An Added Service for Business Aircraft

Talk about good timing... as complaints pour in about the "poorly designed" interface developed by Customs for interaction between international flights and CBP, there seems to be no end of a need for a way to accomplish the task in a simpler and more dependable fashion. ARINC Direct is adding electronic APIS filing (eAPIS) to its standard portfolio of flight services for corporate aircraft. The eAPIS service is available immediately for flights arriving or departing the United States and U.S. territories.

ARINC Direct subscribers can access the new service on their accounts. Both Part 91 (private) and Part 135 (public transport) operators can build and submit flight manifest information on passengers and crew directly from ARINC Direct accounts. The eAPIS implementation will be demonstrated at ARINC Booth 575 at EBACE 2009 in Geneva, May 12-14.

Effective May 18, 2009, under APIS (Advance Passenger Information System) regulations of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), pilots of private aircraft are required to transmit notices of arrival and/or departure, as well as traveler manifest information, to CBP electronically, a minimum of 60 minutes prior to departure. The voluntary compliance period ends on May 18, when electronic transmission becomes mandatory.

"ARINC Direct has worked closely with DHS to implement and test this approved electronic data interchange system," stated Bob Richard, Senior Director, ARINC Direct.

"We are fielding our electronic APIS service well ahead of the mandatory compliance date, allowing plenty of time for ARINC Direct customers to meet the May 18 requirements in the U.S. We plan future releases to allow customers to utilize this same interface to complete and submit APIS manifests in accordance with any country's requirements for advance notification."

The ARINC Direct implementation of eAPIS allows operators to securely build and store their individual traveler (crew and passenger) data base, and provides the capability to create, submit, and track status of eAPIS manifests. A complete eAPIS manifest is created for printing, faxing, or e-mailing to carry on-board the aircraft for verification by CBP. The feature is fully integrated with ARINC Direct's flight planning system, carrying over critical aircraft and flight information along with the computation of US border crossing points and times, necessary for compliant e-APIS filings.

FMI: www.arinc.com, www.cbp.gov