A NAV Canada controller monitors air traffic in Montreal.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
A global venture backed by Nav Canada has received a boost from U.K. air traffic controller NATS, which has taken a 10-per-cent stake in the system that aims to use satellites to track and guide the world’s aircraft.
NATS is investing US$69-million in Aireon LLC, which is launching a network of satellite-based devices that will broadcast plane locations and other data to control towers around the world. The network is designed to complement or replace ground-based air tracking systems, including radar, which cannot reach 70 per cent of the globe.
Martin Rolfe, chief executive officer of NATS, said ground controllers on the Aireon system will be able to monitor planes by the second as they cross oceans or mountain ranges, instead of waiting for pilots to check in every hour. Planes that broadcast their precise altitudes and speeds can tail another aircraft by just 24 kilometres, instead of 60, allowing more planes to use the same flight paths. Aireon is expected to be operating early in 2019.
“The industry is about to embark on the most transformational change since the introduction of radar over 70 years ago,” Mr. Rolfe said at a webcast news conference in Washington on Wednesday. “We’re talking about a game changer that will make air travel safer, greener and more predictable.”
Marc Courtois, chairman of Nav Canada and Aireon, said Nav Canada and NATS share responsibility for the busy North Atlantic airspace and have built an “enduring partnership” by collaborating on air travel technology and safety for many years. The projects include a ground-based plane monitoring technology that serves as the basis for the Aireon system.
Nav Canada, the private non-profit operator of the domestic air navigation system, is the largest shareholder in Aireon with an investment of US$150-million. Other investors include the air-navigation agencies of Italy, Denmark and Ireland as well as Iridium Communications Inc., which owns the constellation of satellites. Several national air-traffic authorities, including Portugal, Australia and South Africa, will pay to use the Aireon system when it begins operating early next year. The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States has been working with Aireon since 2011, and executives say they are hopeful it will become a customer.
“They’ve been part of the development system for the past seven years,” said Don Thoma, Aireon chief executive officer. “The FAA is currently going through their decision process now.”
The Aireon system is built to read transponders much of the world’s aircraft are required to use, which means airlines will not have to undergo costly investments to take advantage of the system, Mr. Thoma said.
He said Aireon is seeking certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency, which will audit Aireon’s procedures and data before approving its use across Europe. “EASA is viewed as a seal of approval for aviation safety across the world. This certification will support our efforts in working with other customers beyond the European Union,” Mr. Thoma said.
Every half-second, the aircraft-mounted transponder transmits a signal to an Aireon receiver on 66 satellites orbiting the Earth from 780 km high. The airplane’s speed, altitude, direction and other data is then bounced to traffic controllers on the ground.
Five more satellites bearing Aireon receivers will be rocketed into space on May 22 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The system is two-thirds complete and performing well, executives said.