The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying 239 people on board, turns a year old on Sunday, and still remains a mystery. It had rocked the global aviation industry and spooked aviation experts, prompting the mapping of measures that will prevent the event from ever happening again in the future. One such measure that has been hastily facilitated was the creation of a technology that will enable airlines to track the exact locations of aircraft every 15 minutes. Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia will lead the trial of the enhanced tracking method.

Using satellite-based positioning technology already present on 90 percent of long-haul aircraft, the enhanced tracking method will track aeroplanes every 15 minutes, then increase to 5 minutes or less if there is a deviation in its movements, Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss said. The existing method tracks the movements of global aircrafts every 30 to 40 minutes. The technology will track the plane’s current position as well as its next two planned positions, according to Angus Houston, Airservices Australia chairman, who helped lead the search for Flight 370.

The method is no fool-proof solution, but Houston said is an “important step in delivering immediate improvements to the way we currently track aircraft while more comprehensive solutions are developed.” If this method proves successful, and regulators push for its implementation, the scheme would be enforced by end of 2016.

Global airlines are also looking at a second phase for the enhanced tracking method. A report by NYDailyNews said airlines with a fleet of 19 or more aircraft built after 2020 would need to automatically transmit every minute its location if it “deviates from its route, makes an unusual drop or climb in elevation, or if a fire was detected.” The plan will call for the transmitting program to be always on and active. Pilots will not be given access to disable it.

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