Modernization via satellite technology is not a new frontier for the aviation industry. More than 25 years ago, we began using the communications and tracking capabilities of satellites to revolutionize the guidance of aircraft through the skies. Today, we safely fit more aircraft in the same airspace, boosting flight efficiency and saving airlines billions of dollars. The result: at any given hour, more than a million people are in flight somewhere above the earth.
Prior to the availability of satellite technology, an aircraft’s position in oceanic or remote areas was not precisely known. Aircraft had to stay far apart from each other to minimize the risk of a collision and to prevent accidents from secondary factors. Formerly, aircraft were required to maintain 100 by 100-nm separation, with an altitude separation of 2,000 ft above and below each aircraft. With satellite technology, those numbers have been dramatically reduced. Now a 30 by 30-nm area of separation is achievable,…
