Continental Hub To Use Shared Operational Information

Sensis Corporation's Aerobahn Service is now operational at Newark Liberty International Airport. The service is being used by Continental Airlines to provide real-time situational awareness of aircraft taxiing to more efficiently manage aircraft pushbacks and reduce taxi times at the carrier's New York hub.

Aerobahn service is currently being used by Continental at its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental airport. The carrier also plans to use the service at its System Operations Coordination Center (SOCC) in Houston to enhance efficiency of the overall airline network.

"Aerobahn's real-time picture of the location of aircraft on the airport surface will enable us to better manage taxi times and push-backs from the gate," said Mark Moran, executive vice president of operations at Continental Airlines. "Continental expects to reduce fuel consumption, which will have a positive impact on the environment, and reduce operational costs."

At Newark, Sensis Aerobahn Service integrates flight schedule and operational data with Sensis Multistatic Dependent Surveillance, a multilateration surveillance system, for a real-time, highly accurate picture of aircraft taxiing on the ground. Users access Aerobahn through a secure web browser and select from a set of tools which provide comprehensive insight into Continental's airside operation. Continental is using the following Aerobahn tools to more efficiently manage aircraft traffic flows on the ground:

• TaxiView – Providing real-time situational display of taxiing aircraft. Continental ramp controllers at Newark now have a real-time display of taxiing aircraft to make better decisions on when to push planes from the gate, resulting in improved taxi time, less fuel consumption and decreased emissions.
• OpsView – Delivering robust real-time and historical information for analysis and reporting. Continental is using OpsView to review operational events and identify trends, with the goal of mitigating the impact of future occurrences of similar events, particularly winter operations.
• QuickView – Providing a quick and accurate assessment of airfield operations with real-time status of arriving and departing flights. QuickView's alerting function delivers a visual alert when user-configured performance thresholds, such as taxi in or taxi out times, are met or exceeded by particular aircraft.

"Aerobahn provides our customers with the operational information they need to ensure a high level of efficiency and customer care," said Tony Lo Brutto, Vice President and General Manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems. "With Aerobahn, Continental Airlines can better prepare for irregular operations and respond to unplanned events, supporting their corporate commitment to provide an exceptional Customer Experience."

Sensis Aerobahn is operational in North America, Europe and Asia, providing airlines and airports with visibility into the status of critical airside operations. Aerobahn customers include Continental Airlines at Houston Intercontinental and Newark Liberty International Airports; Northwest Airlines at Detroit Metro and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airports; Federal Aviation Administration at John F. Kennedy Airport; Service de la Navigation Aerienne for Paris Orly and Charles de Gaulle Airports; and the Civil Aviation Department for Hong Kong International Airport.

FMI: www.sensis.com, www.continental.com