Delta Air Lines plans to equip its pilots with Microsoft Surface 2 tablets for use in the cockpit by the end of 2014.
The tablets will initially be used as electronic flight bags with the Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro application, according to the Atlanta-based carrier. Pilots on its Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 fleets will initially be equipped with the rest of the fleet following by the end of next year.
“Delta's electronic flight bag running on Surface 2 continues the technological strides Delta has been making to give our crews the best tools to keep them flying safely and efficiently," says captain Steve Dickson, senior vice-president for flight operations at Delta, in a statement.
The tablets are expected to save Delta $13 million per year in fuel and associated costs, it says.
The airline anticipates US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval of the tablets for use in all phases of flight by the end of 2014. Testing will be conducted on the 757s and 767s.
American Airlines began transitioning its pilots to electronic flight bags on iPads in 2012 and JetBlue Airways announced plans to do the same this past June.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
