South Africa’s air traffic management agency, Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), announced on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with US-domiciled global space-based company air traffic surveillance system company Aireon. Under the agreement, ATNS and Aireon will together develop the employment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The deal, designated a Regional Commercialisation Agreement, will set up a framework for the use of ADS-B data in the SADC area. ATNS will work with the other Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) in the region to exploit the data to allow the creation of a regional flow air traffic control system. Such a system would bring both great cost savings and operational benefits to both the ANSPs and the airlines.
The ADS-B data will be distributed across SADC by means of a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network. ATNS is the operator of the regional VSAT network. This will allow air surveillance capabilities to be set up in remote areas, where ground-based communications would be too expensive to establish.
“ATNS has always ensured that regional cooperation between ANSPs is promoted, enhanced and sustained,” highlighted ATNS CEO Thabani Mthiyane. “We now have an opportunity to bring the benefits of this technology to our region to leap-frog the industry.”
“The signing of this commercialisation agreement marks another milestone toward delivering global air traffic surveillance through space-based ADS-B, while fortifying the strategic partnership between Aireon and ATNS,” affirmed Aireon CEO Don Thoma. “For the first time, the entire region will have access to real-time air traffic surveillance data, which in this region – given its vast land mass and oceanic airspace, will become a driving force for enhanced safety and operations.”
“Africa has some of the most remote regions in the world, making this technology immensely valuable for those with limited infrastructure,” pointed out Mthiyane. “We will now give them the option to have total air traffic surveillance, without the need to build anything on the ground. This might be a game-changer for the region.”
The Aireon system will employ Iridium’s NEXT satellite constellation, which will be composed of ten satellites. The first NEXT satellite is due to be launched during this northern summer and the constellation should be complete by the end of next year. Aireon’s service will become operational in 2018.