UPDATE 2-U.N. agency may delay plane tracking proposed after MH370

(Adds context, comment from ICAO)
PARIS/MONTREAL, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations
agency that oversees civil aviation may delay a plan to require
that airlines track the location of their planes by two years,
to 2018, according to an internal report seen by Reuters.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had
proposed that by November 2016, all large aircraft carrying
passengers report their position at least once every 15 minutes,
part of a broader plan meant to avoid a repeat of the
disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
But an advisory committee at ICAO has recommended a delay to
November 2018 to give carriers more time to implement the
change, according to the Sept. 1 report.
The group also recommended that ICAO consider requiring
automated tracking systems, something that would likely force
some airlines to install new equipment on planes.
When the 15-minute plan was first proposed, ICAO said the
small number of long-haul aircraft that do not have tracking
equipment on board would have the option of reporting their
position over radio, which meant no airline would be required to
retrofit planes.
But the advisory group, called the Normal Aircraft Tracking
Implementation Initiative (NATII) said manual reports could
distract pilots, causing safety problems, and might not be
accurate. It made the recommendations after consulting with
airlines that fly in remote areas and running a "table top
exercise" to test tracking procedures.
ICAO did not comment directly on the advisory group's
recommendations, but said its governing council would make a
final decision on timing in November.
"We will continue to work with all concerned to see that
flight tracking becomes a commonplace capability sooner than
later," said a spokeswoman in an emailed statement.
An ICAO source familiar with the matter said several nations
had expressed concerns that the 2016 deadline was too soon
because of the planning and training that would be needed.
The European Union is pursuing more stringent plans. The
European Aviation Safety Agency is leaning toward a three-minute
interval, sources say. ID:nL5N11M36V
In 2009, an Air France jet - whose maintenance systems were
reporting its position every 10 minutes - vanished in the South
Atlantic, leaving investigators a 17,000-square-km
(6,600-square-mile) area to look for the jet. Its main wreckage
was found after two years.
News that NATII was pushing for a delay was first reported
by Air Traffic Management magazine.