HERNDON, Va.–Jul. 24, 2014— Exelis (NYSE:XLS) has successfully deployed its new deicing management solution at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The solution, called Symphony® DeiceVueTM, automates tasks in the deicing process that were previously done manually to improve the coordination, efficiency and reporting accuracy of deicing operations.
Through a contract with Swissport International Ltd., Exelis provides advanced automation to coordinate deicing operations between PHL, the airlines, the deice company (Swissport) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Exelis, a global leader in providing critical network solutions, streamlines the deicing process by minimizing the need for manual data entry and verbal communications at the airline ramp towers.
"For the first time, the airport, airlines, ground handling providers and FAA have real-time visibility to each aircraft’s location and stage in the deicing process, delivering major efficiency improvements on the airport surface when winter weather conditions arise" said Ted Carniol, general manager of commercial aviation solutions for Exelis. "Providing this critical network of situational awareness information on a shared display results in more efficient queues, less verbal communications and reduced delays."
Symphony DeiceVue automates the collection of key milestone events in the deicing process and the association of data to specific aircraft and alerts users when process exceptions occur. The solution collects deicing fluid data; identifies and visually communicates requests for aircraft deicing through a shared display; and sets start and stop times for aircraft deicing in the deice bays. It also merges the flight, deicing fluid, on and off block times, weather and staff assignment data into a comprehensive reporting system.
The Exelis Symphony suite of airport and airline operations solutions is powered by the Exelis NextGen surveillance data. For more information about the most comprehensive, secure, nationwide airport and aircraft surveillance source, visit www.exelisinc.com/symphony.