A Critical Analysis of Challenges and Integration Guidelines for Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) to Enhance Operational Efficiency and Aviation Safety in the Digital Era
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Abstract
This paper is a critical evaluation of the technical barriers for Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) – Flight Management System (FMS) integration focusing on their impact on efficiency, aviation safety, and cybersecurity of open-architecture Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) environments. A Systematic Literature Review was performed to synthesize findings from both peer-reviewed literature and regulatory guidance. The study found that the integrated Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) – Flight Management System (FMS) architectures can reduce the pilot cognitive workload by about 15–17 percentage and decrease human error in flight performance calculations by more than 30 percent compared with paper-based operations. Regardless, the analysis shows that implementation standards for the current data integration models are not enough to meet new paradigms like cloud-based Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) platforms and real-time satellite-enabled data synchronization.
To overcome these limitations, this paper develops a three-layer system-level integration framework focused on data interoperability, decision-support integration, and cybersecurity governance. The proposed framework both offers practical guidance and theoretical framework to ensure the long-term sustainability of development in digital aviation systems.
Article history: Received 12 December 2025
Revised 3 February 2026
Accepted 5 February 2026
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