By Mike Boyd, Aireon Vice President, Safety and Compliance
Safety is at the core of everything that we do at Aireon. Since the company’s inception, Aireon has gone the extra mile to demonstrate the safety of our service to the aviation community.
Aireon provides Space-Based ADS-B data as an Air Navigation Service (ANS), known as our Global Air Traffic Surveillance (ATS) Service. This had never been done before, so the company was forging a new path in terms of certification and data integrity. Consequently, as Aireon was preparing to launch our pioneering space-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) service in 2019, the company identified the need for independent certification and validation to signify the mission-critical nature of the data the company was providing.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was identified as the path for validation. EASA provides Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) with a certificate, which verifies a service provider’s compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
In 2017, Aireon voluntarily began the rigorous process of EASA certification. In the initial evaluation, the company underwent a series of investigations, inspections, assessments, audits, and reviews – the same processes ANSPs must undergo. In the end, Aireon’s initial certification was awarded in 2019. Aireon is the only service provider of its type in the world to hold certification from EASA. We hold ourselves to the same standard that our ANSP customers are held to by their regulators. And Aireon takes that responsibility very seriously.
But the commitment to safety and to EASA doesn’t end with the initial certification. Aireon, like its ATS customers, is subject to regular audits and inspections to ensure it remains in compliance with EASA regulations.
“The EASA certification was a critical component of our Safety Mission at the beginning. Our ongoing work with EASA underscores our continuous commitment to safety and data integrity for the aviation industry,” said Vinny Capezzuto, Aireon Chief of Operations. “We were the first, and are still the only, certified provider of this data in the world.”
Those assessments include organizational aspects – including operating procedures, personnel competency, contingency plans, and occurrence reporting & investigations – and functional system oversight – including demonstration of the safety of the services, documented in the corresponding safety case.
Ultimately, it is a continuous certification, but one that speaks volumes to the high quality of the Aireon service and creates a backing of trust for those relying on this data for safety-of-life services.
For more information on Aireon’s safety mission, visit: Data Products and Services for the Global Aviation Industry.
