ICAO examines new tracking rules

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is considering a proposal that all commercial aircraft operate systems that require airliners to report their position every 15 minutes. But not everyone is happy with the 12-month deadline for implementation.

by CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, TOM BALLANTYNE  

February 3rd 2015

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At an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety conference in Montreal this month, the organization is expected to decide if it should introduce new regulations that require the world’s airlines to operate a standardised global aircraft tracking system. Read More »

The new rules, which would require all aircraft to report their position every 15 minutes, is a result of a review of global aircraft tracking practices conducted by the Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF). The ATTF was set up after the still unresolved disappearance of Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 in March last year.

At the time, the loss of the aircraft and 239 passengers and crew provoked widespread disbelief. Aerospace and safety experts have struggled to understand how a high technology passenger jet could disappear into thin air. No trace of the B777, believed to have ultimately crashed in the southern Indian Ocean after diverging from its Kuala Lumpur to Beijing route, has been found.

The industry task force, whose members included representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and regional airline bodies, as well as aircraft manufacturers, pilots’ and Flight Safety Foundation representatives, issued its recommendations last November.

IATA, which led the task force, said the 12-month deadline for implementation may be impractical. Some airlines also believe adoption within a year of new performance criteria, including the ability to track planes across their entire potential range, is unrealistic. They argue the response to MH370 requires more time and investigation, IATA director general and CEO, Tony Tyler, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva last December.

At the same gathering, the organization’s senior vice-president safety and flight operations, Kevin L. Hiatt, said airlines are being encouraged to evaluate their current tracking capabilities and that those not currently meeting the criteria should implement measures to do so within twelve months.

Hiatt pointed out that some airlines, based on their operations, may not be able to implement some items within the time frame. This month’s ICAO safety conference is expected to take a close look at the deadline proposal.

ICAO spokesman, Anthony Philbin, said the proposals represented a “foundational flight tracking standard”, which would apply while the organization developed stringent tracking recommendations. “If (member states) agree to the standard, the safety conference will be asked how quickly it expected implementation and if it would want ICAO to expedite that process. Once our states have made their views known, we’ll have a better idea of the time frame,” he said.

A large number of airlines already track their flights using satellites and most aircraft have systems on board that can transmit their positions. But the equipment isn’t always turned on and there are gaps in satellite coverage, including on polar routes and some remote oceanic areas.

While radio, or voice communication, can be used, again there are gaps in transmission where reception is non-existent or of extremely poor quality.

In terms of unlawful interference - the ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) and transponders on MH370 were disarmed before the flight disappeared - it is unlikely there will be moves to ensure they cannot be turned off by cockpit crew.

IATA’s Hiatt said that without speculating what happened to MH370 “redesigning the aircraft’s fail safe systems to ensure transponders or other key tracking systems cannot be shut off is well beyond the near-term focus of the ATTF”.

Flight crews must be able to de-activate equipment in case of malfunction, such as ATC disruption, or a safety hazard, such as an electrical fire.

In the short-term, he said, the next step was to “use what we currently have and are being offered”. In the near-term, it is to look to other solutions if the aircraft or airline doesn’t have the latest technology. In the medium-term, the goal should be to utilize new technology and look at tamper-proofing.

Another issue that has emerged since the MH370 disappearance is the difficulty of locating and retrieving aircraft black boxes after a plane crashes into the sea.

Airbus has begun talks with the European regulator, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), with the aim of providing ejectable flight data recorders on its two largest jets, the A380 and the new A350. It is also looking at the possibility of placing them on new versions of the A330 and A320. If successful, Airbus would become the first manufacturer to install the ejectable black boxes on commercial airliners.

The upgraded recorders are widely used on military aircraft. The ejectable or deployable recorders separate from the tail during a crash and emit a satellite distress signal as they float.

“Airbus is working with EASA... and other stakeholders to advance the approval of such a solution industry-wide,” said an Airbus spokesman, although he added there was no indication of when installation might occur.

“In the future, applicability for our other aircraft products could be likewise considered, but presently we have decided to focus on the A350 and A380.”

There is disagreement within the industry about deployable recorders. Critics argue it would be far better to focus on a system that allows real-time transmission of data from flights, possibly activated when an emergency occurs.

Cost is a consideration. Each box costs between $13,000 and $16,000. A deployable recorder is estimated at $30,000 or above, with the additional investment of retrofitting fleets with the new boxes.