Story ID: BCAustraliaTracking06232015
Australia Declares Flight Tracking Capability
By: Bill Carey
Caption: Controllers can now track aircraft in oceanic airspace east and west of Australia using automatic dependent surveillance-contract.
Word Count: 369
Australian controllers can now track aircraft in oceanic airspace at 14-minute intervals, Airservices Australia announced. The capability makes Australia one of the first countries to comply with a recommended standard to more closely track aircraft, the air navigation services provider said.

Earlier this year, Airservices, satellite communications provider Inmarsat and airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia started tracking flights in oceanic airspace east of Australia using automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C). Through ADS-C, an aircraft automatically broadcasts its GPS-derived position via satellite to ground stations based on an agreement the operator has with an ATC provider. The position reports are made either periodically, on demand by the ATC provider or in response to specific events or flight-path deviations.

The proof-of-concept trial was expanded in late April to include other properly equipped aircraft. In late May, the coverage area was extended to oceanic airspace west of Australia. In addition, the reporting interval was adjusted to 14 minutes—less than the 15-minute tracking standard the International Civil Aviation Organization recommended after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March 2014. It can be further reduced in the case of an emergency situation.

Airservices said that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S., and ATC providers in New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia to further expand the flight tracking effort.

“We will continue to work with the international aviation community on long-term solutions to aircraft tracking in oceanic airspace, but in the meantime this trial allows our controllers to observe and react to any unusual flight behaviors and notify search and rescue agencies earlier if necessary,” said Greg Hood, Airservices executive general manager for air traffic control.

The Airservices’ release followed a June 17 announcement by airline communications provider SITA OnAir that Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei and Norwegian Air Shuttle have signed on to use its “FlightTracker” system to monitor their fleets. FlightTracker is a software enhancement of SITA’s ground-based Aircom Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System message-handling server. It draws information from existing onboard equipment and “repurposes” ATC data to track aircraft position. Malaysia Airlines is the system’s launch customer, SITA has said.