Manama, Bahrain: Teledyne Controls, a business unit of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY) has announced that Gulf Air intends to use Teledyne's Wireless GroundLink to enhance and strengthen its flight safety programme.
"The product was installed on a trial basis onboard an A320 aircraft of the Gulf Air fleet," says Gulf Air Vice President Operations Captain Hameed Ali.
"This was showcased at the Dubai Air Show, held, at the Airport Expo in Dubai, the UAE, earlier this week."
Teledyne Controls' Wireless GroundLink (Wireless Quick Access Recorder - WQAR) will enable Gulf Air to automate the recording and transmission of its flight data and therefore reducing risk of data loss involved with traditional manual procedures.
The system will be utilised with AirFASE, a flight data analysis and reporting software tool jointly developed by Teledyne Controls and Airbus and recently installed at Gulf Air.
The Wireless GroundLink system will perform the data recording task, along with the secure and seamless transmission of the data to a ground station with AirFASE; the latter will fulfill the flight data replay, analysis and reporting functions.
Used in conjunction, the two systems are designed to provide the Bahrain-based carrier with an end-to-end automated solution for data retrieval and analysis.
"We are very excited to collaborate with Gulf Air on its flight safety effort and are confident of the success of this trial," says Teledyne Controls' Director of Sales and Service for the Middle East region Jean-Louis Lugan.
"Wireless GroundLink has proved to be a highly reliable solution and has been successfully implemented at numerous airlines worldwide. Gulf Air is the first airline in the Middle East to acquire this system."
A significant element in safety management and aircraft maintenance programmes, Teledyne Controls' Wireless GroundLink is designed to provide aircraft operators with an immediate, reliable and cost-effective solution for data recording and transmission.
Offering unprecedented reliability, the GroundLink system records and wirelessly transfers flight data from the aircraft to the ground, without any human intervention.
The raw data recorded during flight is compressed, encrypted and then transmitted via cellular technology and the Internet to the airline's or Teledyne's ground-based data centre for processing and analysis.
Using the Teledyne Wireless GroundLink system, airlines can significantly reduce data delivery delays (the data is available within 10-15 minutes after an aircraft has landed, versus several days or weeks with manual data retrieval).
Additional operational benefits are realised since human resources, equipment costs and data-loss associated with manual retrieval methods are virtually eliminated.
"We hope the new system will help increase the accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness of data collected for Gulf Air's Safety Management System," says Gulf Air Manager Flight Safety Captain Hassan Al-Mousawi.
- Ends -About Gulf Air
Founded in 1950, Gulf Air is presently owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and is the only truly Pan Gulf carrier in the region.
More than half a century later, the regional, geographic and cultural values that the airline has embraced over more than half a century are still central in defining the brand and service ethos within the contemporary and global environment.
Today the airline's network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 44 cities in 30 countries. The fleet comprises 34 aircraft.
Under President and Chief Executive James Hogan, the successful implementation of the first phase of a restructuring programme, which commenced in 2003, has resulted in the establishment of a platform for sustained commercial operation.
It has also provided a framework for a succession of innovative products and services including the unique Sky Chefs and Sky Nannies that form part of Gulf Air's 'boutique airline' vision.
The dramatic turnaround in fortunes has won international recognition. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) presented the airline with the prestigious Airline Turnaround of the Year Award for 2003. Gulf Air was also the recipient of the 2003 Platinum Award for the Best Airline in the Middle East and North Africa, which recognised the airline's commitment to service excellence. Other awards include:
Winner - Middle East Leading First Class Airline, World Travel Awards 2005
Winner - World's Leading Airport Lounge, World Travel Awards 2005
Winner - Middle East & North African Platinum Best Airline Travel Award 2004
Winner - Skytrax Most Improved Airline Award 2004
Winner - Skytrax Best First Class Onboard Food Category 2004
Winner - Skytrax Best Business Class Check-in Category 2004
Official Airline and Sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2006
For further information please contact:
Gulf Air
Tel: +973 17 338821
Fax: +973 17 338207
© Press Release 2005
