Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-322. Photo: Malaysia Airlines.

SITAOnAir, Aireon and FlightAware have formed a flight tracking partnership with Malaysia Airlines. Under the agreement, all Malaysia Airlines aircraft will have access to minute-by-minute global flight tracking data, delivered by SITAOnAir’s Aircom FlightTracker.

This solution will enhance the existing SITAOnAir Aircom FlightTracker by adding Aireon’s space-

based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data to the existing data from FlightAware’s multiple global sources, complementing Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) Future Air Navigation System (FANS) activity data.

By incorporating this data, Malaysia Airlines’ aircraft operations center will receive real-time position updates of its airborne fleet globally. Aireon’s space-based ADS-B data will also resolve any existing data feed coverage gaps that remain, particularly over oceanic and remote airspace, where there is currently no surveillance. According to SITAOnAir, Malaysia Airlines’ aircraft will not need any new avionics or modifications to take advantage of this service.

Last November, Aireon, FlightAware and SITAOnAir announced a new partnership to deliver Aireon data via FlightAware to SITAOnAir customers. FlightAware provides a combination of global air traffic control data, aircraft datalink information and terrestrial ADS-B data. Once the Aireon system is operational, expected in 2018, airlines already using SITAOnAir’s Aircom FlightTracker will automatically begin seeing the new Aireon data appear in their systems, without the need for costly modifications.

The Aireon service will be operational in 2018, shortly after the completion of the Iridium Next satellite constellation.