‎ November 11: Qatar Airways has started real-time tracking of its planes in collaboration with FlightAware and Aireon.

The airline company said in a statement that it has launched GlobalBeacon, a key product solution created by FlightAware and Aireon that provides the airline with global, real-time flight tracking.

Qatar Airways said that the innovative technology 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.

“From the start of the product development cycle, the award-winning airline has been involved in beta testing and validation of GlobalBeacon, a technology that exceeds GADSS recommendations for flight tracking by providing airlines with minute-by-minute position updates for their aircraft at all times, anywhere in the world,” the statement said.

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, and we are honoured to collaborate with both FlightAware and Aireon on the development of this solution to achieve the highest level of flight tracking standards that exceed GADSS requirements and recommendations.”

 “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.”

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, the statement further said.