The decision was arrived at by the countries to dedicate part of the radio spectrum to a global flight trafficking system to improve the current tracking method, which relies heavily on ground-based radars.
Representatives from more than 160 countries decided to set aside a radio frequency for the satellite tracking of planes at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), organized by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Under the UN agreement, countries can use specific radio frequencies to monitor planes via satellite rather than solely relying on radar-driven technology on the ground.
The UN’s aviation arm, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has set a November 2016 deadline for participating countries to adopt the new flight tracking guidelines. The guidelines will include aircraft sending their position at least every 15 minutes, or more in cases of emergency.
Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General, said the agency had responded swiftly to the expectations of the global community on the major issue concerning global flight trafficking.
The UN deal shall enable satellites to receive transmissions, known as automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B), to track airplane movements. It will also help the UN and other aviation bodies to keep an eye on 70% of the world’s airspace, which ground-based radar systems cannot cover.
Is it usual for wreckage from an aircraft that crashed into the sea to remain undetected in the sea for so long?
Is their a theoretical angle that an aircraft could land/dive into the sea and rapidly sink without either breaking-up and/or allowing the passengers to escape?
If so, what are the practical odds of this happening.?