Global air traffic surveillance system Aireon LLC has signed a data services agreement with South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) to survey the airspace over Johannesburg and Cape Town and increase air traffic efficiency
For this purpose, ATNS is expected to deploy the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) that will enable real-time visibility over Cape Town and Johannesburg, which comprises about 10 per cent of the world’s airspace.
The South African navigation service will have 100 per cent access to the airspace of both cities.
ATNS CEO Thabani Mthiyane said, “Aireon is providing the global air transport industry with a vital piece of technology that will greatly enhance air traffic management. Much of Africa is currently without any air traffic surveillance. Aireon’s service will give us visibility into many regions, allowing us to facilitate seamless transitions between air traffic control providers. This will be achieved without any additional ground infrastructure and utilising currently-mandated on-board avionics.”
More than 70 per cent of the global airspace is outside the limits of real-time air traffic surveillance, and is usually restricted to terrestrial and densely-populated. Through the ADS-B, increased visibility and real-time air traffic surveillance could improve safety and efficiency of air travel.
“Once Aireon’s service is operational in 2018, our increased area of surveillance will allow us to work with our African neighbors to improve safety and air traffic efficiency across this region of the world,” concluded Mthiyane.
