Etihad Airways adopts new real time flight tracking technology

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Flight Tracking Technology
1 min read

Etihad Airways, has successfully implemented the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) recommendations for flight tracking ahead of the General Civil Aviation Authority’s (GCAA’s) proposed deadline of 1 June 2019.

With an ICAO completion date of 8 November 2018, Etihad Airways not only met the GADSS recommendation of tracking its flights with position updates every 15 minutes under normal conditions, but also at the frequency of once-per minute when an aircraft is in distress – exceeding a component of ICAO’s 2021 requirements.  

In partnership with SITA, Etihad Airways has achieved this capability with the adoption of SITAONAIR’s AIRCOM® FlightTracker system, which utilises FlightAware data services to provide the precise position, speed and altitude of the airlines airborne fleet worldwide.

FlightAware integrates global aircraft position data from the Aireon℠ space-based automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) system, hosted on the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. The Aireon space-based ADS-B system provides universal coverage of ADS-B equipped aircraft, with positions updated at least once per minute globally, enabling Etihad Airways to modernise its flight tracking capabilities across the entire globe.

As an international airline operating across some areas with limited ground-based receivers and air traffic surveillance, Etihad Airways now has comprehensive coverage, eliminating gaps over the oceanic regions, large parts of the African continent and polar airspace.

Also, by leveraging existing onboard ADS-B OUT technology, Etihad Airways is able to operate this new flight tracking system without the need to install new equipment on its aircraft.