ACARS digital datalink is used for real-time transmission of in-flight aircraft and on-board equipment status data and other necessary information

Photo: Rostec State Corporation

Rostec’s Infocom-Avia has signed a contract with a major private Russian carrier S7 Airlines for commercial operation of a domestic service – ACARS. The digital downlink system has been developed by the company in cooperation with Azimuth (included in Rostec). The system is required for efficient air fleet operation, meets all international standards and will phase out foreign solutions.

ACARS digital datalink is used for real-time transmission of in-flight aircraft and on-board equipment status data, exchange of weather data and other information with the aircraft. This data is used to correct the aircraft flight path and to save aviation fuel. The information arriving from the aircraft allows prompt maintenance to be provided immediately after landing. 

Until March 2022, ACARS service had been rendered to Russian and foreign airlines in our country by foreign providers. A radio station network had been deployed in Russia and aircraft messages had been processed at foreign processing centers.

Azimuth has developed the necessary equipment under the import substitution program. Aviation related information services are provided by Infocom-Avia. The companies have made cooperative efforts to restore the ACARS-type downlink service for national airlines by forming a ground station network in the main flight directions – north—south and west–east, and establishing a data processing center in Russia.