Aireon to offer free satellite-based aircraft tracking system

Aireon is planning to offer its aircraft locating and emergency response tracking (ALERT) service for free-of-charge for all automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) equipped jets and helicopters.

The plans are part of the company’s strategy to help authorities search for future missing aeroplanes.

With the ALERT service, rescue agencies will be able to track the location of an aircraft flying in airspace without surveillance.

Aireon president and CEO Don Thoma said: "A comprehensive, global aircraft tracking solution is essential in emergency situations, as evidenced by MH370 earlier this year and Air France 447 in 2009.

"With one global view of ADS-B equipped aircraft, Aireon ALERT will provide accurate and real-time tracking data immediately to authorised search-and-rescue operations, without requiring airlines to equip aircraft with new avionics or the ANSPs and authorities to deploy new systems."

Planned to go live in 2017, the ALERT system is said to provide air traffic control centres with visibility of flights operating in remote airspace thereby improving efficiency and safety of aircraft operations.

Aireon sales and marketing vice president Cyriel Kronenburg said: "Tracking of aircraft in emergency and search and rescue situations is a complex issue.

"We plan to engage the various aviation stakeholders including the airlines, ANSPs, regulators and search and rescue organisations over the next 12 months to define the technical, operational and legal details of providing this data in emergency situations."

Aireon was established as a joint venture of Iridium Communications, NAV CANADA, ENAV, IAA, and Naviair, to develop a system by hosting ADS-B receiver payloads on Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, which is scheduled for first launch in 2015.

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Image: An illustration of global space-based ADS-B coverage. Photo: courtesy of Aireon LLC.