Admin
Inmarsat Chairman Andrew Sukawaty has announced the company’s plans to provide airlines with free satellite tracking services for commercial aircraft following the recent disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The plan is intended to be part of a future global satellite tracking system for commercial jetliners, which mainly use ground-based radar at present, Jon Ostrower reports.
According to the report, Inmarsat also intends to cover the costs to upgrade the airlines’ network to support the tracking service, although the airlines are expected to cover costs of additional equipment and installation from other providers.
The International Air Transport Association has formed a task force to look into the possibility of such a global tracking system and related mandates for the industry.
However, Ostrower notes this could lead to issues for airlines that already have existing systems and that are concerned about adopting global tracking.
