Global aircraft emergency signals now reach rescue services directly

Autonomous Distress Tracking (ADT) data from aircraft worldwide is now being fed into the global Location of an Aircraft in Distress Repository (LADR), thanks to a new sophisticated technical connection announced today by ICAO, EUROCONTROL, and the French Mission Control Centre (FMCC.)

"We have achieved a significant step forward in strengthening the international community's ability to track aircraft in distress and respond swiftly and effectively to emergency situations worldwide."

The LADR is a secure, web-based platform that forms a core component of ICAO's Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS). It was developed and hosted by EUROCONTROL on behalf of ICAO.

"LADR provides a single point of access for information on aircraft in distress anywhere in the world and will make a real contribution to improving how the global aviation community manages these situations. It shows how global leadership and regional cooperation can help drive improvements in safety that will benefit aviation around the globe."

The platform now enables accredited contributors to submit and access last known position data from suitably equipped aircraft. In the event of an aircraft distress situation-anywhere, anytime-LADR serves as a single point of access, notifying relevant stakeholders including aircraft operators, air navigation service providers, and search and rescue teams.

The French MCC is a key component of the international Cospas-Sarsat Programme and plays a vital role in coordinating distress alerts across Europe and beyond. By integrating this data into LADR, operational stakeholders are better supported in the coordination of timely and effective search and rescue operations. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, fishery and aquaculture (DGAMPA) provides overall direction and management of the MCC's activities. It is hosted and technically supported by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) in Toulouse.

"France has always been a very active actor in the international Cospas-Sarsat Programme, in particular in its activities in support of GADSS, and the pioneering role played today by the FMCC is a fine illustration of this involvement."

This milestone highlights the strength of global cooperation and the shared commitment of international partners to enhancing aviation safety and distress response capabilities.

It also marks a key step in the broader implementation of ICAO's Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) concept-developed in response to major aviation incidents with the ultimate goal of ensuring that aircraft in distress can be located quickly and accurately, enabling faster rescue operations and saving lives.

The other five MCC worldwide will also eventually be linked to LADR, heightening the resilience of the network.

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