International Civil Aviation Organization
ACP/FSMP
WG-F/32
IP05
INFORMATION PAPER
2015-02-13
FREQUENCY SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT PANEL (FSMP)
(AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATIONS PANEL (ACP))
THIRTY SECOND MEETING OF WORKING GROUP F (FREQUENCY)
Cairo, Egypt 16 – 24 February 2015
Agenda item 7
Development of potential updates to ICAO WRC-15 Position
Global Tracking of Aircraft.
Excerpts from the report of the
Second ICAO High-Level Safety Conference (HLSC).
(Presented by the Secretary)
SUMMARY
This paper presents excerpts from the report of the Second ICAO High-Level
Safety Conference (HLSC) – Planning for Global Aviation Safety Improvement
(Montreal, 2 – 5 February 2015) (Attachment A).
Also attached to this paper is Resolution 185 of the ITU Plenipotentiary
(Busan, 20 October – 7 November 2014) (Attachment B).
This Information Paper presents excerpts from the report of the Second ICAO High-Level Safety
Conference – Planning for Global Aviation Safety Improvement (Montreal, 2 – 5 February 2015)
(Attachment A).
In particular, attention is drawn to Recommendation 1/2, f) of the Conference, on Global Flight Tracking,
and to its relevance to Resolution 185, Global flight tracking for civil aviation (Busan, 2014)
(Attachment B).
Consistently with the Recommendation, and with regard to the one future Satellite based automatic
dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) technology, identified in the report of the Aircraft Tracking
Task Force (HLSC/15 WP11) and the draft Concept of Operations document for the Global Aeronautical
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-2Distress and Safety System (HLSC/15 WP02), that could support flight tracking in oceanic and remote
airspace, when drafting any updates to the ICAO Position for WRC-15, FSMP (ACP) WG-F should take
note that “ICAO encourages States and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to discuss
allocation requirements at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15) to provide
the necessary frequency spectrum allocations to enable global air traffic services (ATS) surveillance”.
Attachments:
A — Excerpts from the report of the Second ICAO High-Level Conference – Planning for Global
Aviation Safety Improvement (Montreal, 2 – 5 February 2015)
B — Resolution 185 (ITU PP-14, Busan, 20 October – 7 November 2014)
-3ATTACHMENT A
Excerpts from the report of the Second ICAO High-Level Conference – Planning for Global Aviation
Safety Improvement (Montreal, 2 – 5 February 2015)
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS
1.
TOPIC 1.2: EMERGING SAFETY ISSUES
1.1
Global flight tracking
[…]
1.1.5 With regards to the flight tracking technology, the conference noted the ATTF Report which
detailed existing technologies which are already installed on aircraft and which could be used to perform
global aircraft tracking. This range of technologies and related services will enable operators to take a
performance-based approach when implementing aircraft tracking capabilities. The ATTF report
contained a set of performance-based criteria that could be used to establish a baseline level of aircraft
tracking capability. Additionally, the report also identified future technologies that could support flight
tracking in oceanic and remote airspace such as satellite-based automatic dependent surveillance –
broadcast (ADS-B). In this regard, the conference supported that ICAO should encourage States and the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to discuss allocation requirements at the World
Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15) to provide the necessary frequency spectrum
allocations to enable global air traffic services (ATS) surveillance. The conference strongly encouraged
industry to begin implementing flight tracking on a voluntary basis.
[…]
RECOMMENDATION
3.
RECOMMENDATION 1/2
3.1
The conference agreed on the following recommendations:
Global flight tracking
[…]
f)
ICAO should encourage States and the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) to discuss allocation requirements at the World Radio Communication
Conference in 2015 (WRC 15) to provide the necessary spectrum allocations for
global air traffic services surveillance as a matter of urgency;
[…]
————————
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ATTACHMENT B
RESOLUTION 185 (BUSAN, 2014)
Global flight tracking for civil aviation
The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Busan, 2014),
recalling
the relevant provisions of Article 1 of the ITU Constitution, in particular No. 17, which stipulates
that the Union is to promote the adoption of measures for ensuring the safety of life through the
cooperation of telecommunication services,
considering
a)
that the loss of Flight MH370 spurred worldwide discussions on global flight tracking and
the need for coordinated action by ITU and other relevant organization(s), within the scope of their
respective mandates;
b)
that determination of the position of aircraft and reporting this information to air traffic
control centres represents an important element of aviation safety and security;
c)
that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has developed Standards and
Recommended Practices (SARPs) for systems enabling position determination and tracking of
aircraft for air traffic control;
d)
that the current agenda of the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC‐15), as
contained in ITU Council Resolution 1343 (Council‐12), does not directly address the issue of global
flight tracking;
e)
that flight tracking for civil aviation is currently available across the globe, apart from some
parts of the polar regions;
f)
that ICAO, in its special meeting on global flight tracking, Montreal, 12‐13 May 2014,
encouraged ITU to take action, at the earliest opportunity, to provide the necessary spectrum
allocations for satellite when emerging aviation needs are identified,
considering further
a)
that studies relating to global flight tracking are ongoing in the ITU Radiocommunication
Sector (ITU‐R);
b)
that ITU and ICAO signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012 to establish a
framework for enhanced cooperation between the two parties,
(5 pages)
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-5-
FSMP (ACP) WG-F/32 IP05
(5 pages)
noting
that identifying and tracking of civil aircraft flights contributes indirectly to aviation safety,
resolves
to instruct WRC‐15, pursuant to No. 119 of the ITU Convention, to include in its agenda, as a matter
of urgency, the consideration of global flight tracking, including, if appropriate, and consistent with
ITU practices, various aspects of the matter, taking into account ITU‐R studies,
instructs the Secretary‐General
to bring this resolution to the attention of WRC‐15 and ICAO,
instructs the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau
to prepare a specific report on the matter as referred to in resolves above for consideration by
WRC‐15.
— END —
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