Irish Aviation Authority invests €20m in air traffic surveillance

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has invested €20 million for a 6% stake in Aireon LLC, a proposed space-based air traffic surveillance venture.

The system will use a network of 66 “Iridium Next” satellites to send and receive aircraft positional tracking data, making it possible to track planes accurately across the entire planet and is the first truly global air transport traffic management and surveillance system.

The IAA’s took the 6% stake is part of a binding agreement along with two other major air navigation service providers, ENAV (Italy) and Naviair (Denmark) to make a $120 million (€87m) investment in the new service.