A Russian company “Infocom-Avia” of the Rostec State Corporation has signed a contract with Russia’s largest private carrier, S7 Airlines, for the commercial operation of the domestic ACARS service. The digital “air-to-ground” data transmission system was developed by the company in collaboration with Azimut JSCm which is also a part of Rostec. It is essential for the efficient operation of the Russian aviation fleet, meets all international standards, and replaces foreign solutions that became unavailable due to sanction-related restrictions.
The ACARS digital communication system allows real-time transmission of data on the aircraft’s condition and its components during flight, as well as the exchange of weather data, operational plans, and other necessary information with the aircraft. Having this data allows for flight path adjustments, helping to save aviation fuel. The data received from the aircraft enables immediate technical maintenance after landing.
Until March 2022, the ACARS service for Russian and foreign airlines in the country was provided by foreign providers. A network of radio stations was located within Russia, but the processing of aviation messages was carried out in foreign processing centers. Eventually, the service became unavailable to Russian airlines, leading to reduced fleet efficiency and increased economic losses for the airlines.
Rostec did not name the foreign providers but it is generally known that SITA (Switzerland) and ARINC (USA) provided such services in Russia.
As part of import substitution efforts, Azimut developed the necessary equipment. Infocom-Avia became the operator of information services in the field of aviation. Together, these companies restored the ACARS “air-to-ground” technology service for domestic airlines, creating a network of ground stations along the main flight routes (north-south and west-east) and establishing a data processing center within Russia.
Viktor Solomentsev, CEO of Infocom-Avia said the system was tested and improved and is now transitioning to commercial operation.
Sanctions imposed by foreign ACARS service providers stimulated the development of a domestic solution. From the start of work on the Russian ACARS, domestic airlines actively participated in testing the services offered by Infocom-Avia and Azimut.
Plans include expanding ACARS service coverage across the entire country and connecting all Russian airlines. Infocom-Avia says that it is also considering several requests from foreign airlines to connect to the ACARS service within Russian territory.
The restoration of the ACARS service opens up the possibility of introducing new types of air navigation services that were previously unavailable in Russia, such as digital automatic transmission of airport area information (D-ATIS), digital departure clearance (DCL), and controller-pilot data link communication (CPDLC).
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