Finnair Becomes First Operator to Fly Crew Schedules Constructed Using Jeppesen Fatigue Risk Management Functionality

Finnair now using Jeppesen Crew Management solution suite with Boeing Alertness Model functionality to build crew schedules and avoid crew fatigue patterns

Englewood, Colo. | 06 Jun 2011 | By Jeppesen

Finnair has become the first commercial carrier to develop crew schedules based on recently introduced Jeppesen fatigue risk management functionality integrated with its Crew Management solution suite. The Boeing Alertness Model (BAM), a crew fatigue function developed jointly by Boeing and Jeppesen, is fully integrated in the Jeppesen Crew Management solution and enables Finnair and other carriers to avoid fatiguing patterns throughout the crew roster construction and optimization phase.

“We have reached a very important milestone when it comes to addressing crew fatigue,” said Antti Aukia, Finnair vice president, Safety and Quality Management. “We have, as do most airlines, a fair distance still to cover in mastering crew fatigue. After collecting operational data to gain confidence in the Boeing Alertness Model, we have now integrated the model with Jeppesen’s scheduling optimization capabilities, which we believe will be absolutely central for our operations. We’ve introduced this functionality fully within our other safety barriers and we are now able to guide our crew rosters away from fatigue from the start, based on sound scientific principles.”

Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Flight Services, developed fatigue risk management functionality in advance of new aviation industry regulations recommending operators to implement fatigue risk management systems to more efficiently identify and avoid crew fatigue, compared to existing regulatory flight and duty time limitations.

“We are pleased to see our pioneering flight safety advancements for the commercial aviation industry now help create the operational crew schedules at Finnair,” said Tim Huegel, director, Jeppesen Portfolio Management, Aviation. “In addition to the improvements in the roster creation process, Finnair now incorporates analysis capabilities with our solution, placing them ahead of the competition for evaluating the effects of scheduling rule changes and enabling more efficient compliance with upcoming regulatory changes.”

Jeppesen also recently released a related Apple iPhone mobile application, called CrewAlert, which gives the user an insight into how sleep science applies to crew schedules. CrewAlert is intended for use by crew schedulers, crew members, government regulators and scientists to determine predicted levels of alertness.

The Boeing Alertness Model is available in the Jeppesen CrewAlert mobile application, as well as in the Jeppesen Crew Fatigue Assessment Service (CFAS). CFAS is a web-based service, which can be integrated with any commercial carrier’s crew scheduling solution for large scale analysis, available at www.jeppesen.com/cfas. For more information about the international destinations served by Finnair, please visit www.finnair.com.