Dublin, Ireland (23rd August 2005) – AMT (Aircraft Management Technologies) announces that the Flight Operations Strand of the HILAS project (Human Integration into the Lifecycle of Aviation Systems) has kicked off with a partner meeting hosted by Rockwell Collins UK in Reading. The objective of the Flight Operations Strand is to develop an integrated system for flight operations process improvement and performance management. This will demonstrate the impact of flight operations process redesign on performance improvement and lead to a standardised European model for flight operations performance monitoring.

The Flight Operations Strand comprises 15 partners and has a budget of €6m over the four years of the project. Seven major international airlines are participating and as well as European research and industrial organisations.  HILAS is an EU 6th Framework Project.

AMT is a member of the Core Management Team of HILAS and leads the Flight Operations Strand of the project.  “AMT are delighted to lead the Flight Operations Strand of HILAS” said Steve Hardgrave, COO AMT, “We view this as an excellent opportunity to continue to develop leading edge technology while establishing alliances and common standards across Europe”. AMT will draw on its extensive experience in developing technology solutions to co-ordinate the efforts of the research institutions in the strand with the airline partners. 

The overall HILAS project co-coordinator is Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Dr. Nick McDonald from the Aerospace Psychology Research Group at TCD notes that “HILAS presents a unique channel for academic, airline and industry partners to work together to shape the future processes, technology and behaviours of the aviation industry”.

HILAS is an EU 6th Framework Project.  The EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development is a major tool to support the creation of the European Research Area (ERA).  As such it is the European Union’s main channel for the funding of research in Europe.  The Sixth Framework Programme was launched in December 2002 and strives towards scientific excellence, improved competitiveness and innovation through the promotion of increased co-operation and co-ordination within the EU. 

About AMT
AMT (Aircraft Management Technologies) is an award winning provider of software technology to automate and streamline operations within in the aviation industry.  AMT company information is available at www.flightman.com. 

About HILAS
The HILAS project will develop a model of good practice for the integration of human factors across the life-cycle of aviation systems. The project contains four parallel strands of work: the integration and management of human factors knowledge; the flight operations environment and performance; the evaluation of new flight deck technologies, and the monitoring and assessment of maintenance operations.  For further information on HILAS please see www.hilas.info

For further information on AMT please contact:
Diogo Serradas
Programme Manager
Aircraft Management Technologies
Tel: +353 1 806 1000
Email: diogo.serradas@flightman.com