Acron Aviation released a new report Wednesday on U.S. airline readiness for ADS-B In, based on a survey of 100 airline management professionals conducted in April. According to Acron, 47% of respondents said their airlines have already equipped at least part of their fleets with ADS-B In, while another 40% said they are evaluating the technology. The report comes as the ALERT Act, which has passed the House and is pending in the Senate, would require ADS-B In equipage on most aircraft by Dec. 31, 2031.
Although 86% of survey respondents said they could comply with a mandate within three years, Acron reported that 51% described their understanding of ADS-B In as general or limited and 34% said they did not understand the difference between ADS-B In and ADS-B Out.
Cost was the most cited barrier to investment at 38%, followed by competing capital priorities at 33% and lack of a regulatory mandate at 26%.
The report also cited an FAA evaluation at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with American Airlines that logged a 12-second reduction in arrival spacing, four to five additional landings per hour per runway and 490,000 pounds of fuel saved in the first year.
“The data shows the appetite for ADS-B In exists,” Damien Moreau, president of Acron Aviation’s ACSS, said. “This study also tells us that boardroom confidence is outpacing what’s actually understood about the technology at the decision-making level, so the industry needs to work to educate people on the real advantages it brings. The airlines that see the most benefits from ADS-B In will be the ones that treat it as an operational investment with measurable returns in fuel, capacity and on-time performance.”
It was unclear to me how simple ADSB-In could result in reduced arrival spacing and increased efficiency, so I went to the report (linked below). There’s a bit more to the story. These efficiencies are obtained through the use of optimized spacing on visual approaches with the incorporation of technology making use of ADSB-In and ATC procedures that identify “traffic to follow” (TTF) by call sign. The crew enters TTF information into the FMS, and the tech optimizes the flight path for minimum separation.
Thanks for pointing that out! It’s surprising that half of “aviation management professionals” don’t know anything about this technology…