to calculate flight paths using geographical coordinates instead of waypoints. This makes it an efficient planning solution for air spaces without a finely meshed network of airways. During a demonstration green flight, carried out under the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE) programme from Los Angeles via Tokyo to Singapore that was planned with FreeFlight in 2010, Singapore Airlines was able to cut its flying time by 30 minutes compared to a regular flight and lower its fuel consumption by just under five tons.

“We are very proud that our long-standing customer Singapore Airlines has once again opted for our IT solution so that we can continue to contribute to the airline’s commercial success,” said Olivier Krüger, CEO Asia/Pacific at Lufthansa Systems.

Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s leading airlines, is based in Singapore and is a member of the Star Alliance. From its hub at Singapore Changi Airport, the airline serves 63 destinations in 34 countries with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft.