FMS Flightplan (Route) over ACARS

By Björn Syrén, SAS

March 2008 (SAS Airbus and B737NG fleets)

Several aircraft types have an FMS (Flight Management System) that allows the pilot to request and receive the FMS flightplan (route) over ACARS.

For SAS and associated airlines the FMS flightplan is provided by EAG/RODOS, uplinked through HERMES/ACARS and inserted into the FMS. Flightplan information is typically requested and uplinked before departure while preparing the FMS for the flight. It can also be uplinked unsolicited by dispatchers.

The FMS flightplan uplink replaces the (tedious) task of manually entering the flightplan waypoints into the FMS through the MCDU keyboard on selected long-haul routes. It saves time during the preflight phase and eliminates the risk of manual data entry errors.

On other routes, the FMS flightplan function makes it possible to uplink routings not stored in the onboard navigation data base. New routings may thus be constructed dynamically in the flight planning ground system to reflect changing day-to-day conditions like weather, ATC capacity etc.

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