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And that for civilian aircraft, while mobile connectivity is available to communicate with their respective
headquarters and for passengers to speak to anyone by onboard satellite phones, tracking is done ONLY by regional
air traffic controllers or ATC stations.
It is much more actually. Aircraft operators – mostly airlines – can track their aircraft anywhere if – and that
is a slightly expensive if – they pay for this facility. Mystified by the disappearance of the Malaysian flight 370,
I had questions to ask from manufacturers, airlines and so on, particularly at the Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi
and at the Farnborough Air Show this year. There have been suggestions as to what could have happened, and how to ensure
that a repeat does not take place.
The Malaysian aircraft is still missing, there are no answers yet, and the question remains: How will that kind of
incident not happen again!?
Mr Pritam Bhavnani, Honeywell’s President for High Growth Regions, had a firm answer. “Honeywell has the technology,
and can ensure connectivity if you pay for it.”
He led me to a facility not far from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in this central Indian city. I was surprised
to learn that this has been operating here since 2007, and that if its services are used, aircraft possibly cannot go off the
radar. This is the second facility of Honeywell's Global Data Centre (GDC) which is headquartered in the US.
Honeywell has been the 1st company globally for a century now for control systems from ordinary lifts to spacecraft and
satellites, and possibly every western origin aircraft has some component from it.
Post-MH 370 mishap, aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus, airlines, International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO) and civil aviation authorities of various countries have been working towards 24x7 connectivity for aircraft in the air.
In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has an advisory in this regard but without defining technical requirements.
How do you do then what needs to be done?
Mr Bhavnani said that the technology is there, has been there for some time, but airlines have shied from it, possibly because
of cost considerations. That situation may change now.
Industry sources say that some airlines like Emirates, Lufthansa and Singapore, which are highly safety and security conscious,
have already initiated measures to ensure 24x7x365 connectivity with their aircraft during flights, and that others should follow.
Nonetheless, airlines describe the costs as expensive but apparently, as more and more of them avail of these services, they
would become competitive.
According to Mr Bhavnani, a business jet has to pay from $2,500 to 4,500 per hour. But as the service offered also generates the
best possible shortest flight plan, it helps save on expensive flight time by navigating the aircraft around vagaries of weather or
other problems. An hour or two saved can mean good savings.
Honeywell has substantial investments in the venture. It has developed the systems and infrastructure, software, facilities and
day-and-night satellite resources. There are people on their computers monitoring thousands of aircraft in the sky anywhere in the
world – or wherever required – but only those are tracked who have paid for the service.
One could monitor the entire US sky, or just what is over New York, Washington or San Francisco. The pictures could be focused
or enlarged to cover larger areas to indicate position of each aircraft as it glides in the sky in jet speed or slower. Military
aircraft movements are understandably out of bounds, unless requested.
Asked if the service is available in India, Mr Bhavnani replied with a "yes."
Top business executives are reported to have used this service for their flight plans. There is bad weather, wind shear or other
disturbances as well as congestion and ATC delays; the GDC alerts them of all.
According to a company note, the Hyderabad flight operations centre caters to fixed wing aviation aircraft around the world, and
acts as a partner for comprehensive flight support services.
For more than 25 years, Honeywell’s Global Data Centre (GDC) has provided flight support services to corporate, fractional, charter,
private, government and military aircraft worldwide. In addition to proven VHF and satellite data link communications, the GDC also
provides a wide variety of essential flight support services including the industry leading Flight Sentinel® service designed to help
business aviation customers fly more efficiently and avoid hazardous weather and ATC delays. Its services include 24-hour telephone
support from experienced aviation professionals.
Honeywell says that its data link services include free text messaging, Pre-Departure Clearances (PDC), Oceanic Clearances,
Transcribed Weather Information for Pilots (TWIP), Controller Pilot Data link Communication (CPDLC), custom short codes and many
others.
Weather can be threatening some times, and to accurately understanding the global weather conditions, before, during and after a
flight is key to maximising operational efficiencies and passenger comfort. Honeywell guides through that, said Mr Bhavnani
reassuringly.
There are, he pointed out, state-of-the-art techniques, Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) tools and extensive experience, regular
interaction with ATC towers, and hourly communications with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Command Centre for real-time
updates. As a system, this is the key to flight safety and confidence, he observed.
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