FAA audit enables better route optimization for Lufthansa Systems’ customers

Lufthansa Systems today announced that its Lido/Flight WINDS users can now make even better decisions for avoiding delays on flights in the USA and Canada due to weather or airspace overcrowding. Following a comprehensive audit, Lufthansa Systems has been authorized by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to receive, process and forward ASDI (Aircraft Situation Display to Industry) Class 1 radar data. This means that the IT provider can offer its customers the best possible information regarding the position of their flights in North American airspace.

Unlike so-called ASDI Class 2 radar data, which is transmitted with a five-minute delay, the real-time Class 1 data is classified as security-critical by the FAA. Subscribers must therefore pass an ASDI Full Audit in order to access them. The auditors working on behalf of the FAA carefully examined Lufthansa Systems’ data security. The audit covered the entire stream of Class 1 data in the company, internal information security guidelines, the physical security of the data center in Kelsterbach and all of the hardware that comes into contact with the data, as well as access to the individual workstations where they can be displayed.

Lido/Flight WINDS – a module in Lido/Flight, one of the most powerful flight planning solutions in the world – generates precise cartographic visualizations of the flights planned with Lido/Flight, including all waypoints. These can be superimposed with data from other sources, such as weather radar images or information on the airspace situation. The user-friendly graphical flight planning interface 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.

“In American airspace in particular, it is essential to have the most accurate data on an aircraft’s current position in order to help crews make the best route decisions in light of the current traffic situation and weather developments,” said Stefan Auerbach, Executive Vice President Airline Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “This way, our customers can minimize expensive delays or avoid them altogether in many cases.”