FO-14 · Air-to-Ground Communications Management

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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)

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L4 Process Steps

Step	Step Name	Role / Swim Lane	System	Input	Output	KPI	Dec?	Exc?
Phase 1 1.1	Load ACARS datalink frequencies for planned route	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	Filed flight plan with route and frequency plan	ACARS datalink profile loaded for flight	Datalink configuration complete ≥15 min before departure	N	N
1.2	Assign and verify SELCAL code for aircraft	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	Aircraft tail number, route segment with HF requirement	Confirmed SELCAL code entered in flight plan and crew briefing	SELCAL assignment accuracy 100%; no duplicate codes per sector	N	N
1.3	Test ACARS uplink connectivity with Operations Control	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	Aircraft powered-on ACARS avionics, OCC datalink server status	Two-way ACARS test message acknowledged; link quality confirmed	Uplink test round-trip <90 seconds; link quality ≥95% message delivery	Y	Y
1.4	Activate voice backup if ACARS uplink fails	Flight Dispatcher	Telex / SITA ACARS	Failed ACARS uplink test result	VHF Company frequency and phone patch number issued to crew; failure logged	Voice backup activation within 5 min of confirmed datalink failure	N	Y
Phase 2 2.1	Transmit OUT and OFF OOOI messages via ACARS	Flight Crew	SITA ACARS	Aircraft door close and wheels-off events from FMS	OUT/OFF timestamps transmitted to OCC and airline operations system	OOOI transmission latency <30 seconds of triggering event; 99.5% capture rate	N	Y
2.2	Send initial position report and fuel state to dispatch	Flight Crew	Jeppesen FliteDeck	Departure fuel uplift, FMS waypoint sequence, ATC initial clearance	Position report with fuel on board (FOB) and cleared altitude uplinked to OCC	Initial report transmitted within 10 min of wheels-off	N	N
2.3	Evaluate departure delay or route amendment requirement	Flight Dispatcher	NAVBLUE	ATC slot allocation, departure ATIS, updated SIGMET/AIRMET data	Decision: standard departure confirmed or amended clearance required	Route amendment decision issued ≥5 min before off-block when ATC delay >15 min	Y	Y
2.4	Uplink revised route clearance or holding instructions	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	ATC revised clearance or GDP holding instruction	Amended route or holding fix uplinked and crew-acknowledged via ACARS CPDLC	Crew acknowledgement received within 3 min of uplink; amendment compliance 100%	N	Y
Phase 3 3.1	Monitor automated ACARS position reports en-route	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	FMS periodic position reports (10–30 min intervals per route type)	Real-time flight track displayed in OCC; anomalies flagged for dispatcher review	Position report receipt interval ≤30 min; missed report alert within 5 min of overdue	N	Y
3.2	Process and acknowledge dispatch uplink messages	Flight Crew	Jeppesen FliteDeck	Weather updates, NOTAM amendments, fuel revised calculations from dispatch	Crew acknowledgement sent; updated parameters loaded in FMS as required	Uplink acknowledgement within 5 min for operational messages; 100% receipt confirmation	N	Y
3.3	Execute HF radio handoff for oceanic or remote operations	Flight Crew	Honeywell GoDirect	Oceanic entry waypoint, assigned HF frequencies from route briefing	HF contact established with Oceanic ATC or ARINC/SITA HF network	HF contact established within 10 min of oceanic FIR entry; first-call success rate ≥90%	N	Y
3.4	Assess weather deviation or emergency communication need	Flight Dispatcher	Honeywell GoDirect	PIREPs, SIGMET updates, crew request for deviation or emergency declaration	Decision: routine ops continue OR deviation/emergency coordination initiated	Dispatcher response to crew deviation request <2 min; emergency acknowledgement <1 min	Y	Y
3.5	Coordinate weather deviation or emergency with ATC and OCC	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS	Crew deviation request, SIGMET polygon, alternate routing from NAVBLUE	ATC deviation clearance relayed to crew; OCC fuel and alternate analysis completed	Deviation clearance loop closed (crew request → ATC clearance → crew confirmation) <15 min	N	Y
Phase 4 4.1	Receive and acknowledge D-ATIS update via datalink	Flight Crew	SITA ACARS	Destination airport D-ATIS broadcast (IATA code, ATIS identifier letter)	Current ATIS letter confirmed in crew acknowledgement; approach brief updated	D-ATIS received ≥30 min before destination ETA; ATIS currency check at top of descent	N	N
4.2	Transmit final ETA and fuel state to dispatch and OCC	Flight Crew	Jeppesen FliteDeck	FMS top-of-descent calculations, current FOB, ATC ETA slot	ETA and FOB report uplinked; OCC arrival planning triggered	ETA accuracy ±3 min versus actual on-blocks; fuel state report within 1 min of TOD	N	N
4.3	Confirm destination availability with dispatch	Flight Dispatcher	NAVBLUE	Destination NOTAMs, RVR, field condition report, ATC ATIS status	Decision: destination available for landing OR diversion to alternate required	Go/no-go decision for destination communicated to crew ≥20 min before ETA	Y	Y
4.4	Coordinate diversion to alternate airport if required	Flight Dispatcher	NAVBLUE	Diversion trigger (weather, NOTAM, fuel state), alternate airport list from flight plan	Alternate airport confirmed; revised routing, fuel check, and crew notification completed	Alternate airport decision and crew uplink <5 min of diversion trigger; fuel sufficient for alternate + 30 min holding confirmed	N	Y
Phase 5 5.1	Download and archive ACARS message logs post-flight	Flight Operations Analyst	AWS S3 / Redshift	Full ACARS message thread for completed flight (uplinks and downlinks)	Archived communications log stored in data lake; indexed by flight ID and date	100% of ACARS logs archived within 2 hours of on-blocks; retention period ≥24 months per ICAO Annex 6	N	N
5.2	Review post-flight communications for anomalies or gaps	Flight Operations Analyst	AWS S3 / Redshift	Archived ACARS log, OOOI timestamps, dispatcher notes from flight	Anomaly report or clean-flight confirmation; flagged items routed for investigation	Post-flight communications review completed within 24 hours of arrival; anomaly detection rate ≥95% vs manual audit	Y	N
5.3	File ATC communications deviation or irregularity report	Flight Dispatcher	AWS S3 / Redshift	Anomaly flag from post-flight review, dispatcher event notes	Mandatory irregularity report filed; safety management system (SMS) notification sent	Deviation report filed within 48 hours of event per FAR Part 121.711; 100% compliance with ASAP/ASRS voluntary reporting where applicable	N	Y

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Process Attributes

Identification

Process IDFO-14

L1 DomainFlight Operations

L2 ProcessFlight Dispatch & Control

L3 NameAir-to-Ground Communications Management

L4 Steps20 across 5 phases

Decision Gates5 (all with iteration loops)

Exceptions13 documented

Swim Lanes (Roles)

Flight Dispatcher

Flight Crew

Flight Operations Analyst

Systems & Tools

SITA ACARSTelex / SITA ACARSJeppesen FliteDeckNAVBLUEHoneywell GoDirectAWS S3 / Redshift

Key Performance Indicators

Load ACARS datalink frequencies for planned routeDatalink configuration complete ≥15 min before departure

Assign and verify SELCAL code for aircraftSELCAL assignment accuracy 100%; no duplicate codes per sector

Test ACARS uplink connectivity with Operations ControlUplink test round-trip <90 seconds; link quality ≥95% message delivery

Activate voice backup if ACARS uplink failsVoice backup activation within 5 min of confirmed datalink failure

Transmit OUT and OFF OOOI messages via ACARSOOOI transmission latency <30 seconds of triggering event; 99.5% capture rate

Send initial position report and fuel state to dispatchInitial report transmitted within 10 min of wheels-off

Evaluate departure delay or route amendment requirementRoute amendment decision issued ≥5 min before off-block when ATC delay >15 min

Uplink revised route clearance or holding instructionsCrew acknowledgement received within 3 min of uplink; amendment compliance 100%

Airline-Specific Risks & Pain Points

ACARS frequency gaps over oceanic or remote continental segments require fallback to HF voice, increasing dispatcher workload by 40%

SELCAL code conflicts across shared fleet pools cause missed ATC calls; manual cross-check process has no automated deconfliction in legacy ACARS ground system

Gate-to-aircraft ACARS connectivity failures affect ~3% of departures; ground crew must physically confirm avionics status with no automated alert to dispatch

Voice backup coordination relies on manual frequency lookups; no integrated fallback workflow in dispatch system creates inconsistent crew briefing quality

Automatic OOOI triggering depends on door-closure sensor accuracy; carrier-specific wiring faults on ageing narrowbodies cause delayed or missed OUT messages, distorting OTP metrics

Manual crew entry of FOB in FliteDeck creates transcription errors; no automated FMS-to-ACARS fuel bridge in older EFB configurations

Inputs / Outputs

Primary InputFiled flight plan with route and frequency plan

Primary OutputMandatory irregularity report filed; safety management system (SMS) notification sent

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