Airline News
MAS acknowledges battery lapse as global tracking picks up
March 16th 2015
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) last week said the expired battery in the underwater locator beacon of the flight data recorder on missing flight MH370 would have made no difference in the search for the plane. Read More » Lawyers acting on behalf of some of the families of those on board said earlier the fact the battery had not been replaced - revealed in a 584-page report on the anniversary of MH370's disappearance on March 8 – could be key in any legal action against the airline.
Meanwhile, Rockwell Collins is putting an airliner flight tracking service on the market via ARINC, the communications and integration specialist it acquired in 2013. Dubbed MultiLink, the system will be available from April and merges six different data sources to provide a flight tracking solution for airlines. These sources include ADS-C; high-frequency data link (HFDL) performance data; ADS-B; US Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) radar data; EUROCONTROL position information; and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) position reports. The system has been developed with the ability to incorporate future third-party data sources which may include position data.
Australia, China and Malaysia last week said they would hold talks next month to consider whether to carry on funding the search for flight MH370. Canberra has said it remained “cautiously optimistic” about finding the missing B777-200ER and rejected media reports that discussions had begun about calling off the search — already the most expensive and complex in airline history.
