Iridium is proud to provide aviation solutions that help keep crew, craft, and commuters secure with global flight safety services. Over the past few years adoption of Iridium aviation services has increased dramatically, and as the market evolves, Iridium expects to see a continued increase.

Last year, Iridium announced that their Air Traffic Service (ATS) Safety Voice service, which is used for air traffic communications, had been adopted by more than 500 aircraft as of February 2017, an over 100 percent increase since 2015. Since then the number has doubled again to over 1,000 active airframes using the Safety Voice service.

ATS Safety Voice provides aircraft operators with an alternative to existing high-frequency (HF) radio systems, replacing them with a secure satellite-based option for long-range communications. The ability to add a satellite system using the Iridium network as an alternative to HF systems has several benefits including lower power requirements, lighter-weight equipment, and better quality and coverage resulting in increased efficiency and fuel economy.

Earlier this year the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a Project Report indicating that they are working to deliver updated regulations and guidance on long-range communication services including changes to the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Operations Specifications B045, and Policy Letter 106 among others.

“We are quickly becoming the preferred supplier in the aviation industry for voice communications,” said Michael Hooper, Director of Iridium Aviation Business. “We fully expect the continued growth of Iridium ATS Safety Voice adoption especially given the anticipated regulatory updates from the FAA.”

At 35,000 feet (or more!) in the air, safety is everything. As a reliable lower-cost alternative to traditional networks Iridium is the only satellite communications provider capable of offering critical air-to-ground flight safety voice and data service to aircraft around the globe.

As Iridium nears the end of the Iridium NEXT launch mission they are working closely with partners and regulators to leverage the newer, more powerful network for aviation safety services and  are excited to introduce solutions that will address the ever-increasing demands of aircraft communication under their highly anticipated Iridium Certus broadband service.

“There are many new programs and new aircraft adopters that are going to be rolling out our services in the coming months. Things are already in motion and we’re excited to share more details soon!” Hooper said.

References

Iridium Aviation Safety Services Continue to Climb. (2018, October 18). Retrieved November 21, 2018, from https://www.iridium.com/blog/2018/10/16/iridium-aviation-safety-services/