Singapore: After the baffling disappearance in March of Flight MH370, critics accused the aviation industry of ‘dithering’ over equipping jets with real-time tracking systems. Now, with another passenger plane lost, the call for action is becoming more insistent. Tracking aircraft by satellite and live-streaming of black box data were cited as top priorities by industry insiders after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people on board. Its fate remains a mystery despite a long underwater search west of Australia.
Members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the UN’s aviation body, agreed in the aftermath of the incident to mandate real-time tracking.But they did not set a timeline as airlines mulled the additional costs involved. Many carriers have been losing money for years. The Airbus A320-200 carrying 162 people lost contact en route from Surabaya to Singapore. Experts say while real-time tracking technology would not have prevented loss of life in the two incidents, it would have significantly streamlined search efforts.
Real-time tracking “won’t save lives but recovering wreckage and the black boxes in a timely manner could lead to safety and operational changes that will save lives in the future”, said Scott Hamilton, MD of US aerospace consultancy Leeham Co. In a scathing commentary, Hamilton also accused the ICAO of “dithering since MH370 about mandating real-time tracking”.
“Aviation regulators are infamous for their ‘tombstone’ mentality not requiring safety changes until people die,” he wrote. Some in the aviation industry complain about high costs of adopting satellite-based technology, but critics say airlines are simultaneously investing millions to offer passengers satellite-based broadband services.
