SINGAPORE, March 4 — All Singapore airlines will be required to establish tracking capabilities that would enable the airlines to know the location of their aircraft at least every 15 minutes throughout the entire duration of the flight.

In its ongoing efforts to bolster aviation safety, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) published the new rules today to improve the tracking of Singapore registered aircraft.

“The safety of the travelling public is always our priority,” its Director-General, Kevin Shum, said in a statement here.

Shum said that CAAS has worked closely with the industry to advance the implementation of the latest rules on enhanced aircraft tracking.

“When fully implemented, our airlines will have added assurance of the whereabouts and safety of their aircraft operations throughout their network,” he said.

The new rules will apply to all Singapore air operators operating passenger aircraft of more than 27,000kg and carrying more than 19 passengers, as well as cargo aircraft of more than 45,500kg.

The authority will work closely with Singapore air operators to manage the transition to these new rules.

From July 1 onwards, airlines will be required to track their aircraft either manually or automatically while from November 8, 2018 onwards, only automatic tracking will be permitted, the statement said.

CAAS said that this move was consistent with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) plans to require a 15-minute standard for normal flight tracking by November 2018.

CAAS noted that it will impose this requirement on airlines flying over any area, which is more comprehensive than the ICAO requirement which is only for aircraft flying over oceanic areas.

Accordingly, local airlines have expressed their support for the move.

“We are supportive of the efforts to improve flight tracking capabilities. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is already in compliance with CAAS’ new rules, as we have enhanced flight tracking capabilities that give us detailed oversight of our global flight operations,” SIA’s Acting Senior Vice President Flight Operations, Captain C.E. Quay said.

Meanwhile Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Tigerair Singapore, Ho Yuen Sang, said that Tigerair has been working closely with CAAS in order to achieve the highest level of surveillance and tracking for its aircraft.

“We are confident that these industry leading regulations represent a significant step forward in aviation safety which is our top priority,” he added. — Bernama