Washington: The list of reasons that a plane can be delayed grew a little bit longer this week.
American Airlines said that dozens of its flights were delayed Tuesday evening after a software problem in its company-issued iPads prevented some pilots from getting access to airport maps and other navigational documents.
The problem was not with the iPads themselves, American said, but rather with the software applications that display the maps.
The carrier was the first airline to replace its cumbersome flight manuals with an electronic tablet, which is becoming the norm for the industry.
The problem was easily resolved — and familiar to anyone using software apps — by deleting the app and downloading it again. But some flights had to return to the gate to secure a Wi-Fi connection, since in-flight Wi-Fi systems are turned off while planes are on the ground.
American said that no flights were cancelled. By Wednesday morning, pilots were notified of the malfunction and how to fix it. The software app was developed by Jeppesen, a provider of navigation charts and airport data.
Jeppesen said the problem was caused by a duplicate chart in the database used by American pilots. A spokesman for Jeppesen, which is owned by Boeing, said that the duplicate chart would be eliminated in the next database update.
The issue was never a safety concern, however, since the iPads are not connected to the plane’s navigation systems or any of its computers. But the episode does point to other potential problems as modern airlines are increasingly connected to the internet. Airlines are adding Wi-Fi connections for passengers. They are also using satellite-based systems and digital communications meant to progressively replace older radar and radio technology.
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office pointed out that interconnection between planes and ground systems could potentially provide a way for hackers to gain access to aeroplane avionics systems.
When it made the switch to electronic flight aids in 2013, American said a single iPad would replace about 35 pounds of paper reference material and manuals that pilots often took along with them in their roller bags.
American predicted that by removing these manuals, it would save 400,000 gallons of fuel — worth an estimated of $1.2 million at the time — and eliminate 24 million pages of paper documents.
American started working on the feasibility of using a tablet device in 2010 and received Federal Aviation Administration approval to use a tablet during all phases of flight in December 2011 on its Boeing 777 fleet.
Other airlines also use electronic flight materials. They all emphasise the tablet’s intuitive interface, its ease of use and the fact that it can pack a lot more information than paper manuals.
Pilots at Delta Air Lines were given Microsoft Surface 2 tablets two years ago as the airline also went paperless.
Delta said at the time that the tablets would provide flight crews “easy access to essential tools and the most up-to-date flight-related resources, including navigational charts, reference documents and checklists while saving the airline $13 million per year in fuel and associated costs.”
