Real Time Tracking For Airlines Following MH370 Disappearance
Real Time Tracking For Airlines Following MH370 Disappearance
A senior official of the UN aviation agency has discussed how leading airlines now want real time tracking for commercial aircrafts in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Cost is not a concern for the airlines which now want to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.
MH370's disappearance remains one of the biggest aviation mysteries of its time. The Malaysia Airlines flight vanished on the way to China. This was followed by a global drive to enable controllers to establish the correct route and the last location of any aircraft. A 3 month long search for the aircraft has not yielded any results so far.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) governing council has emphasised the need for global tracking though a binding solution or timeline for the same has not been decided yet. The global aviation industry group IATA (International Air Transport Association) came up with proposals for better tracking and monitoring till September end. Measures will be implemented voluntarily by the members before any rules are in place for the industry.
Nancy Graham, director of ICAO Air Navigation Bureau has also shared with the press that the voluntary path and rule are being developed for the future. The intention is to have regulation to support it on a global scale.
Ms. Graham rightly said that cost was not a stumbling block for the airlines as there is no price one can put on safety and certainty regarding the location of the aircraft. Real time monitoring of flight data has become absolutely essential in recent times. Experts have indicated that technology to ensure real time tracking is not only readily available, it is also simple to implement. However, concerns have been raised about data privacy from airlines, aircraft manufacturers and pilots.
Inmarsat Group is a satellite company that tried to track down MH370. It has offered to provide airlines with tracking free of charge. Rival companies such as Iridium Communications are indicating that installing a tracking system on a jet could cost as much as $100,000.
Malaysian authorities are of the opinion that the data links of MH370 were shut off to make it impossible to track the plane. The plane, a Boeing 777 vanished an hour after it took to the air on March 8, 2014. Detailed analysis of satellite signals have revealed that the plan may have crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean off Australia.
Ms. Graham has indicated that ownership and protection of flight data can be resoled so that the global tracking system is put in place. A European proposal to increase maximum recording time on voice recorders in the cockpit to 20 hours from the current 2 was vetoed by pilot groups. However, the pilots should consider the safety of the plane and agree to the proposal, as recorded data can always be erased at the end of each flight using technology. This is a far better option than placing one's self in the hands of chance and probability when it comes to airlines safety.
The voice recorders of MH370 will yield data for only last 2 hours of the flight, if they are ever found. But the investigators should not give up hope. The Air France Flight 447 crash in 2009 was followed by the recovery of its black box nearly 2 years later. With advancements in technology, airlines can enhance their safety record. Then, passengers can fly with confidence, rather than fear.
