Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524066
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JULY 2024 NEWS MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt KM Malta airlines shifts towards paperless cockpit with NAVBLUE's electronic flight folder KM Malta Airlines has an- nounced its transition towards a paperless cockpit by adopting NAVBLUE's Electronic Flight Folder (EFF), Mission+ FLIGHT. This strategic advancement aligns with the industry's move towards digital solutions for im- proved data reliability, and oper- ational efficiency. NAVBLUE's software, select- ed by KM Malta Airlines, offers advanced features, marking a significant step in the airline's digital strategy. Mission+ FLIGHT is the in- tegrated electronic flight folder module for mission manage- ment of Mission+, NAVBLUE's Elec- tronic Flight Assistant (EFA). This EFF module provides briefing packages, flight fol- low-up, e-reporting capabili- ties to pilots, as well as filtered NOTAMs, weather information and last minute change handling functionalities. It also includes a ground tool which manages the workflow be- tween OCC systems and the ap- plication in the flight deck which covers all mission data required for a flight, including archiving of any reporting. The adoption of NAVBLUE's EFF will enhance accuracy, and operational agility, reflecting KM Malta Airlines' commitment to advancing its operations. NAVBLUE has customised Mission+ FLIGHT to address the specific needs of KM Mal- ta Airlines. This tailored solu- tion optimises the pilot jour- ney from flight preparation to documentation closure, thus enhancing efficiency through digitalization. Capt. Declan Kellar, Chief Op- erations Officer and Accounta- ble Manager at KM Malta Air- lines, highlighted, ' NAVBLUE's Electronic Flight Folder mod- ernises our operations, enabling us to evolve to a paperless cock- pit.' Briac Kerihuel, Chief Commer- cial Officer at NAVBLUE said, "We are proud to support KM Malta Airlines' digitalization. With this tailored solution, their pilots benefit from a seamless workflow between Operations Control Centre (OCC) and flight deck while improving operation- al efficiency." With the integration of NAV- BLUE's Mission+ FLIGHT, KM Malta Airlines continues its jour- ney towards comprehensive dig- italization across its operations, and adds a new NAVBLUE solu- tion to its operations, since the airline is already benefiting from NAVBLUE's Crew Management (N-Ops & Crew), Flysmart+ and N-Tracking. Fearne, Scicluna back in court as defence team raises questions on inquiry experts, evidence DEFENCE lawyers are expected to attack the credibility of the experts appointed during the magisterial inquiry which led to charges against former deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna and 13 other defendants. The compilation of evidence against the 15 defendants, who are accused of fraud and misap- propriation, continued before magistrate Leonard Caruana on Tuesday. Throughout today's sitting, the defence challenged the admis- sibility of the evidence gathered by inquiry, with Debono arguing that the search warrant's implica- tions and execution violated legal standards. Prosecutor Giancarlo Refalo countered, asserting that the court's role was to compile evidence, not to adjudicate its le- gality at this stage. At one point, the defence asked the court to order that all doc- uments and data that had been seized from DF Consultancy Services Ltd by the police be ex- punged from the evidence. Lawyer Andrei Vella was called to the witness stand to give evi- dence about his client, Gateway Solutions Ltd. But Vella informed the court that he was unable to do so as he had not been released from professional secrecy. He ex- plained that he had not sought his client's clearance to testify be- cause he had not been in contact with that client for several years, while stressing that the privilege belongs to the client. Ex-Police Inspector details search procedures Former Police Inspector George Frendo also provided testimony, responding to questions from lawyer Franco Debono about his involvement in searches at the of- fices of DF Consultancy Services. Frendo recalled that he had been assigned to search the offices of DF Advocates and lawyer Jean Carl Farrugia. Debono suggested that Farrugia was not listed in the warrant, but Frendo maintained that it list- ed his residence, while clarifying that the search was not limited to DF Consultancy Services. Frendo said that there were no suspects at the time of the search, and that the police had been act- ing on magistrate-issued war- rants to gather evidence, which included files and computer hardware. When pressed by Debono on whether he had taken steps to protect client privilege, Frendo replied that the inquiring magis- trate had provided a list of key- words for the search and so any documents featuring these key- words were seized. Defence challenges the validity of the evidence Debono pointed out that the seized items bore the letterhead "DF Advocates," and not DF Consultancy Services, but Fren- do repeated that the police had seized any document matching the keywords provided by the magistrate. The lawyer argued that the wording of the warrant indicated suspect status, which triggered rights to legal assistance which, he claimed, were not observed. He asked the court to expunge the evidence seized in those searches, asserting that it had been obtained illegally. Witnesses also detailed the procedural aspects of expert wit- ness appointments and payment structures within the court's ad- ministration system. Witness Alison Delecia, former PA to Vitals' corporate director, testified about her work with lawyer Deborah Chappell, add- ing context to Vitals' legal oper- ations. Meanwhile, accountant George Gregory gave evidence detailing the financial intricacies of the Vitals agreement, indi- cating the complex contractual obligations and negotiations in- volved. The sitting concluded the de- fence raised questions about the apparent lack of safeguards in the appointment and vetting of ex- pert witnesses, in what appears to be preparing the ground for them to request that this evidence also be expunged. Magistrate Caruana adjourned the sitting until tomorrow, for fi- nal submissions. Former Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne (left) and former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna