Yet another feather in the cap for Qatar Airways. The national carrier of Qatar recently announced to be the launch customer of GlobalBeacon, a key product solution created by FlightAware and Aireon that provides the airline with global, real-time flight tracking. GlobalBeacon will enable Qatar Airways to position itself to respond proactively in the event of an emergency, facilitating communication between the aircraft operator and the controller with constant fleet monitoring, automated distress alerts and tools that make it easy to share information.
In September 2016, Qatar Airways announced that it would be the first airline to adopt this innovative technology that would feed directly into its Integrated Operations Centre. Two years later, Qatar Airways, in partnership with FlightAware and Aireon, has announced that GlobalBeacon is now live and ready to provide the airline with global flight tracking, ahead of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) recommended timeline.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are thrilled to be the first airline in the world with a wide network to use space-based ADS-B technology. As one of the leading airlines in the world, our goal is to consistently deliver the best service to all our customers. GlobalBeacon seamlessly integrates with our existing ICAO 2018 compliant flight watch technology (Total Operations System), and further enhances the safety of our operations and fleet management by providing updates every minute or less. In doing so, this is a testimony to our ever-evolving leadership in the crucial area of aviation safety and awareness.”
Aireon CEO Don Thoma was all praise and said: “With a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft flying all over the world, across remote and oceanic airspace, Qatar Airways and GlobalBeacon couldn’t be more perfect for each other. Being one of the youngest and fastest-growing leaders in the aviation industry, Qatar Airways’ initiative to implement the GADSS recommendations for flight tracking reinforces that safety is top priority and comes second to none.”
In March 2016, ICAO announced that GADSS was created to help improve the ability to detect commercial aircraft in remote locations. By combining FlightAware’s data processing platform and web-interface, with Aireon’s space-based ADS-B network, GlobalBeacon transcends borders and Flight Information Regions and eliminates coverage gaps in polar airspace as well as over deserts and oceanic regions. At the heart of GlobalBeacon’s proficiency is a culmination of tracking information from Aireon’s space-based ADS-B network and FlightAware’s contextual flight data including origin, destination, flight plan route and estimated time of arrival.
Qatar Airways is celebrating more than 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world’s fastest-growing airline is adding a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2018, including Gothenburg, Sweden; Da Nang, Vietnam; Mombasa, Kenya and many more. Qatar Airways has become one of the world’s most highly-respected airlines, competing on a scale very few airlines achieve.
