FlightAware built its business by offering flight-tracking services all over the world, starting in the U.S., but it had to modify its approach when it came to serving customers based in Europe, where data privacy rules are much stricter.
“In most respects the technology and level of service we’re providing is the same in Europe,” said FlightAware CEO Daniel Baker, “but there is a different understanding of it.”
In the U.S. the FAA is required to share its data feed from radar services and ADS-B with the public and with entities that wish to publish that data on their own websites. Blocking of registration numbers is available via request to the FAA, although no one can block data captured by a privately owned ADS-B receiver. However, data providers such as FlightAware are required as a condition of using FAA data to honor blocking requests.
“In Europe,” Baker explained, “although ADS-B is present and we have a network there, data from Eurocontrol is private by default.” To see Eurocontrol data, a user must sign up with a service provider such as FlightAware, but not all such providers are able to deliver more than just the aircraft position. FlightAware can also offer information about the aircraft’s departure and destination points, which is helpful for FBOs and handling providers that want to serve their own customers.
FlightAware (Booth L97) gets its information from air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in more than 45 countries, many in Europe, plus from its own network of ADS-B receivers deployed by people who sign up to provide data to FlightAware. This ADS-B network includes more than 20,000 stations in almost every country, according to Baker. Other data sources include space-based ADS-B information provided by Aireon (FlightAware is an Aireon partner) as well as the FAA data feed. “We’re the only ones taking this data and fusing it and providing it as a service,” Baker said.
FlightAware began signing up European customers about seven years ago, and at EBACE, the FlightAware team is explaining that its full range of services is available in Europe. “We try to educate customers,” he said. “But it comes as a great surprise that FlightAware has the same service in Europe as the U.S. Most operators would benefit from having additional data.”
Because of European privacy laws, customers signing up for FlightAware’s flight-tracking services must “have some operational interest or involvement,” Baker said. A customer “can designate who they want to have access to data. [The authorities] want to prevent abuses of data and sales or marketing to aircraft operators.” Even in the U.S., customers who have requested blocking can share information on their aircrafts’ flights with select users.
In a new partnership with Signature Flight Support, operators can select their destination Signature FBO before departure or even during flight (when Wi-Fi equipped), and the FBO will get notified of that flight’s arrival time. If that aircraft is blocked, the FBO can still track the aircraft, but only for the final flight leg to the destination airport so FBO personnel can prepare for the arrival.
Now that more aircraft are ADS-B Out equipped, FlightAware’s Ready to Taxi service is becoming more useful, and the company is demonstrating the service for the first time in Europe at EBACE. Launched in October 2018, Ready to Taxi begins working when the avionics power on, including when the aircraft is plugged in to ground power, giving the customer real-time information as to when the aircraft starts taxiing, then after landing, taxis to the ramp and parks. “We can track aircraft on the ground at more 2,000 airports around the world,” he said.
One of the fruits of the Aireon and FlightAware partnership is the GlobalBeacon worldwide tracking service, which meets the ICAO Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System tracking requirements. In addition to using Aireon’s ADS-B information for its customers, FlightAware also works with companies such as Collins Aerospace’s ArincDirect, which licenses flight-tracking information from FlightAware.
Another interesting FlightAware service is its Cockpit Situational Insights service, which stores avionics information for postflight analysis. This can include true airspeed, heading, altitude preselect settings, nav modes, etc. “We can do this globally,” Baker said, “but without putting additional hardware on the airplane and without having to use an iPad [to capture data].”
FlightAware has about 10,000 business aviation aircraft signed up and serves 100 airlines. Prices for a typical super-midsize jet in Europe including global flight tracking, Ready to Taxi, and Aireon space-based ADS-B range from $1,000 to $2,000 per year per aircraft.