There’s at least one airline that’s already in the habit of streaming its black box data live, but is that the right safety solution for all global carriers?
International Air Transport Association (IATA) says it’s currently working with airlines to find a new and faster way of retrieving data from inflight recorders in order to shed light on disasters such as the recent EgyptAir flight 804 disappearance.
Currently, investigators rely on a plane’s last known location and flight trajectory to estimate the recorders’ whereabouts. They then need to work through the data before revealing their findings to the public.
In the meantime, speculations haunt the industry, with many suspecting terrorism before receiving any confirmed information.
Speaking to media this week, Senior Vice President for Safety and Flight Organisations, Gilberto Lopez Meyer, said the Association is working with airlines to find a new solution.
He said they were considering several options, each of which has their pros and their cons. Among them is having all dialogue in the cockpit immediately dispatched to an on-land location.
However, Meyer said this would create large amounts of data for all aircraft. Another option is for black boxes to have a deployable beacon, but there’s concerns if it is accidentally deployed.
“I believe that by the end of this year we should have a concrete and definite position on this issue.”
Gilberto Lopez Meyer, IATA Senior Vice President for Safety and Flight Organisations
“IATA is in discussions. Every single option has pros and cons.”
The urgency for a new black box locator solution comes as investigators enter their third week of searching for the recorders on the missing EgyptAir A330.
