The world of air traffic controlling is set to improve after a communications company announced a new method of tracking planes in an attempt to improve routing. Iridium Communications will be installing Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers to follow planes anywhere in the world, with an expected launch date of between 2015 and 2017.
These receivers will be built into each of the company's 66 Iridium NEXT satellites and this will mean airplanes can be tracked even in the most remote regions of the world and over oceans. The firm believes aircraft can be safely managed over busy areas, with the North Atlantic a specific target because airplanes are currently kept well apart because of poor visibility.
Iridium believes that its tracking system - named Aireon - will allow more planes to fly these routes while maintaining the highest levels of safety.
Matt Desch, chief executive officer of Iridium, said that the new technology is revolutionary.
"Just as we opened the world of personal communications far beyond the ten percent of the Earth's surface that is covered by terrestrial networks, we are now extending the reach of land-based aircraft tracking systems," he explained.
"This is a big milestone for commercially hosted payloads and it will be a ground-breaking use of Iridium NEXT. Iridium is the only company with the capability and reach to enable this, and we are thrilled that our service will make air travel more efficient and safer. Aireon is truly revolutionary."
NAV CANADA is expected to be the first customer of the technology in the coming years, with more Air Navigation Service Providers expected to follow afterwards.
Iridium said that there are three main benefits to introducing Aireon, including operational cost savings. The Aireon service will save around $6-8 billion in fuel costs over the North Atlantic and North and Central Pacific regions, it claims.
Additionally, the ability to optimize routing and allow planes to climb rapidly and fly for longer will reduce carbon emissions and therefore lower the environmental impact of aircraft. Furthermore, continuous global surveillance will, Iridium believes, extend operational safety as air traffic controllers have more accurate information at their fingertips.
