At Air Charter Scotland, we have always placed sustainability at the heart of our business. As part of our partnership with South Pole for example, we have made significant investments towards global sustainability projects around the world. These have seen us offset almost 13,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through 2024 alone.
Despite this, we understand that change has to come from within. For us it’s just as important to build an environmentally conscious culture from the inside out. A key aspect of that is reducing our reliance on paper – starting with our use of Electronic Flight Bags.
What is an Electronic Flight Bag?
An Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is a digital system used by flight crews to manage and access flight-related information and documentation. EFBs can be hardware devices (like tablets or laptops) or software applications that replace traditional paper-based reference materials and flight documents. By using EFB across all of our charters, Air Charter Scotland can replace up to 50 pounds or more of paper documents per flight, translating to significant annual savings in paper use and more importantly, a positive environmental impact.
What Information is in an EFB?
EFBs contains electronic charts and maps, including navigational charts, approach plates, and airport diagrams; flight plans and logs, with itineraries, routing, and historical data; real-time weather updates and forecasts; aircraft performance data, such as performance charts, fuel calculations, weight, and balance; operational manuals and documentation.
They have become a key communication tool for messaging between flight crews and dispatch,
as well as a one stop shop for regulatory documents including compliance materials, safety information, and certification documents.
What are the benefits of EFB’s?
For an airline operating multiple flights daily, the use of EFBs could mean saving thousands of pounds of paper annually. The use of EFBs can also drastically aid weight reduction on flights. By keeping weight to the minimum possible, fuel savings can be made.
EFBs efficiency and convenience to pilots and staff, allowing for quicker communications and a greater level of safety in an emergency situation. Utilising EFBs across the entirety of the Air Charter Scotland fleet is part of a company wide mission to reduce paper-use where possible and to create an environmentally conscious culture throughout the business – both in the air and on the ground.
