Approval of
Satellite-Enabled Aircraft Communications to Benefit the
Environment, Airlines and Passengers
The International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved the use of
satellites to support voice and data communications
between pilots and air traffic controllers. The approval
was announced in Dubai at World Radio Congress in
December 2023. This approval will lead to substantial
improvements in the safety, sustainability, efficiency
and passenger experience of air transport.
Voice and data radio communications
in the VHF band are used for communications between
pilots and air traffic controllers. VHF radios are
standard aircraft equipment around the world and are
vital in ensuring the safety of air travel. Currently,
VHF voice communications services are only available
when the aircraft is within range of a ground-based
radio. This means that large areas of the Earth’s
surface, including much of the world’s oceans, are not
covered. The use of satellites in place of ground-based
radio systems will enable seamless global real-time
communications between pilots and air traffic
controllers for the first time.
The use of space-enabled services
supporting pilots and air traffic controllers will:
• Improve safety by providing
real-time communications between pilots and air traffic
controllers to maintain correct separations between
aircraft.
• Reduce environmental emissions
from aviation by allowing the most efficient routes to
be flown by aircraft.
• Increase efficiency of the
aviation industry by reducing fuel consumption and
reducing flight delays.
• Improve the passenger experience
by improving on-time performance. The cost of flight
delays in the United States, Europe and Australia has
been estimated at US$67.5 billion per year1
The approval follows Skykraft’s
world-first demonstration of space-to-ground voice
communications systems operating in the VHF band,
carried out in south-western Australia in July 2023.
Skykraft’s trial of space-based voice communications in
the VHF aviation band demonstrates the feasibility of
satellite communication directly with aircraft using
existing equipment.
“The approval of satellite-enabled
communications between pilots and air traffic
controllers is an important milestone for the aviation
industry,” said Dr Michael Frater, CEO of Skykraft.
“Skykraft looks forward to using this approval to
contribute to global goals to improve safety,
sustainability and efficiency in the aviation industry.”
Skykraft is developing a
constellation of satellites to provide VHF-band
communications services and surveillance services to
track aircraft from 2025.
1 AirHelp, The impact of flight
disruption on the economy and environment, 26th
September 2023.
https://www.airhelp.com/en-int/press/airhelp-report-the-impact-of-flight-disruption-on-the-economy-and[1]environment/.
Skykraft’s Air Traffic Management
Constellation
Skykraft is in the process of
building a large (dense) constellation of satellites in
low-earth orbit to provide global air traffic management
services from space, providing:
• VHF voice communications.
• VHF data communications.
• Surveillance services using ADS-B
and UAT.
• Multilateration services for:
• validation of ADS-B and UAT
messages received from aircraft, and
• independent aircraft position
data in the event of GNSS failure.
Skykraft’s initial constellation
will enter service in 2025.
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