SITA is set to launch new technology that will provide airlines with an efficient method of tracking aircraft.

The solution will use technology already installed on aircraft to provide advanced tracking capabilities, and is currently being examined by several airlines for testing.

With the help of the SITA AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker solution, airlines will be able to track aircraft movements by merging the company’s airline dispatcher centre system and airline operations center system (AIRCOM) server, with its future air navigation system (FANS) ground application, which is available to air navigation service providers (ANSPs).

"Our innovative solution can be developed quickly and it will only add minimal cost to the airlines as it will utilise existing systems on the aircraft."

The FANS system is already in-use on several aircraft, so does not require additional cost or investment by the airlines, the company said.

SITA CEO Francesco Violante said that pending development, trials and testing, the company will be able to bring this advanced aircraft tracking solution to the industry to meet a pressing need.

"The strong upside of our innovative solution is that it can be developed quickly and it will only add minimal cost to the airlines as it will utilise existing systems on the aircraft," Violante said.

The SITA AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker solution will enable end-to-end flight tracking on conditions and parameters the airline sets through their own automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) contract, and can be fully managed from the ground.

Airlines will also be able to detect any unexpected loss of contact between aircraft and air traffic control FANS ground systems by monitoring their aircraft’s use of FANS Air Traffic Services (ATS) facilities notification exchanges to log-on to and hand off between ANSP FANS ground systems.

The announcement comes only days after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Special Meeting on Global Flight Tracking of Aircraft, where airlines were encouraged to use existing equipment and procedures to support flight tracking.

Defence Technology