An Airbus A320 Air Cote d’Ivoire passenger jet. Photo: Air Cote d’Ivoire.

Aireon announced today that it has signed a data services agreement with the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA). Together, the pair will bring real-time air traffic surveillance to high-trafficked, terrestrial African corridors.

ASECNA is one of Africa’s largest Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), covering 16.1 million square kilometers of airspace, through six Flight Information Regions (FIRs) — Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Dakar Oceanic, Dakar Terrestrial, Niamey and N’Djamena.

ASECNA is responsible for air traffic services in a significant part of the African continent, handling frequently traveled routes between Europe, East and Southern Africa and South America. With Aireon data, as early as 2019 ASECNA will be able to introduce a continuous layer of surveillance, augmenting existing infrastructure and completing coverage for their entire airspace. According to the organization, this will significantly improve service availability to airlines and enhance safety and efficiency in African airspace.

“The vastness of the landmass that ASECNA is responsible for poses an immense surveillance challenge, especially because it is not always possible to install or maintain ground infrastructure,” said Mohamed Moussa, ASECNA Director General.

ASECNA joins other African ANSPs in the deployment of space-based ADS-B. South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) and Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) have also signed agreements over the last 18 months.