FAA announces next-generation air traffic control

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it is backing plans for new satellite technology to improve the safety and capacity of air transportation systems.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a satellite-based program that will improve radar's visibility and accuracy, allowing planes to move in closer proximity to each other and giving pilots, as well as air traffic controllers, access to the on-screen information.

According to Federal Computer Week, recent studies have shown that demand for air travel will treble in the next few years and that the current air traffic control systems will be unable to cope when that happens.

Preliminary studies have already been carried out by the FAA into the system's operational capabilities through trial runs in Alaska and the Ohio Valley and $80 million of the FAA budget has been apportioned to forwarding the plans in 2007.

Once installation of ADS-B is complete, it will be cheaper to maintain than radar, because of the reduced space needed for stations, lower running costs, and more efficient management systems.

The aviation industry as a whole welcomes the move, but the system will be introduced slowly in order to fully integrate processes and ensure a smooth transition, with passenger safety at the top of the agenda.

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