Airlines should track aircraft better according to FedEx CEO Fred Smith

As the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet continues, the head of FedEx said Thursday that airlines will move quickly to better track aircraft over the ocean.

Frederick Smith, CEO of the cargo-delivery company, told the International Aviation Club that maintenance and navigational equipment aboard most airliners could be adapted to better keep track of planes. That would help reduce the gaps between planes, making flights more efficient and saving money on fuel, he said.

"It is unacceptable to the public for a 777 airplane in 2014 with 239 souls on board to go missing," Smith said, "so there's going to be a response."

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Two dozen countries have spent weeks searching for the jet, most recently chasing signals from deep in the Indian Ocean that could be from the jet's voice and data recorders.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents 270 airlines worldwide, recently created a task force to better track planes that is likely to make recommendations before the end of the year.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations that recommends airline policies, will hold a special meeting May 12 and 13 for experts to discuss better aircraft tracking.

The uncertainty about whatever happened to the flight led to great frustration among aviation experts and travelers.

Smith said industry officials understand what makes tracking planes difficult, but the Malaysia flight made finding a solution urgent.

Frederick Smith, CEO of FedEx, takes part in a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan 27, 2007.

(Photo by Suzanne Plunkett - Bloomberg News)

 

"The public doesn't give a damn about that," Smith said of difficulties.

Two pieces of equipment that can signal a plane's location are on most airliners.

The Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System automatically sends messages back and forth about maintenance issues between planes and manufacturers or airlines.

The Malaysia flight's system stopped signaling less than an hour after taking off, and the equipment can be either turned off by the pilot or damaged in a fire.

Another piece of equipment is called the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, which sends precise information about a plane's location by satellite to airlines or air-traffic controllers. A more basic form of locater, called a transponder, stopped signaling aboard the Malaysia flight, either because a pilot turned it off or it was damaged.

Smith said both ACARS and ADS-B could be modified to be more difficult for pilots to turn off. He said airlines could better monitor both systems to keep better track of their planes over oceans.

"It's going to be relatively easy to do with the new satellite constellations that will be up there," Smith said. "That's why we think it's an inevitability, and that's the best course."

(Bart Jansen - USA Today)