Taking a major step ahead of the U.S., the European Commission (EC) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) announcing its intent to mandate carriage of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) transponders by 2015, versus the FAA’s planned 2020 deadline. The EC also calls for its 27 member nations to align their ATC procedures more closely with those of their neighbors to create a seamless European airspace system that supports five- and three-mile separation standards, for en route and terminal operations, respectively. These initiatives are key elements of the EC’s move towards its Single European Sky (SES) plan and the associated Sesar air traffic management system, similar to the FAA’s NextGen project.
The EC NPRM mandates ADS-B out capability as the initial step to ADS-B in, which will become the standard equipage in future European airspace. The European ADS-B rule is slated to become law late next year (the FAA is aiming for April of the same year), and will confirm 2015 as the date by which all aircraft, both European and non-European, must be ADS-B out compliant. Airplanes weighing less than 12,500 pounds and with cruise speeds below 250 knots will be exempt.
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