31 January 2007
Eleven European airlines are expected to apply for EASA airworthiness approval for their existing ADS-B installations when application slots become available this summer. Working with dedicated ground stations, ADS-B provides suitably equipped aircraft – including GA types – with a cockpit display of traffic and weather information. The first certificates are expected to be issued by the end of the year.
The airlines are Aegean Airlines, Air Europa, Airbus Transport International, British Airways, Compagnie Corse Méditerranéènne, Cyprus Airways, Hapagfly, Lufthansa,
Niki, Ryanair and SAS. Once installed (in 200 or so aircraft) ADS-B will allow ATC to track them without using traditional radar. For an initial period the installations will be used on a trial basis, with Eurocontrol overseeing the trials.
In Europe, the first operational use of ADS-B is expected in non-radar terminal areas around secondary airports or en route, supplementing radars, and that is where the
trials will take place.
In the USA, the FAA has committed money to ADS-B, funding both suitable ground stations and kitting out a number of privately owned light aircraft for demonstration projects. Coverage for the system is growing.
In the UK, AOPA has been arguing the case for ADS-B for some time, and the Swedes have been carrying out a trial among their gliding community.
