By Andy Pasztor and Robert Wall
Canadian and European aviation authorities are looking to impose
the most-stringent navigation and position-reporting standards ever
on jetliners, including many flying long overwater routes,
according to industry and government officials.
Some proposals are prompted by the still-unsolved 2014
disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370, while others aim to provide
air routes that are more flexible--and entail closer spacing
between commercial aircraft--as they cross the Atlantic, these
officials said.
No final decisions have been made, and some concepts are likely
to take months to resolve. But satellite operators such as Inmarsat
PLC and Iridium Communications Inc., along with service providers
SITA and the Arinc unit of Rockwell Collins Corp., are maneuvering
to pick up business as a result of the prospective changes.
If the proposals pan out, they would revamp busy air corridors
in the northern Atlantic and rewrite some long-standing procedures
air-traffic controllers have relied on to keep track of aircraft in
other parts of the world. Specifics, however, would depend on the
capabilities of onboard systems.
The moves also come as new details emerge about the source of
earlier airline opposition to less-stringent voluntary tracking
standards.
Possible changes being discussed by European Union policy makers
could require planes to automatically report their position as
frequently as every three minutes outside ground-based radar
coverage, these officials said.
That compares with 15-minute tracking intervals proposed by the
International Civil Aviation Organization, the air-safety arm of
the United Nations, and minimum 10-minute intervals used for
certain planes by U.S. air-controllers over portions of the
Atlantic they oversee.
A European safety official said deliberations are ongoing, the
situation is "blurry," and the timing of any decision is uncertain.
The European Commission, the block's executive arm, has said it is
"committed to take action quickly on the basis of the results" of
interaction with ICAO.
At least one satellite operator, however, has been asked by EU
officials to provide technical and cost data related to a potential
three-minute standard, according to one industry official. The EU
wouldn't comment on internal deliberations.
A global 15-minute standard for routine flight initially was
proposed by a task force headed by the International Air Transport
Association, the industry's leading trade group. But late last
year, IATA reversed course, dropped swift implementation plans and
said some member airlines opposed the proposed one-year phase-in
period as too onerous.
Now it turns out the opposition was led by British Airways PLC,
according to three people involved in the discussions. One person
said some of the carrier's older Boeing 767 jets would have had
difficulty complying with the proposed standard.
British Airways declined to comment on its stance during last
year's deliberations. In a statement, the London-based carrier said
"we comply fully with current requirements and will meet the
revised requirements using equipment already installed on our
fleet." The company promised to work on development and
implementation of new requirements.
In February, IATA and ICAO agreed to work together on
demonstration efforts for the proposed 15-minute standard.
As part of a different initiative, British and Canadian
air-traffic control officials are planning demonstration flights
later this year across portions of the North Atlantic they
supervise that would slash the minimum lateral separation between
certain planes.
During those validation flights, planes would be permitted to
come as close as 25 nautical miles to each other--of within half a
degree of latitude--versus current minimum spacing of double that
distance, according to Ron Singer, a spokesman for Nav Canada,
which owns and operates the country's civil navigation network.
The goal is to shorten flight times, take better advantage of
favorable winds and reduce fuel burn.
At the same time, airliners flying the Atlantic that are
equipped with some of the most modern electronics this year began
using data links in some airspace that enables position reports
every 14 minutes, compared with the current 18-minute standard that
Canada, Britain and partners rely on, said Andy Smith, head of
operational strategy for Britain's air-traffic services provider
NATS.
The computer link will allow controllers to more closely space
aircraft, he said, giving airlines greater operational flexibility.
The link also can alert controllers when airlines deviate from
their approved course.
The upgrade will particularly benefit airlines that are flying
some of the most advanced models with sophisticated satellite
systems, such as Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A380
superjumbos. Eventually, airlines that refuse to upgrade will be
shut out from some of the most attractive flight paths between
Europe and North America.
With an estimated 11,000 jetliners around the globe equipped
with satellite-communication and related systems capable of meeting
proposed 15-minute tracking requirements, other regions are
planning their own test flights. In portions of Asian airspace, the
Federal Aviation Administration already sets 14-minute reporting
intervals for the best-equipped planes.
Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com and Robert Wall at
robert.wall@wsj.com
Access Investor Kit for International Consolidated Airlines
Group SA
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=ES0177542018
Access Investor Kit for Inmarsat Plc
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=GB00B09LSH68
Access Investor Kit for The Boeing Co.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US0970231058
Access Investor Kit for Inmarsat Plc
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US45772S1096
Access Investor Kit for International Consolidated Airlines
Group SA
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US4593481082
Access Investor Kit for Iridium Communications, Inc.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US46269C1027
Access Investor Kit for Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US7743411016
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires