ETS software tool launched to help a ‘burdened industry’

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SITA re-affirms the importance of IT developments needed to lead airlines out of the crisis, but cash-strapped carriers are reluctant to invest. Sebastian Koenig reports.

Commemorating its 60th anniversary, air transport communication and IT solutions provider, SITA, asked aviation leaders from around the world to gather on the occasion of its annual Air Transport IT Summit 2009, taking place from June 30 to July 1 at the French Riviera.

The first day of this year’s event kicked-off with a series of five industry insight sessions, where an impressive lineup of speakers shared their views on topics such as “the role of IT in managing the valued customer relationship” or “fast travel – enhancing the passenger experience with technology” with a dedicated and highly experienced audience of industry specialists.

The summit itself kicked-off on day two with British Airways CEO Willie Walsh, setting a fairly grim scene on the state of the industry. According to Walsh, the short-haul premium market is undergoing a structural shift and will not fully return following the economic crisis. “Personally I do not think we will see a full recovery on the short-haul premium market. I still think there is sufficient demand to retain a two-class product, but it will not go back to the volumes we saw in 2007-08.”

Walsh added that in the face of increasingly stiff competition, an airline’s ability to deal with the issue of customer relationship management will become decisive for its survival. “Carriers that succeed will be the ones that focus on structural change, doing smarter things with technology to ensure their cost base and reduce it.”

The introductory session from BA’s CEO was followed by Airports Council International (ACI) director general Angela Gittens, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general Andrew Herdman and the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) secretary general Abdul Wahab Teffaha, all painting similarly bleak pictures.

However, later that day, SITA announced that it had “developed and tested a significant, measurable global solution for airlines to comply with the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for an industry burdened with multiple such demands”.

Four airlines from the Middle East, the United States and Europe are currently testing SITA’s ‘Aircraft Emissions Manager’, the world’s first Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) software tool to measure accurately carbon emissions from aircraft operators.

One test has been completed satisfactorily, and three more are underway as airlines finalise their plans for monitoring and reporting carbon dioxide emissions to the EU in order to meet the deadline of August 31, 2009.

At a joint press conference hosted by SITA and the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO), the latter announced that it would be the first organisation to recommend the adoption of the new SITA Aircraft Emissions Manager solution to its members when it becomes commercially available later in October this year. The organisation also agreed on behalf of its 11 member airlines, for SITA to supply advisory services that help to manage the EU ETS challenge they face.

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