MAS will soon able to track aircraft real time, globally

Malaysia Airlines will be the first SITAONAIR airline customer to benefit from a revolutionary flight tracking partnership between SITAONAIR, Aireon and FlightAware.

"Real-time global aircraft tracking has long been a goal of the aviation community," said Chief Operating Officer, Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail in a statement here.

"We are proud to be the first airline to adopt this solution using space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data as part of SITAONAIR''s AIRCOM FlightTracker," he said.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has mandated that airlines to track their aircraft at least every 15 minutes globally from November 2018.

This solution will enhance the existing SITAONAIR''s AIRCOM FlightTracker by adding Aireon''s space-based ADS-B data to the existing data available from FlightAware''s multiple global sources.

It complements active Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) Future Air Navigation System (FANS) activity data.

By incorporating this data, Malaysia Airlines'' aircraft operations centre will receive real-time position updates of its airborne fleet globally.

"With access to up-to-the-minute reporting, Malaysia Airlines will know the location, heading, speed and altitude of all aircraft in its fleet, at all times, and be alerted to any exceptions," Portfolio Director, AIRCOM at SITAONAIR, Paul Gibson, said.

Aireon''s space-based ADS-B data will also resolve any existing data feed coverage gaps that remain, particularly over oceanic and remote airspace, where there is currently no surveillance.

No new avionics or modifications are needed for aircraft to take advantage of this new service.

FlightAware''s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Baker said Malaysia Airlines will seamlessly gain real-time flight tracking ability of its fleet, even in areas where regional Air Navigation Service Providers do not have full surveillance.

"The result will be that Malaysia Airlines will have greater visibility of their aircraft''s exact location," he added.

Meanwhile, Aireon''s Chief Executive Officer Don Thoma, said Malaysia Airlines has taken a lead role in the industry since the tragic events of 2014.

"Real-time, global flight tracking, anywhere on the planet will further safety goals, by allowing Malaysia Airlines to track their aircraft anytime, anywhere," he explained.

In November 2016, Aireon, FlightAware and SITAONAIR announced a new partnership to deliver Aireon data via FlightAware to SITAONAIR customers.

Once the Aireon system is operational, expected in 2018, airlines already using SITAONAIR''s AIRCOM FlightTracker will automatically begin seeing the new Aireon data appear in their systems without the need for costly modifications.