Operations coordinators maintaining the crew roster in a spreadsheet and checking rest compliance manually against the regulations before each assignment, with no automated check to catch an error before it becomes an exceedance?
Flight following being managed by phone calls and manual log entries, with the operations centre having no systematic view of where each aircraft is in its mission at any given time?
Flight Operations Software Development
Commercial flight operations management platforms serve scheduled airline operations well. Charter operators, corporate flight departments, air ambulance services, and specialised air operators often find that airline-focused platforms impose scheduling and crew management workflows designed for regular public transport operations that don't match the on-demand, variable-mission nature of their operation.
We build flight operations software designed around your operation type -- your aircraft types, your crew qualification structure, your rest rule set, and the operational control communication workflow your operations team and crew use during a flight day.
Flight scheduling from trip request through aircraft assignment with schedule conflict detection and maintenance status checking before the flight is confirmed
Crew scheduling with automated rest compliance checking against the applicable flight time limitation scheme before the assignment is committed
Operational flight plan generation from route, weight, and fuel data, integrated with navigation database and weather data sources
Flight following with position reporting and fuel state updates from the crew to the operations centre throughout the flight
RaftLabs builds custom flight operations software for aviation operators that need flight scheduling, crew scheduling with rest compliance, operational flight plan management, flight following, load and balance, and operational control communications in one connected system. Most projects deliver in 12 to 18 weeks at a fixed, agreed cost.
100+Software products shipped
·FixedCost delivery
·12-18Week delivery cycles
·24+Industries served
When airline operations management platforms don't fit your operation type
Airline operations management platforms are built for the high-frequency, hub-and-spoke scheduling model of commercial passenger carriers. They do that job well. The mismatch appears when the platform is applied to a charter operator or corporate flight department where each flight is a separate trip request, the routing is point-to-point rather than network-based, and the crew are managed against a flight time limitation scheme designed for on-demand rather than scheduled operations.
Custom flight operations software is built around the actual operational model of your organisation -- your trip request and approval workflow, your aircraft and crew roster, your applicable rest rule set, and the communication protocol your operations team uses to maintain situational awareness of each flight from departure through arrival. We know the regulatory requirements for both EASA and non-EASA operators and we build the compliance checks into the scheduling and crew management workflow rather than leaving them as manual steps.
What we build
Flight scheduling
Trip request management from the initial customer or internal request through routing confirmation, pricing if applicable, and flight scheduling -- the request workflow configured to your operation's approval hierarchy. Aircraft assignment matching the trip's aircraft requirement -- type, capacity, range, and performance -- against the available fleet, with schedule conflict detection checking each candidate aircraft's existing schedule and maintenance status before the assignment is made. Schedule optimisation for operators with multiple aircraft, suggesting the most cost-effective aircraft assignment for each trip based on positioning costs, aircraft utilisation targets, and maintenance opportunity. Flight schedule publication to the crew, the customer, and the handling agents at each airport, with the flight schedule details consistent across all recipients. Schedule change management when a trip is modified -- customer changes to departure time, route alteration, or cancellation -- with the change propagated to crew, handling agents, and the affected aircraft schedule record.
Crew scheduling and rest compliance
Crew roster management linking each crew member's qualifications, type ratings, medical certificate expiry, recency requirements, and duty availability to their roster position, so the scheduling system has a complete view of who is available and qualified for each assignment. Rest compliance checking against the applicable flight time limitation scheme -- EASA ORO.FTL, CASA CASR Part 48, FAA Part 117, or a custom scheme for non-ATCO operations -- run automatically before each crew assignment is committed, flagging any violation before the duty day begins rather than after. Cumulative duty hour tracking against the rolling look-back windows required by the applicable FTL scheme -- 28-day, 90-day, and 12-month limits -- with the current position displayed alongside each crew assignment so the scheduler can see how much headroom remains. Standby and augmented crew management for operations using augmented crews on long-range sectors, with the rest requirements for the planned rest in flight applied to the post-flight rest calculation. Crew notification of assignment, duty start time, and any changes, with confirmation of receipt from the crew member recorded in the system.
Operational flight plan
Operational flight plan generation from the planned route, aircraft weight, fuel policy, and weather data -- the flight plan format configured to your operator's documentation standards and the requirements of the ATS route structure. Integration with navigation database providers -- Jeppesen, Lido, Navtech -- for route and waypoint data, and with METAR and TAF weather sources for departure, destination, and alternate aerodrome weather at the time of flight plan generation. Fuel calculation covering trip fuel, contingency fuel, alternate fuel, final reserve fuel, and additional fuel for the operator's specific fuel policy, with the calculation logic validated against your operations manual. Weight and balance preliminary calculation from the planned payload, fuel load, and aircraft operating empty weight, with the load sheet linked to the operational flight plan. Flight plan filing to ATS via AFTN, SITA, or direct filing where the ATS authority accepts electronic submission, with the filing confirmation recorded against the flight record.
Flight following
Flight following board showing the operations centre the current status of every active flight -- airborne, position, fuel state, and ETA -- updated from position reports received from the crew at the configured reporting intervals or from ADS-B data where available. Position report receipt from the crew by satellite communication, HF radio relay, or VHF voice with the position, altitude, fuel remaining, and ETA to next waypoint recorded against the flight record. Overdue position report alert when a position report is not received within the configured tolerance after the expected reporting time, triggering the operations controller to contact the crew and initiate the overdue action procedure if no contact is established. Flight completion recording when the crew reports arrival, with the actual block-off and block-on times, the actual fuel used, and any deviations from the planned route recorded against the flight record. ATC radar feed integration where available, providing the operations centre with a position track without relying solely on crew position reports.
Load and balance
Load sheet generation from the actual passenger count, baggage weight, cargo weight, and fuel uplifted, with the takeoff weight and centre of gravity calculated against the aircraft's weight and balance limits defined in the aircraft flight manual. Dangerous goods screening against the passenger manifest and cargo manifest, with the operator's dangerous goods acceptance criteria applied before the load sheet is produced. Load sheet transmission to the captain for acceptance prior to departure, with the captain's electronic acceptance recorded against the flight record. Passenger manifest management capturing passenger details for each flight leg, with the manifest available to the crew and to the operations centre. Cargo manifest management for cargo operations, with commodity, weight, volume, and UN number recorded for each shipment and screened against the operator's cargo acceptance standards.
Operational control communications
Operations control log recording every significant communication between the operations centre and the crew during the flight -- weather diversions, fuel decisions, ATC route changes, and technical issues -- with each log entry time-stamped and linked to the flight record. Standard departure and arrival messages generated automatically from the flight record at block-off and block-on, distributed to the handling agents, the customer, and the CAMO if the operator uses separate continuing airworthiness management. Delay notification management for departures delayed beyond the scheduled off-block time, recording the delay reason, the new estimated off-block time, and the distribution of the delay notification to affected parties. NOTAM management pulling relevant NOTAMs for the planned route and aerodromes and presenting them to the operations controller and the crew as part of the pre-flight briefing package. Incident and occurrence recording for safety occurrences during the flight, with the occurrence record linked to the flight record and entered into the safety management system for investigation and reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The rest compliance checking is built against the specific FTL scheme applicable to your operation -- EASA ORO.FTL, CASA CASR Part 48, FAA Part 117, or a custom scheme approved by your authority for non-scheduled operations. The look-back windows, maximum duty periods, minimum rest periods, and augmented crew provisions are all configured to match the scheme your operations manual describes.
Yes. We integrate with ADS-B data providers and satellite tracking systems -- Iridium, Inmarsat -- to provide position data for flight following without relying solely on crew voice position reports. Where the aircraft is equipped with ACARS, we integrate with ACARS message handling to receive position and fuel reports automatically.
Yes. We integrate with Jeppesen, Lido, and Navtech for navigation database data, and with standard weather data sources for METAR, TAF, and SIGMET. The flight planning calculation uses your operator's approved fuel policy and the aircraft performance data from your approved flight manual. The output format matches your operator's documentation standards.
A focused build covering flight scheduling, crew scheduling with rest compliance, and flight following typically runs $55,000 to $110,000 depending on scope. Adding operational flight plan generation, load and balance, and full operational control communications brings the total to $110,000 to $200,000. Fixed cost agreed before development starts, no hourly billing.
Tell us about your operation -- your aircraft types, your crew structure, your applicable rest rule set, and where your current operations management process creates risk or administrative burden. We'll scope a flight operations system built around your actual operation.
