airBaltic Introduces Electronic Operational Flight Plans

Latvia’s flag carrier airBaltic has introduced a new sustainability measure that replaces pilot briefing packages with electronic operational flight plans accessible on iPads.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic commented: “We introduced iPads for our pilots already back in 2014, saving vast amounts of printed paper each year and providing additional operational efficiency. Now we are taking yet another significant step in the electronic flight bag project, by replacing one of the last documentation that pilots had to print before each flight with a digital solution.”

In addition to electronic flight bags, airBaltic has introduced several sustainability other measures. In October 2020, the carrier published its annual sustainability report.  The report provides information of airBaltic and its subsidiaries’ sustainability performance in 2019.

Simplified process

Pilot briefing packages, which contain an operational flight plan, weather forecast, information about relevant airports and other key documentation, traditionally have to filled by hand by pilots and submitted for post-flight processing. Now, airBaltic has implemented the whole process to be performed on iPads.

airBaltic, which operates 25 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, introduced iPads to pilots already in 2014 which allowed them to avoid carrying between 10-15 kg of flight details, manuals and reference material required for each flight. The carrier also introduced iPads for airBaltic cabin crew three years later.