Vueling pioneers in the technological implementation of operation manuals for new generation tablets.

Friday 14th June 2013

Vueling will achieve a record of 502 take-offs each day during the peak of this summer period (June 15th to September 15th). During high demand months, a Vueling aircraft will take-off every two and a half minutes from one of its 105 destinations within Europe, Middle East, Russia, Belarus or Africa.

In order to take such volume of activity, the airline relies on a fleet of 70 Airbus, being 66 A320s with capacity for 180 passengers - nine of them are new models with the latest technology in advanced blended wingtips , named sharklets by the manufacturer - and four A319s with capacity for 144 passengers. Vueling values the systematic incorporation of all developments that may bring security and efficiency to the flying process. The lower fuel consumption, lower levels of CO2 and a better performance on take-offs and landings that sharklets provide make the already safe and efficient crew operations to be improved.

A challenge that the company faces with the highest guaranties of quality, following the security audit´s criteria, IOSA, developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Constant improvement in punctuality data:

In a challenging year, Vueling is reaching the best punctuality rates since its launch. During the first months of this year, the average punctuality of the nearly 6,500 monthly take-offs and landings was 91% and at El Prat-Barcelona Airport, the main base and where the airline is the leader with a 35% market share, this data rises in one point, reaching a 92% punctuality.

Year after year, Vueling is able to improve its punctuality data, one of the qualities most valued by passengers. In 2012 the company had already achieved the best punctuality average throughout its network with 87% of its flights taking-off during the first fifteen minutes of their scheduled time (also called "quota 15"), an improvement of over two points compared with 2011.

Constant innovation: operation manual in electronic version for tablets as a symbol of reliability and efficiency.

Vueling is incorporating, as a pioneer in Europe, the electronic version for tablets of all manuals and documents that crews must have in order to fly with maximum reliability and efficiency, known within the industry as Electronic Flight Bag class 2 (EFB). Currently, suppliers of such documentation, Airbus and Lufthansa Systems, offer the required software to execute the calculations using electronic devices as a significant improvement in the automation processes that currently have an important manual component.

To comply with the procedures of each flight, the pilot and the first officer thoroughly prepare all calculations related to the take-off (atmospheric conditions, speed), mapping, the manufacturer manuals as well as documentation about the fuel load, among others.

Training, a rising value:

Thanks to these technological developments, aviation has moved from having a crew formed by five persons - two pilots, one flight engineer, one radio telegrapher and one navigator - to having a crew of two multidisciplinary pilots that, thanks to the constant technology upgrades, have become system managers. The pilots, therefore, are selected and trained to operate safely and efficiently machines such as the Airbus A320, with Fly-by-Wire technology, controlled by 123 computers.

Only two weeks ago, Vueling hosted in its headquarters the 19th edition of the prestigious international safety workshop "Human Factors in Flight Safety", organized by the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP), whose goal is to keep on improving, year after year, the proactive safety management. The program is headed by Dr. Rob Lee, Kristina Pollack y Brent Hayward, a team of Australian psychologists and consultants with extensive experience in psychology applied on aviation. The workshop was designed to provide specific knowledge and easy applicable tools for a better safety management throughout the operation (air traffics control, maintenance and flight safety).

www.vueling.com