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Global aircraft tracking standard is needed: IATA

April 7, 2014, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. - The director of the International Air Transport Association said Monday he wants to see a globally agreed upon tracking standard in place by the end of this year, which also takes into consideration the cost on airlines, in order to avoid another disappearance like that of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.


April 7, 2014  By The Associated Press

Tony Tyler told a small media gathering in Abu Dhabi at the Global
Aerospace Summit that the cost of tracking will have to be examined in
any decision. He said profit margins for the global industry this year
are still very narrow and expected to be around $5.65 per passenger.

 

"Clearly cost is one of the issues that will have to be
considered when we are looking at what to do about it. And we have to
make sure that what we do is something that the airlines can afford,"
said Tyler.

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IATA has 240 member airlines carrying 84 per cent of all passengers and cargo worldwide.

 

He said the point of putting in
place a global standard for tracking "is the travelling public has a
right to expect that aircraft won't disappear like this, can't disappear
like this."

 

Tyler said that regulation must be driven by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization.

 

IATA announced earlier this month
it is creating a task force comprised of manufacturers of aircraft, the
suppliers of the equipment used for communication from aircraft,
satellite providers and rescue crews to make recommendations by the end
of the year on how commercial aircraft can be tracked continuously.

 

"What we'll be doing in the task force is really
bringing together all of the people who need to think about this
problem," he said.

 

Some jets use satellites to regularly
send maintenance data back to headquarters. Malaysia Airlines did not
opt to subscribe to this service from Boeing. The jet's disappearance
has many calling for airlines to live stream information from planes'
voice and data recorders.

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