Inmarsat to Offer Free Plane Tracking Service to Airlines
Company to Also Offer Real-Time Black Box Streaming
As investigators continue to look into the case of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, re-dotting every “i” and re-crossing every “t,” the company whose satellite tools and software helped determine what is believed to be the last position of Flight 370 is offering to provide airlines with a global plane tracking service at no charge.
Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications company that provides mobile voice and data services, said it will offer free basic tracking services for planes flying over search areas Monday.
According to the company, the service will be available to all 11,000 commercial passenger planes that already have an Inmarsat satellite connection, which is most of the world’s long-haul fleet. It announced the new service in Montreal, Canada prior to the opening of an International Civil Aviation Organization conference on aircraft tracking.
The company will also offer a “black box in the cloud” service as well as an enhanced reporting service that can stream real-time flight data and cockpit voice recordings from the aircraft in specific instances.
“Inmarsat has been providing global aviation safety services for over 20 years,” said Rupert Pearce, the company’s CEO. “In the wake of the loss of MH370, we believe this is simply the right thing to do. Because of the universal nature of existing Inmarsat aviation services, our proposals can be implemented right away on all ocean-going commercial aircraft using equipment that is already installed.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)