SITA OnAir’s FlightTracker; the technology the airline industry was waiting for

Three more airlines deploy the solution

Air Transport IT Summit, Brussels, 17 June 2015 – Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei and Norwegian Air Shuttle are the latest carriers to sign-up for SITA OnAir’s AIRCOM® FlightTracker. The product uses existing equipment and re-purposes air traffic control data to provide consistent monitoring throughout the flight. The three airlines will deploy it on their entire fleet starting this month.

                                                                                            Watch the latest AIRCOM® FlightTracker video

Several airline customers and SITA OnAir have worked very closely together to define the functions and features of AIRCOM® FlightTracker, as well as validate and test the solution. Singapore Airlines for instance has provided SITA OnAir with requirements for the next generation of AIRCOM® FlightTracker.

Safety is clearly paramount for airlines and there is an agreement across the industry that they need the ability to track their aircraft at all times. SITA OnAir’s solution suits them perfectly, both because it provides the tracking they need and is simple to activate

“Norwegian Air Shuttle has a strict selection process for every new solution we introduce. This is particularly true for something as important as aircraft tracking. It quickly became clear that SITA OnAir is the only provider that could give us exactly what we need. SITA OnAir’s FlightTracker is the most complete solution available. Using multiple sources of data, we can track all our aircraft at 15 minute intervals or less. It also provides the most accurate data, using “smoothing” to combine position sources.”

“And of course, safety is paramount for a solution like this. FlightTracker’s automated alerting system allows us to manage our fleet of 100 aircraft and the additional 200 that will enter the fleet in the coming years safely and efficiently. A bonus feature is the unique way it integrates ATC data into our systems- it will give us valuable insight into our operations and how we can improve them,” said Chief Operating Officer Geir Steiro at Norwegian Air Shuttle.

“With the airlines’ invaluable support, we have designed the solution to make it simple for airlines to implement flight tracking,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of SITA OnAir. “For the 90-plus airlines already using our AIRCOM® FlightMessenger, we can deploy the solution in a few days. Following the recent ICAO discussions, we are also working on the definition and development of a new system to detect and report unusual situations.”

Dawkins continued, “As part of our commitment to the air transport community we will, during an emergency, provide AIRCOM® FlightTracker position reporting free of charge to SITA member customers.”

AIRCOM® FlightTracker is a ground-based, cost-effective software upgrade that uses existing equipment to allow airlines to follow aircraft positions and identify any unexpected deviations or gaps in position reports. It uses multiple sources of data so airlines can guarantee tracking intervals at 15 minutes or less for every flight. It was developed after ICAO and IATA called for global tracking technology that uses existing equipment and procedures as much as possible; SITA OnAir’s flight tracking solution meets these criteria. More airlines in Europe and the Middle East are currently assessing AIRCOM® FlightTracker with a view to making the necessary upgrade. SITA OnAir is expecting to make further customer announcements very soon.