Planes to be equipped with new tracking measures

Commercial flights worldwide could soon be equipped with transmitters that send out an emergency signal every minute to help rescuers find downed planes more easily.

The new measures may be phased in by the end of this year, said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency.

tracking

new

the

with

flying

Planes

equipment would start sending out a signal every minute if an unusual event is detected, including a change in direction or deviation from a flight path.

Under normal flying conditions, aircraft using the system would transmit their location at 15-minute intervals. Airlines are responsible to report information to authorities in cases of emergency.

Search and rescue teams can then track an aircraft within six nautical miles (11 kilometers) of its last known position following a distress signal.

Currently, aircraft are tracked by radar, whose coverage diminishes when planes are out at sea or flying below a certain altitude.

Airlines are also being asked to equip their aircraft with ejectable black boxes

easily

more

be

and

float

would

that

retrievable in case of a crash over water.

Planes built after 2021 will reportedly include the ejectable black boxes as part of their inventory.

be

would

boxes

black

Ejectable

supplementary pieces of equipment alongside the existing commercial flight

voice

cockpit

and

recorder

data

recorder in planes.

The new measures will be presented to

member

ICAO

191

all

from

delegates

states at a meeting in the Canadian city of Montreal from February 2-5.

Industry experts say the initiative has unanimous support among ICAO member states.

A final proposal will likely be submitted to the ICAO Council within six months for ratification.

the

after

comes

announcement

The

disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 last year, which is presumed to have crashed in the southern Indian

Western

of

coast

the

near

Ocean

Australia.

The plane, carrying 239 people on board,

Malaysian

the

from

way

the

on

was

capital city, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing, the capital of China.

The search for survivors has been called off, but the underwater search for the plane continues.

No confirmed debris has ever been found.