Following the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 passengers on board on March 8, 2014; the airline has become the first carrier to embrace a satellite flight-tracking system.
According to BBC report, the soon-to-be-launched satellite network will be used by the airline to monitor its flights in areas where there is currently no surveillance, including Polar Regions and remote areas of the oceans.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Malaysia Airlines Chief Operating Officer Izham Ismail said “Real-time global aircraft tracking has long been a goal of the aviation community. We are proud to be the first airline to adopt this solution,”
The airline reached a deal for the service provided by US-based Aireon, FlightAware, and SITAONAIR.
Planes deviating from a flight path will be able to be identified more quickly with the system, SITAONAIR’s portfolio director Paul Gibson told the BBC.
“With access to up-to-the-minute reporting, Malaysia Airlines will know the location, heading, speed and altitude of all aircraft in its fleet, at all times, and be alerted to any exceptions,” he said.