Cathay Pacific, Unilode complete test of new ULD system

Swiss Unit load device (ULD) supplier Unilode and customer Cathay Pacific completed the latest in a series of low-energy  Bluetooth-enabled data track-and-trace  trials, for ULDs onboard  Cathay flights between Hong Kong and Melbourne.

The completion of the trial marks the “world’s first deployment of Bluetooth low energy version 5 technology,” which uses considerably less power than classic Bluetooth – and is by extension, less expensive – while maintaining a similar communication range.

This most recent upgrade to the system also enables access to data with mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Cathay Pacific Cargo has been in partnership with the ULD supplier for some time. In July, Unilode said that it is “committed to explore other digital initiatives for Cathay Pacific,” following the carrier’s completion of a field test of the current version of the track-and-trace system.