ADS‑B retrofit deadline set

Air Transport Services Group and two avionics partners have launched an ADS-B In retrofit program for Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft, with service targeted for early 2027. (atsginc.com) ADS-B In is the cockpit side of aircraft surveillance: instead of only broadcasting a jet’s position outward, it lets pilots receive nearby traffic data and see it on flight-deck displays. ATSG said its Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services unit is developing the package with Innovative Aerosystems and Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems, or ACSS. (atsginc.com) (businesswire.com) The retrofit combines ACSS’s SafeRoute ADS-B In technology with Innovative Aerosystems’ flat-panel display system, so older 757s and 767s can add traffic awareness without a full cockpit replacement. Airborne said it will handle aircraft integration and certification work. (atsginc.com) (businesswire.com) For aircraft that do not already have those displays, the companies told Aviation Week they will offer a fuller package that includes an Acron Aviation TCAS3000 traffic-collision-avoidance system. Aircraft that already have the display upgrade may need only TCAS3000, or only the ADS-B In function if they are already TCAS-equipped. (aviationweek.com) The sales pitch is cost and timing. ACSS Program Manager Cam Morast told Aviation Week the program was designed as a “practical, low-cost solution” for 757 and 767 operators facing “upcoming regulatory mandates” without paying for a full flight-deck overhaul. (aviationweek.com) ATSG said installation will be synchronized with scheduled heavy maintenance events, a move meant to reduce aircraft downtime while the company works through surveys, engineering and certification planning. The company said that process is intended to create a clear path to entry into service. (atsginc.com) (businesswire.com) ATSG and ACSS said the selectable functions have shown several Federal Aviation Administration-tested benefits, including better situational awareness, increased runway throughput, tighter enroute spacing, lower oceanic fuel burn at preferred flight levels and runway surface alerting. Those are operational gains older widebody and narrowbody fleets usually cannot unlock with legacy displays alone. (atsginc.com) (businesswire.com) The timing also reflects a policy shift in Washington. Aviation Week reported that U.S. lawmakers are working on a broader ADS-B In mandate with cockpit displays after the January 2025 mid-air collision involving a PSA Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C. (aviationweek.com) Launch customers are expected to come from ATSG’s own airline portfolio, which includes ABX Air, Air Transport International and Omni Air International. That gives the program an in-house path to first installations as the partners aim for 2027 service entry. (aviationweek.com) For 757 and 767 operators, the immediate deadline is not a government rule taking effect this week. It is a certification-and-installation clock that ATSG and its partners have now started, with the first retrofit kits expected in about a year and airline service after that. (aviationweek.com) (atsginc.com)