The scope and complexity of air traffic documentation have significantly increased in recent years. To ensure seamless flight operations, pilots, cabin crews, and ground crews must have reliable and up-to-date information at all times. It is precisely for this reason that Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) has developed Volabase.
Digital Documentation for Airlines
Volabase: The Interactive Solution for Flight Operations Documentation
Whether in the cockpit or in the cabin, aviation documentation is diverse. Airlines must continuously update manuals, training documents, and internal guidelines and share them with the relevant crews in order to ensure a flow of information along the entire process chain as well as compliance with the guidelines of international flight safety authorities.
With the growing amount of information and the increasing number of variants, it is not only the amount of documents that is increasing, but also its complexity: All airline-specific amendments and OEM revisions must be implemented in a timely and traceable manner and must be available immediately across the entire process chain. At the same time, airlines must comply with regulatory requirements at all times.
A Content Management System for OEM Documents, Manuals, Internal and External Guidelines and Regulations
The documentation must be regularly reviewed and updated in order to ensure safe flight operations. Furthermore, the various recipient groups must have quick and easy access to the updated documents within their respective applications. Volabase offers airlines an efficient documentation process for all participants along the process chain.
The modular, fully customizable solution for flight and ground operations is composed of four applications: The content management system Volabase CMS, the document library Volabase Library, the end user app Volabase Viewer, and the process management tool Volabase Workflow. From the creation and editing of digital documents in the back office to the simplified sharing, retrieval, and use of information and standards, the Volabase suite streamlines the flow of information, thus helping to ensure smooth flight operations.
Volabase is a digital documentation solution that offers many advantages for airlines’ flight operations documentation:
- Management of the entire fleet – and even multiple fleets and AOCs – within a single system
- Cost savings thanks to a significant reduction in documentation maintenance and distribution effort
- Increased safety and lower risk of compliance breaches
- Minimization of redundant data thanks to reusable building blocks and smart variant management
- Very good usability, clarity, and high user acceptance
- Time savings for end users thanks to clarity and easy access
More Efficient Documentation – Anywhere, Anytime
Volabase enables airlines with one or more fleets and AOCs (Air Operator Certificates) to make their documentation processes more efficient and thus more user-friendly – from the creation and updating of technical documents to the user-friendly display of these documents on the relevant user devices.
Four Applications for Smooth Flight and Ground Operations Documentation
Save Time and Money with the XML-Based Content Management System
The content management system is the centerpiece of Volabase: It combines an interactive document library with smart functionalities for editing and allows for continuous compliance monitoring. Volabase CMS covers all process steps when it comes to importing, editing, and publishing the technical documentation for flight and ground operations, replacing laborious editing and formatting work for Excel, Word, or PDF documents.
XML documents from manufacturers (OEMs) can be imported and saved in the document library. Thanks to automatic alignment with existing revisions and drafts, the content can be easily compared, validated, and adopted without losing original links and manually edited content.
- Management of the entire fleet within a single system
- Collaborative work across multiple teams or within the entire airline group
- Automatic import of OEM manuals and revisions with the option to edit them, without changing the existing structures and formats (also supports Airbus XML format)
- Simple and effective variant management based on aircraft and generic variant categories (effectivities)
- WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) XML editor
- Minimized data redundancy thanks to variant management and reusable content modules
- Single-source publishing in various content variants and formats (e.g. PDF, XML, HTML, cockpit and cabin, etc.)
- Target group-oriented publication (e.g. for short- and long-haul crews)
- Automatic creation and saving of revisions
- Revision tracking: Differences between revisions are visible at a glance
- Revision highlights, including LEP (list of effective pages)
- Creation of compliance reports for EASA and IOSA audits, including integration with SafetyManager365 (formerly iQSMS)
- Transfer of CDL/MEL data to AMOS
Intelligent Information Distribution for Maximum Relevance
The interactive media library ensures the user-specific distribution of up-to-date documents, simplifying the organization, management, and sharing of content across the airline’s entire operations. In addition to the integrated incorporation of content from Volabase CMS, further, independently created documents and multimedia content can also be integrated and distributed.
- Structuring and management of extensive document collections
- Management of different revisions
- Support during quality assurance
- Automated imports from internal and external systems
- Shareable across various applications and user groups
- Possibility of integrating customer-specific metadata
- Fast and reliable delivery to user devices thanks to an efficient distribution system
Find the Required Information Faster – Anywhere, at Any Time
Volabase Viewer makes documentation available to the entire flight and ground operations staff within seconds. The interactive reading module allows users to open and read documents via the web browser or mobile iOS devices. The integrated documentation solution makes all relevant information available to the relevant user groups – be it pilots, cabin crew, dispatchers, or other users.
Everything you might need to look up is organized in an intuitive format. The Revision Review function allows you to easily compare new information and mark it as read. Variant management (effectivities) allows users to filter content according to their needs and find information faster and with greater transparency. Volabase Viewer works as a standalone solution, within the airline’s intranet, or as an EFB (electronic flight bag) application.
- Optimized document management
- Usable online as a browser application and offline as an iOS app
- Automatic document updates
- Quick and easy access to information
- Intuitive navigation and control with multi-touch gestures
- Indexed full text search
- Responsive design
- Day/night mode, display in both portrait and landscape format
- Customizable to meet specific requirements
Central Documentation Process Management
Volabase Workflow links and coordinates the applications of the Volabase suite, increasing efficiency and allowing for seamless collaboration – both internally and with partners outside the company.
- Transparent overview of the status of revision processes at all times
- Individually customizable process steps
- Effective management of tasks and work packages
- Smooth collaboration across departments and companies
- Guaranteed process compliance thanks to clear user and role management
- Reduced manual work thanks to semi-automation of tasks
- Notifications on all relevant events
- Central and structured communication for all involved in the process
- Engagement of external parties such as authorities in approval processes
- Automatic escalation in the event of missed deadlines to ensure compliance with due dates
Arrange a Product Demo
Please do not hesitate to arrange an appointment for a product demo or to ask us any questions you might have about Volabase. We are certain that we can find the right solution for your technical documentation and compliance needs.
Volabase – Benefits for Airlines
OEM and airline-specific documents can be accessed, sorted, edited and shared in their original format.
- Import and supported update process of OEM manuals
- Multiple document standards and formats
- Continuous updating of manuals and guidelines
- Completely compatible with Airbus applications
Thanks to the intelligent data management function, redundancies are drastically reduced, meaning that updates can be implemented more quickly and more efficiently.
- Simple and effective variant management
- Single-source publishing in various formats (PDF, XML, HTML)
- Smart content modules allow for fast and efficient amendments
A variety of assistance is offered to authors to make content management more efficient, more transparent, and less prone to errors – from consistency checks to audit-proof versioning.
- Regular link audits with consistency checks
- Configuration management for fleets, variants, aircraft registration, and serial numbers
- Revision versioning with a rollback option
- Status-controlled workflow
New revisions carried out by the manufacturer can be incorporated faster and changes implemented more efficiently. This saves time and improves safety.
- XML-based content management
- Automatic creation of important change directories in PDF publications, e.g. list of effective pages/chapters, revision highlights
- Authoring support through change descriptions and comparisons, tasklist entries, and document links
- Effective workflows for approvals and quality assurance
Volabase can be expanded on an individual basis in order to seamlessly integrate new formats and flexibly adapt the documentation to individual requirements.
- Open system for integrating new documents and formats
- Can be expanded for new publication formats
- Customizable variants for documentation filtering
Users can directly access current information tailored to their device, role, or fleet pattern without the need for lengthy searches.
- Ready for immediate use on iOS devices
- User-friendly interface
- Mobile views for cockpit, cabin crew, and ground operations
- Interactive content, graphics, and multimedia formats supported
All revisions are recorded in the interactive document library, saved with a timestamp, and communicated to the appropriate user groups.
- Manage and view different revisions and metadata
- Link content across multiple revisions
- Automatic detection and highlighting of changes, including change descriptions
- Favorites and personal notes are preserved across document revisions
New or amended regulations can be incorporated faster and more efficiently. Linking documents in an audit-proof manner ensures continuous compliance and, in turn, increased safety.
- Documentation updated continuously
- Change history for all manuals and regulations
- SafetyManager365 interface available
- Notification and quality assurance system in the event of changes to regulations or when manuals are linked
- Classification of information content: Must/Should/Could
- Creation of reference reports for audits by the EASA, IOSA, or national authorities
Who benefits from Documentation with Volabase?
- Intuitive editing in a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor
- Content version history
- Simple creation of change logs for PDF outputs (list of effective pages/chapters, revision bars)
- Redundant content is avoided thanks to information unit (library unit) reusability
- Content can be shared across organizations for collaborative work
- Consistent layout with organization-specific document types possible
- Effective variant management based on aircraft registration and user groups
- Audit-proof links between manuals and regulations
- Automatic notification in the event of changes to regulations or content
- Extensive range of reporting options
- Access for external auditors to monitor compliance
- Simple synchronization of amendments for new regulations or manual content
- Responsive design with an HTML look and feel
- Efficient search function
- Access to past and upcoming revisions
- User-friendly interface in all situations (e.g. day/night mode)
- Quick retrieval of relevant documents
- Find revisions instantly, view changes in comparison, and mark them as read
- Filter information by aircraft registration or individually defined criteria
- Save information as favorites or add notes
- Easily restore user-specific settings and favorites via backups
- All users can rest assured in the knowledge that they are perfectly positioned for future challenges thanks to an XML-based solution, effective compliance management, and integrated solutions.
Our Volabase Implementation Service
The Volabase team supports airlines in all work processes in the field of technical documentation. We will help you analyze your existing processes and we will advise you on your specific situation in order to improve your process chain, increase the efficiency of your documentation process, or optimize the interplay between your systems. We will also assist you with migrating existing documents to Volabase CMS.
We will also support you with integration into the existing system landscape and will analyze your specific documentation requirements together with you. Further interfaces and external systems can also be linked to Volabase, if necessary.
- OEM manuals, for example:
- Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM)
- Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM)
- Quick Reference Handbook (QRH)
- Minimum Equipment List (MEL)
- Safety Management System (SMS)
- Training documents and trainings
- Internal airline standards and guidelines, such as
- Service guidelines
- Multilingual announcements
- Dispatcher documentation
The Philosophy of Volabase
Thanks to our close collaboration with airlines, we always have their requirements and needs in mind when expanding our product roadmap. Our experts are in constant dialog with users so that they can work together on innovative solutions that are precisely tailored to current market requirements.
Thanks to this agility, we can react fast to new technological and commercial challenges and thus ensure the maximum benefit for our customers.
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Airline & Aerospace MRO & Flight Operations IT Conference - EMEA
Lufthansa Industry Solutions presents IT solutions for aviation.
Official Website
- booth
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- Over 25 years of experience in digital solutions for flight and ground operations documentation for airlines
- Practical experience and expertise gained through fruitful application within the Lufthansa Group and many other airlines
- High customer focus and the option to adapt products to companies’ desires and requirements
As a full-service provider, in addition to innovative products and solutions for the aviation industry, LHIND also offers consulting and support with migration projects. With the flight briefing solution iFF, the ID travel management solution myIDTravel and the travel management software myDutyTrip, among other things, we offer a broad portfolio of smart products that are driving forward airlines’ digitalization processes.
Find Out More about LHIND’s Digital Solutions
Please do not hesitate to arrange an appointment for a product demo or to ask us any questions you might have about Volabase.