An Added Service for Business Aircraft
Talk about good
timing... as complaints pour in about the "poorly designed"
interface developed by Customs for interaction between
international flights and CBP, there seems to be no end of a need
for a way to accomplish the task in a simpler and more dependable
fashion. ARINC Direct is adding electronic APIS filing (eAPIS) to
its standard portfolio of flight services for corporate aircraft.
The eAPIS service is available immediately for flights arriving or
departing the United States and U.S. territories.
ARINC Direct subscribers can access the new service on their
accounts. Both Part 91 (private) and Part 135 (public transport)
operators can build and submit flight manifest information on
passengers and crew directly from ARINC Direct accounts. The eAPIS
implementation will be demonstrated at ARINC Booth 575 at EBACE
2009 in Geneva, May 12-14.
Effective May 18, 2009, under APIS (Advance Passenger
Information System) regulations of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), pilots of
private aircraft are required to transmit notices of arrival and/or
departure, as well as traveler manifest information, to CBP
electronically, a minimum of 60 minutes prior to departure. The
voluntary compliance period ends on May 18, when electronic
transmission becomes mandatory.
"ARINC Direct has worked closely with DHS to implement and test
this approved electronic data interchange system," stated Bob
Richard, Senior Director, ARINC Direct.
"We are fielding our
electronic APIS service well ahead of the mandatory compliance
date, allowing plenty of time for ARINC Direct customers to meet
the May 18 requirements in the U.S. We plan future releases to
allow customers to utilize this same interface to complete and
submit APIS manifests in accordance with any country's requirements
for advance notification."
The ARINC Direct implementation of eAPIS allows operators to
securely build and store their individual traveler (crew and
passenger) data base, and provides the capability to create,
submit, and track status of eAPIS manifests. A complete eAPIS
manifest is created for printing, faxing, or e-mailing to carry
on-board the aircraft for verification by CBP. The feature is fully
integrated with ARINC Direct's flight planning system, carrying
over critical aircraft and flight information along with the
computation of US border crossing points and times, necessary for
compliant e-APIS filings.