The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) and Aireon signed a contract enabling new levels of surveillance and safety capabilities for search and rescue (SAR) applications for ASECNA and its 18 members States.
Since 2020, the entire airspace of ASECNA (a service region of more than 16.5 million sq. km,) is using ADS-B space based from Aireon for surveillance facilities. An average of more than 92% of aircraft in all the six Flight Information Region (FIRs) under the responsibility of ASECNA are properly equipped with ADS-B transponder.
Aireon, the world leader in space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data tools for the aviation marketplace, added a new product to its safety toolbox – Aireon Locate. Aireon Locate is a web-based platform that provides customers the ability to locate any ADS-B-equipped aircraft in real-time, offering data on the last position and last 15 minutes of flight. This combination of trusted data and secure, easy-to-use web interface provides unprecedented surveillance capabilities for customers in extremely time-critical circumstances.
“ASECNA is always looking to improve aviation safety as part of its vision for the African sky unification. With the Aireon Locate tool, Rescue Coordination Center and Rescue Sub Center in all, ASECNA member States will have their response time for SAR activities decreases drastically, moving the launch of SAR operations into seconds, and reducing a search area of square kilometers to square meters” said Mohamed Moussa, Director General of ASECNA.
“Aireon Locate provides a data platform for first responders, search and rescue organizations, regulatory agencies, and others to pinpoint precise aircraft location information. In situations when every second counts, getting safety-critical information into the hands of the safety teams when and where they need it is paramount,” said Don Thoma, Aireon CEO.
ABOUT ASECNA
ASECNA is an international public organization. Its main mission is to provide air navigation services within an airspace of 16,500,000 square kilometers, divided into six flight information regions (FIR) as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ASECNA also develops solutions for airport management, aviation infrastructure studies and construction, equipment maintenance, calibration of air navigation instruments and training for civil aviation staff.
Its 18 Member States are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo.
ASECNA is highly involved in innovation technology than can provide better solutions for airspace users in terms of flight safety and efficiency and saving Carbon footprint.
