As part of advancing communication technology between aircraft, control towers, and airline operations, Boeing, in partnership with United Airlines and various communication service providers, conducted a test flight wherein the use of Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) standards was evaluated, as Internet-based communication is expected to improve communications, operational efficiency, and flight safety.

This test flight is viewed as a step in the direction of enhancing communication speed, reliability, and accuracy, which will not only see improvements in the aircraft communication system but also upgrades to the systems of control towers, ultimately improving flight safety.

Upgrades To Communication Channels

A press release from the American manufacturer, Boeing, today noted its recent collaborative test flight with a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, which experimented with data communication systems that utilized the Internet over the traditional communication channels. The aircraft, serving as Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator for the year, allowed United’s pilots to assess Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) standards by testing this form of advanced digital communication.

The aim of utilizing IPS is that, if successful, the communication between the flight deck, control towers, and the airline’s operations centers would be significantly enhanced, which would result in improved operational efficiency, better traffic flow, which subsequently leads to reduced traffic congestion, fuel burn, emissions, and related costs, while ultimately enhancing operational safety. These features could also help reduce the need for aircraft to remain in holding patterns during flight.

It was reported that Boeing was flight testing for about two weeks towards the end of October, with test flights in the US being operated from Houston, while tests conducted in Europe were based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Boeing’s Chief Technology Officer, Todd Criton, stated,

« Our collaboration with United Airlines and the industry team is a pivotal step towards improving the reliability and speed of communication between the flight deck and air traffic control to enable safer, more efficient flight for the flying public. »

What Is IPS? What Can It Provide?

Boeing defines IPS as an internet-based multi-link communication channel that is capable of providing safety-critical information. It is essentially a future communication standard that will not only be an upgrade to the current standards and protocols, but will also be capable of working with the existing communication protocols.

Furthermore, while the current communication channels are limited in terms of bandwidth available, IPS does not face this limitation, while it also provides improved cybersecurity. Apart from secure communication, Boeing claims that utilizing IPS can optimize traffic flow and reduce fuel burn and related emissions by up to 10%. This is possible because the IPS is reported to be a key enabler for Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO).

TBO essentially improves traffic flow, which, apart from the aforementioned benefits, also helps improve the utilization of airspace and airports, allowing more aircraft to fly, while also providing relevant parties, such as the air traffic controllers, with operational predictability and flexibility. In the simplest terms, the system acts as an equivalent of Waze or Google Maps for airplanes, and Skybrary states that TBO provides four-dimensional data, including the latitude, longitude, altitude, and time of the aircraft within the airspace.

4 Dimensional Information – The Future Of Flight Operations

While utilizing four-dimensional data will help improve data communication between aircraft and control towers, there is nothing new with the concept, considering every new Airbus A320neo and Airbus A321neo aircraft delivered to Lufthansa Group airlines since 2024 has been integrated with profile transmission technology, which relays real-time data to controllers, which would help optimize aircraft routing, thereby improving operational efficiency for the aircraft.

These aircraft were fitted with a new system called ADS-C, which includes data on flight profiles and also involves the utilization of « Time » as the fourth dimension of data transmitted to controllers. The system has been adopted by various carriers, with Vietnam Airlines being the most recent operator, which is using the data provided by this system to enhance its operational efficiency by calculating optimal routes and flight paths for its missions, which would ultimately reduce the carrier’s fuel burn, emissions footprint, and related costs, which enables the carrier to offer better prices for its customers.

Additional uses of the technology include providing real-time turbulence data to pilots, which Emirates demonstrated last year, when it became the first carrier to integrate Lufthansa’s Lido MPilot to IATA’s Turbulence Aware Platform. By doing so, the system, using the four-dimensional data, can provide real-time and forecasted turbulence information to the flight crew with a high degree of accuracy, helping the pilots modify their flight path if required, while ensuring better flight safety and a smoother flight experience.