EASA and the FAA have both certified Garmin’s Autoland system on the Pilatus PC-12 PRO. The Swiss manufacturer confirmed the approvals this morning, with the emergency safety feature now part of the standard fit for the turboprop single.
Autoland can be activated in emergencies such as a pilot medical issue via a button in the cabin or when the avionics system detects pilot inactivity. When activated, Autoland determines the most suitable airport to land the aircraft, based on factors such as runway length, fuel reserves, and weather conditions. Then it automatically makes radio calls during the approach, lands the airplane, and subsequently shuts down the engine,
The safety system is already installed on other aircraft, including the Piper M600; Daher TBM 940, 960, and 980; and the Cirrus Vision Jet. Pilatus is marketing the system—enabled by the PC-12 PRO’s Garmin G3000 Prime avionics suite—as Safety Autoland.
Certification tests on the PC-12 PRO included demonstrating a safe automatic landing from system activation through to landing, including automated communication and engine shutdown.
In other news at the company, Pilatus delivered 43 PC-12 PROs during the first half of this year—a 72% increase from a year ago. The company also delivered 18 PC-24 jets in the first six months, up one unit from first-half 2025, while billings rose 35%, to $535.74 million, over the same period.
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