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Following nine months of
development, World Fuel Services' new integrated iPad application
has entered the final stages of the first release.
The target time-frame
for the general release is set for the fourth quarter of 2017. The
app is the initial release of a strategic rollout with future
developments.
Future releases of
the app are expected to rollout over the course of the year for both
iPad and Web applications. World Fuel continues to invest in
creating a seamless experience for its customers. This iOS effort is
the first step in consolidating trip support and fuel applications
into a single environment for all users, where any World Fuel
product or service can be requested. World Fuel aims to solve the
limitations of options available to flight departments with this
solution and service the full trip lifecycle through a unified
experience.
World Fuel partnered
with IBM to develop a modern user interface (UI) using IBM’s Design
Thinking Process and Interactive Experience. This project has a
unique design approach that is heavily dependent on continual pilot
input regarding the app’s UI and functionality. The shared
development process is key in providing app capabilities that enable
“self-service” across the flight planning process for an unmatched
user experience. This app is being developed with the full flight
department in mind, however, not just operating pilots.
World Fuel has
assembled a team of leading companies to assist in the technical
development based on its existing Online Flight Planning platform.
The app integrates The Weather Company’s leading vector content as
well as Seattle Avionics’ charts and procedures. Other contributors
include: Aircraft Performance Group, NavBlue, Mapbox, SkyVector,
PDFTron, and AVfinity.
“We have been
serving the business aviation industry for a long time, and we saw a
gap in the current solutions for global flight departments,” says
Jeff Briand,
Vice President, Global Trip Support. “For some trips, customers want
to do it themselves, but they have to traverse numerous sites and
are concerned about having no backup. Fully-managed trips lack
flexibility and transparency. Between the two, they end up with data
in multiple places. Flight departments want something that blends
self-service and full-service options into a single option, unifies
the different applications, and everyone can see what is going on,
not just pilots.”
The iOS app will
include many innovative features like profile weather view and
dynamic journey log embedded into an electronic flight bag, and it
covers the complete life cycle of the trip including a disconnected
mode for use in the cockpit. World Fuel’ customers will be provided
free access to full planning information - weather, airport,
country, permit requirements, and many other key trip data sources. |
