Wizz Air, one of Europe’s fastest-growing, most innovative airlines, has become the first carrier on the continent to deploy SITAONAIR’s pioneering, airline-integrated ACARS over IP service, using terrestrial cellular networks. This development comes as the airline extends its longstanding relationship with SITAONAIR for its AIRCOM® Cockpit Services.
The ACARS over IP service, using terrestrial cellular, is delivered in partnership with Teledyne Controls and will be deployed across Wizz Air’s entire existing and future fleet. The enablement of automatic ACARS-based reporting brings huge benefits for the airline, resulting in improved aircraft movement control and more efficient turnaround at any airport.
This deployment will complement SITAONAIR’s existing Very High Frequency (VHF) ACARS radio network coverage and extend coverage to Wizz Air’s entire operation. The service also brings enhanced resilience through the interoperable use of cellular and ACARS networks.
Additional benefits of ACARS over IP include increased network capacity, as well as faster and more cost-effective transmission of data.
Konstantin Milarov, M.Sc., Technical Services Manager, Wizz Air, comments: “The ability to extend our datalink coverage and implement automatic ACARS-based reporting and processes is a huge benefit for Wizz Air. We are pleased to be continuing our relationship with SITAONAIR and are delighted to pioneer this with ACARS over IP services together. We will be able to move forward with better and more efficient aircraft timing reporting and conduct data transmissions across our entire network.”
SITAONAIR is able to deliver the solution by integrating terrestrial cellular services into its core AIRCOM® datalink network, using Teledyne Controls’ GroundLink® Comm+ system.
Murry Skelton, Senior Director of Aircraft Solution Strategy, Teledyne Controls, says: “Our partnership with SITAONAIR offers airline customers like Wizz Air a quick, easy upgrade option to enable secure ACARS transfer while the aircraft is on the ground. We believe this can bring huge benefit to airlines, as is being demonstrated by Wizz Air as a true innovator in the area of aircraft communications.”
As part of the renewal, Wizz Air will further manage its air-to-ground communications with AIRCOM® FlightMessenger. The SITAONAIR solution integrates and translates data into a format that can seamlessly feed into any IT infrastructure, helping to improve efficiency and effectiveness. With AIRCOM® FlightMessenger, Wizz Air will be able to easily extract key data from ACARS messages, and add data from other sources, into an easy-to-understand format for distribution by email or SMS.
SITAONAIR’s AIRCOM® Product Manager, Euan Mitchell, adds: “We at SITAONAIR are thrilled to be developing our longstanding relationship with Wizz Air and enabling the airline to become the first in Europe to adopt our pioneering ACARS over IP service, using terrestrial cellular. We look forward to the continued close partnership with Wizz Air and helping support them in their operational efficiency and long term growth.”
About SITAONAIR
SITAONAIR is the air travel industry’s trusted connected aircraft service expert, powering innovation with recognized expertise and future-proof solutions. With our unrivalled industry-backed heritage, SITAONAIR delivers the promises of the connected aircraft, empowering 400+ customers and 18,000+ aircraft to navigate the complexity of connectivity with our best-in-class solutions and services for passengers, cockpit and cabin crew, flight operations, aircraft big data and air traffic management. We believe that embracing a digital shift will reinvent the operation of aircraft, flight and on-board experience – making it safer, more efficient and enjoyable.
SITAONAIR is a subsidiary of The SITA Group, the communications and IT solution provider that transforms air travel through technology for airlines, at airports and on aircraft.
About Wizz Air
Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, offers more than 700 routes from 25 bases, connecting 153 destinations across 44 countries. A team of more than 5,000 aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low fares making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 38 million passengers in the past 12 months. WIZZ operates an all-Airbus fleet of 120 aircraft. Its A320s are equipped with 180 seats, its A321s with 230 seats and its A321neo aircraft with 239 seats. According to the latest data of the Swiss airline intelligence provider CH-Aviation, Wizz Air has one of the youngest airline fleets in the world. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ and is included in the FTSE 250 and FTSE All-Share Indices. Wizz Air is registered under the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), the global benchmark in airline safety recognition. The company was recently named one of the world’s top ten safest airlines by airlineratings.com, the world’s only safety and product rating agency, and 2019 – Airline of the Year by Air Transport Awards the only international awards that recognizes the year’s most outstanding performers in the aerospace industry in the most important categories.
