Lufthansa Systems (LHS) is here introducing the electronic flight folder (EFF), a new feature in its Lido eFlightBag that allows crewmembers to download last-minute flight briefing documents as simply as airport charts.

The EFF incorporates briefing documents in digital format–flight plan, Notams, weather data, fuel load figures, etc. Pilots can either download the documents from a briefing station to a laptop or a USB stick, or access them via a special Web interface. They can mark and comment on the documents as usual. If a crewmember marks a spot on his virtual chart, it is immediately visible to his colleague. According to its promoters, the system makes briefings easier and saves paper.

“We are introducing the EFF here at the Dubai Airshow because lots of Asian and Middle Eastern airlines attend it–these carriers have large numbers of latest-generation aircraft, which our EFF is perfectly suited to,” senior v-p of airline operations solutions Marc Szepan explained. Designers took care of having the eFlightBag OEM-independent–it works on Airbus, Boeing and could work on other aircraft as well, Szepan said. The EFF does not depend on the cockpit’s avionics, he added.