Skywise & Kalitta Air: Optimising Flight Planning

While flight dispatchers historically relied on estimated flight plans for comparative route analysis, Skywise’ latest N-Flight Planning (N-FP) Release introduces a functional shift in the flight planning workflow through a compute analysis feature that enables:

Multi-Route Compute: Simultaneously processing multiple routing options.
Fully Computed Data: Ensuring every comparison is based on a finalised, compliant flight plan.
Visual Validation: Color-coded system indicating reroute validity and compliance at a glance.

Providing a Comparative Optimisation Table, this new version sets a new standard for dispatchers, allowing them to sort through various route options based on specific operational priorities;

Attributes such as Fuel Burn, Total Distance, Cost, Time, and Payload Capacity.
Visual indication of compliance / validity, allowing for proactive decision-making regarding economic impact and crew duty time.

To showcase the efficacy of this evolution, Skywise collaborated with Kalitta Air to test the release in a live operational environment. The results demonstrate a significant leap in both speed and route performance:

Operational Efficiency (The BRU-CVG Test)

Kalitta conducted a transatlantic test (Brussels to Cincinnati) involving Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS). By automating the high-compute variables, they have reduced the flight planning times, liberating flight dispatchers from manual data processing to focus on strategic decision-making resulting in up to 80% increase in productivity.

"Using this new release, the system computed an optimised flight plan within 2 mins. From a dispatcher perspective, this is huge! I found very useful this little green button that triggers multi route compute and the ability to consider multiple route options at once during strategic planning
Samuel Rippey, Assistant Director Operations Control Center at Kalitta Air

Route Performance (March Comparison Data)

When benchmarked against Kalitta’s live routes flown in March 2026, the new Compute Analysis capability of N-FP, routes that were previously managed and calculated independently, are now done simultaneously, all at once unlocking up to 10% in incremental fuel savings per month. Additionally, preliminary data is showing a 2% increase in available cargo capacity with flights arriving up to 41 minutes faster.

"The comparison of route options allows our dispatchers to see possibilities with obvious permit validity... while giving a table analysis which proactively answers potential questions about Economic Impact, Crew Time, and Route Validity."
Ethan Manchester, Manager of Flight Following at Kalitta Air

The collaboration between Skywise and Kalitta Air proves that for their operations, this new release is more than just a software update. By replacing estimations with fully computed multi-route analysis, it is not only a fundamental redefinition of their flight planning workflow. It is also an enabler for measurable operational efficiencies including fuel savings, increased cargo capacity, and a reduction of flight time, validating the main role of N-Flight Planning in creating safe, cost-efficient, and optimised routes.