The General Aviation Manufacturers Association praised the recent reaffirmation by the European Commission (EC) of the 2020 mandates for ADS-B implementation. In a letter outlining conclusions of a July workshop on the surveillance performance and interoperability (SPI) regulation, Henrik Hololei, the EC director general for the mobility and transport directorate, wrote, “The final implementation dates…stand and must be met."  Regulation 1207/2011 and the amended 2017/386 establish a June 2, 2020 date for ground-based surveillance chains and June 7, 2020, for ADS-B Out systems in aircraft.

The letter further encourages stakeholders—including industry, air navigation service providers, member states, and other interested parties—to submit implementation plans as soon as possible that will be used to feed into an “Air-Ground synchronized ADS-B implementation plan” that will be finalized by year-end.

“These decisions are instrumental in helping accelerate the existing momentum and I would urge all stakeholders to participate and contribute to the collective effort to bring about this important upgrade of the surveillance chains in the European ATM system,” Hololei added in the letter.

“GAMA is pleased the EC has confirmed the European mandate for ADS-B implementation by June 2020,” the association said. “ADS-B is a valuable tool for pilots, improving efficiency of their flights and enhancing safety, as well as ensuring their access to airspace."

Meanwhile, the U.S. FAA has repeatedly stressed that the 2020 ADS-B Out mandate is not changing. In fact, FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell reiterated his appeal for operators to equip last week at EAA AirVenture. “It’s not going away. January 1, 2020, is getting closer and closer,” he told AirVenture attendees. “FAA can do all sorts of things behind the scenes to help manufacturers get safety equipment off the drawing board and into your favorite supply store more quickly. It doesn’t do us any good if they don’t end up on your aircraft.”