Beginning July 1st 2016, Spirit Aeronautics' customers will be able to lock-in their ADS-B upgrade and ensure the required equipment is reserved for their aircraft. The ADS-B mandate comes in to force on January 1st 2020.

“To make it easier and cost effective for our customers, we have established the ADS-B Position Guarantee Program which essentially reserves the equipment required for the upgrades and secures a position on the schedule, said Tony Bailey, President & COO. "This is just another innovative way we use to help our customers meet the requirements and mitigate the risks of being left holding the bag on January 1st, 2020.”

The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Mandate

With the increase in air traffic worldwide - ICAO estimates an increase of 3 to 15 percent per year depending upon region - a global approach through mandates has been instituted to help ease air traffic congestion and increase operational safety. Another side benefit is an increase in airline cost savings. ADS-B is a system architecture that allows for onboard position reporting to air traffic control ground stations in conjunction with other relevant intent data that gives air traffic controllers the ability to recognize what an aircraft is doing in real time. In an effort to keep up with global ADS-B initiative, the FAA introduced a mandate that requires all aircraft operating in U.S. Airspace within specific parameters to be equipped with ADS-B by January 1, 2020 as part of the FAA NextGen solution.

An estimated 209,000 aircraft in the United States will be affected by the mandate which means equipment OEM’s and Avionics Modification centers will be over-extended beyond capacity as 159.7 aircraft will have to be completed everyday starting June 1st, 2016 until the cutoff which is nearly impossible from an industry perspective.

NBAA COO Steve Brown illustrated the necessity for aircraft operators to comply with the mandates as quickly as possible in his statement “Current installation trends indicate that some aircraft may not be equipped by the 2020 deadline either by owner choice or by a shortfall in shop capacity. NBAA continues to encourage its members to plan carefully for the transition to ensure they can access the airspace and airports necessary for their type of operations by 2020.”

The Spirit Aeronautics ADS-B Position Guarantee Program

The Spirit Aeronautics ADS-B Position Guarantee Program allows customers to reserve the equipment and schedule position required to complete an ADS-B upgrade to their aircraft. There is also an option to lock in costs (where available) and capitalize the event by making payments towards the event which will be secured in escrow. This allows customers to realize cost savings, capitalize the costs and meet the requirements on their terms instead of being captured by market trends.