Artist rendition of Aireon’s existing global air traffic solution. Photo: Aireon

Aireon and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) began pre-registration for their free, global Aircraft Locating and Emergency Response Tracking (ALERT) service for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), aircraft operators, regulators, and search and rescue organizations. The Aireon ALERT service will provide the last known position of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)-equipped aircraft that is in an apparent distress state or experiencing a loss in communication. The service is only available to aviation stakeholders and offers precise position reports. The Aireon ALERT system is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2019 and will be operated out of the IAA North Atlantic Communications Center in Ballygirreen, County Clare, Ireland.

Enabled by Aireon’s space-based ADS-B service, Aireon ALERT will fill a critical need within the aviation industry. For the first time, ANSPs, Aircraft Operators, Regulators and Search and Rescue organizations will have access  to exact position data for an aircraft in distress over the oceans, remote areas, and anywhere else they may need aircraft position information in an emergency.

Users of the service do not need to be customers of either Aireon or the IAA — they just need to be registered. Once a stakeholder has registered and been approved for Aireon ALERT, it can contact the always-open operations facility to obtain the last known position of its aircraft. This will include a map of the last 15 minutes of flight, with one plot per minute and a four-dimensional report including altitude, latitude, longitude, and time information. Based on the situation, additional tracking information may also be provided.