Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia plan to trial a new method of tracking planes, after the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 almost a year ago.
The new system enables planes to be tracked every 15 minutes, an increase on the current 30 to 40 minutes, and uses technology already installed on most long-haul planes, reports the BBC.
Flight MH370, with 239 passengers on board, lost contact on March 8, 2015, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and has never been found.
Australian transport minister Warren Truss described the new system as a ‘world first’.
But experts accept that it may not have helped in the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight.
Airservices Australia chairman Angus Houston, who helped lead the search for MH370, told the BBC it was ‘no silver bullet’.
He added: "But it is an important step in delivering immediate improvements to the way we currently track aircraft while more comprehensive solutions are developed."
The trial will begin in the Australian city of Brisbane, before being extended to Indonesia and Malaysia.
