Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System - History of ACARS

History of ACARS

Prior to the introduction of datalink, all communication between the aircraft (i.e., the flight crew) and personnel on the ground was performed using voice communication. This communication used either VHF or HF voice radios, which was further augmented with SATCOM in the early 1990s. In many cases, the voice-relayed information involves dedicated radio operators and digital messages sent to an airline teletype system or its successor systems.