Mary-Louise Hoffman
Inmarsat has been awarded a $19 million contract from the European Space Agency to build a satellite data link for the continent’s air traffic control infrastructure.
ESA’s Iris Precursor project seeks to improve controller-pilot communications and help industry cut airborne delays by using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service, Inmarsat said Wednesday.
“Our aim, and the purpose of this partnership, is to continue to provide airlines across the globe with improved safety services, aircraft routing, and environmental and cost efficiency benefits,” said Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat.
The company will upgrade its SwiftBroadband aviation communications system with the goal of providing a satellite overlay for very high-frequency networks.
Inmarsat will lead a team of 16 companies in the Iris Precursor system development.
The firm’s SwiftBroadband Safety platform is being tested for oceanic flight operations under the Single European Skies ATM Research program.
