FAA has approved American Airlines’ expansion of its iPad Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) program, making it the first commercial carrier to receive FAA approval to use the iPad in the cockpit during all phases of flight.
American pilots will use the FAA-approved Jeppesen iPad application to replace the 35-pound standard bag from each AA plane, which will save the carrier an estimated $1.2 million of fuel annually.
"This is a very exciting and important milestone for all of us at American Airlines as we work to modernize our processes and best meet the needs of our people," said Capt. John Hale, American’s vice president – flight. "With this approval from the FAA, we will be able to use iPad to fully realize the benefits of our Electronic Flight Bag program, including improving the work environment for our pilots, reducing our dependency on paper products and increasing fuel efficiency on our planes. We are equipping our people with the best resources and this will allow our pilots to fly more efficiently."
American said its pilots will begin using iPads immediately on its 777 fleet, and expects to have FAA approval for use on all of its aircraft types by the end of the year.
Flight attendants on American flights have already begun using iPads on flights to give them better information about passengers andtheir travel needs.
"Jeppesen mobile solutions will deliver our industry-leading flight information through the thousands of iPads that will be integrated by American Airlines in its operations," said Thomas Wede, senior vice president and general manager of aviation at Jeppesen. "We fully support American in this process and our mobile data software solution will work to increase operational efficiency, enhance situational awareness and reduce airline costs."