Cebu Pacific Selects SITA, Inmarsat to Enhance Cockpit Communications and Optimize Flight Operations

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Cebu Pacific Air has selected SITA to support its digital transformation agenda leveraging SITA’s renowned AIRCOM Cockpit Services integrated with Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) satellite network service. The combined solutions will enhance cockpit communications while delivering greater operational efficiencies on the airline’s new Airbus A330neos. 

SITA’s 2021 Air Transport IT Insights reveal that digitalization is a top priority for the air transport industry’s recovery from COVID-19. The leading low-cost carrier in the Philippines, Cebu Pacific is one of many airlines embarking on a digital transformation agenda, including modernizing its fleet with features that allow for real-time updates to support better decision-making around weather and flight planning.

Through its AIRCOM® Cockpit Services portfolio, SITA has integrated Inmarsat’s cutting-edge SB-S satellite network service, making Cebu Pacific the first airline to leverage the benefits of both services on its new fleet. It is also the first time SB-S has been delivered factory-fitted on an Airbus aircraft bringing more sophisticated, secure, and reliable voice and data communications to the flight deck. IP connectivity, quicker data transmission with faster broadband speeds and coverage, will deliver several operational benefits for the airline.

Bringing modern satellite technology into the cockpit will enable airlines like Cebu Pacific to maximize the benefit of innovative inflight optimization and safety applications. For example, pilots will be able to gain real-time updates for flight optimization tools like SITA’s OptiFlight and graphical weather applications like SITA’s eWAS Pilot. The real-time data provided by applications like these will provide enhanced decision-making, helping pilots to adapt, avoid weather hazards and delays, enhance comfort and safety onboard, and deliver fuel and operational cost savings.

Javier Massot, Chief Operations Adviser, Cebu Pacific Air, said: “We turned to SITA given their expertise in the aircraft domain to help us navigate the challenges and complexities of the aircraft communications landscape, and prepare us for that future. Having high-speed connectivity and greater capacity is essential to access more advanced digital applications that support decision-making onboard. It will enable our pilots and operational staff to access information in real-time and deliver a better service for our passengers.”

Sumesh Patel, President of Asia Pacific, SITA, said: “We are delighted to offer the latest advances in technology to support the industry’s transition to a more digitalized cockpit. As the specialists in this field, SITA is dedicated to delivering the crucial, industry-certified services airlines rely upon to run their daily operations. Cebu Pacific is the first airline to take advantage of these capabilities to boost safety and deliver greater operational efficiencies on their new fleet.”

John Broughton, SVP Aircraft Operations and Safety, Inmarsat Aviation, said: “The arrival of Cebu’s A330neo aircraft marks a number of firsts for Inmarsat and the industry. It’s the first aircraft in the world to fly with fully end-to-end encrypted cockpit voice and data comms, providing military grade protection to safety critical communications and operational data. Additionally, it’s the first Airbus aircraft line fitted with Inmarsat Light Cockpit Satcom terminal, heralding a new era of connected aircraft rolling out of the factory fitted for future ATM requirements.”

The combined AIRCOM® Cockpit Services and SB-S solutions will be made available to more aircraft types, beyond Airbus single-aisle A320neos and wide-aisle A330neos, to enable more airlines to leverage the benefits.