On 8 May 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination, Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The international passenger flight, operated by Malaysia Airlines, disappeared from radar after 38 minutes. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of this flight, ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano issued the following statement:
“ICAO continues to extend its deepest sympathies to the families and communities affected by the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370. The fact that the aircraft has not been found in the ten years since it disappeared compounds this tragedy. This also limits our understanding of the disappearance, hampering the most fundamental safety priorities in aviation: the prevention of accidents and fatalities.
The MH 370 accident investigation instituted and conducted by Malaysia did however provide key insights that have enabled the international community to work towards ensuring a tragedy of this type cannot re-occur.
The investigators addressed two safety recommendations to ICAO: to examine the safety benefits of introducing standards for real-time tracking of commercial air transport aircraft, and to review the effectiveness of the Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) fitted to passenger aircraft at that time. The investigators also suggested ICAO review ways to more effectively determine the location of an aircraft that enters water.
This has resulted in the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) for the real time tracking of commercial air transport aircraft. In case of an accident in water, GADSS enables the identification of general location of an accident site. Technical standards have also been updated to accommodate the deployment of ELT and enhanced underwater location pingers for flight recorders.
Since the loss of MH 370, ICAO has also worked to assure governments improve the care, resources, and timely and comprehensive information that accident victims and their loved ones need in such tragic circumstances.
However, none of the progress we have made will undo this tragedy. Respect for victims of aircraft accidents and their families’ mental, physical and spiritual well-being is paramount to ICAO and to all aviation stakeholders, and this priority is at the heart of our advocacy today.”
Shortly after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a special Multidisciplinary Meeting on Global Flight Tracking (MMGFT) was convened at ICAO Headquarters in Montréal, to propose recommendations for future actions. One of the main decisions taken was the need for operators to pursue global tracking of airline flights at a faster pace. The GADSS concept of operations, with short, medium, and long term actions executed, was initiated at this meeting. With the cooperation of numerous industry, regulatory, and other interested stakeholders who formed the GADSS Advisory Group, the different elements of the original GADSS concept were further refined, developed, and implemented. The full system that is currently in place, is explained here.