New cockpit app helps pilots dodge turbulence

Airline pilots could soon have a clearer picture of turbulence and dangerous weather long before their aircraft reaches it, thanks to a new cockpit app that combines live weather intelligence with detailed flight information.

Aviation technology company SITA has launched eWAS+, an electronic flight bag application that allows pilots to see how weather conditions are expected to develop along their route, helping them make decisions about altitude changes and flight adjustments.

The system is designed to address a challenge faced by pilots: having access to vast amounts of weather and operational information, but limited time to interpret it when conditions change.

One of its most useful applications is identifying clear-air turbulence, which can occur without visible clouds and cannot be detected by conventional onboard weather radar. By combining forecasts with flight trajectory information, pilots can assess potential turbulence before reaching affected airspace.

“Pilots have access to more data than ever before, but the time they have to make decisions in the cockpit hasn’t changed,” said Albert Dominguez, head of apps & data at SITA for Aircraft.

“Pilots will always make the call, but technology needs to keep evolving to support them with the most crucial information. SITA eWAS+ is shaped by feedback from the airlines and pilots we work alongside, and we will keep developing it around the way they fly.”

The application draws on information from more than 10 certified weather providers and over 40 weather products, covering conditions such as turbulence, winds, icing and lightning.

It combines this information with airport, airspace and flight trajectory data, displaying the results on a map and a vertical profile of the flight.

A key feature is what SITA calls four-dimensional operational awareness. Instead of showing pilots only the weather at a particular location, the system indicates what conditions are expected to be when the aircraft actually reaches that point.

This distinction is important on long flights, where weather systems can change considerably between departure and arrival.

The technology also offers potential savings in fuel consumption. Airlines using SITA’s OptiFlight system can view recommendations for more efficient flight profiles alongside the weather and operational conditions affecting those recommendations.

OptiFlight identifies opportunities to reduce fuel burn during climb, cruise and descent. With eWAS+, pilots can assess whether suggested adjustments are appropriate for the conditions ahead, rather than relying on separate sources of information.

The combination could help airlines reduce operating costs and emissions, although SITA has not provided specific fuel-saving figures for the new application.

The launch builds on SITA’s existing eWAS platform, which has been used for more than 12 years by over 40,000 pilots at more than 60 airlines.

For passengers, the benefits would be largely invisible. More informed decisions about weather avoidance could mean fewer encounters with turbulence, although the application cannot eliminate turbulence or guarantee smoother flights.

SITA eWAS+ is available for iPadOS and Windows, with the same functionality on both platforms. Airlines can distribute it through their private enterprise app stores, while the application is also available through Apple’s public App Store.