Use of the traditional airline datalink ACARS (airborne communications addressing and reporting system) has doubled in five years, reaching a landmark two million messages a day linking 10,000 user aircraft, airline operations centres, air traffic control, and aircraft and engine manufacturers, communications giant SITA said.
Philip Clinch, SITA vice-president of aircraft communications, said ACARS use is set to increase despite newer alternatives.
"Even as we look towards the introduction of a new aeronautical telecommunications network protocol for air traffic control data link and aircraft IP links for electronic flight bags, ACARS is so embedded in aircraft that it is set to remain the communications backbone of aviation for another 15 to 20 years," Clinch said.
He said demand for the SITA service has doubled in five years, adding: "New generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787, still have ACARS for their flight-critical communications in parallel with their new-generation electronic flight bags."
Capacity is not a problem, Clinch said, explaining that following the US Federal Aviation Authority's approval this month of the use of Iridium satellite communications for mission-critical applications, "this will enable more aircraft to use satellite ACARS for air traffic control communications enabling denser airspace operations over oceans while maintaining safety".
Source: Flight International
