North Atlantic Data Link Mandate: Cost Impact to U.S. Commercial Operators

An analysis was conducted to estimate the cost for U.S. airlines to comply with a data link mandate in the North Atlantic (NAT) Airspace. The mandate will be implemented with the objective of reducing the number of large height deviations and gross navigation errors by improving conformance monitoring and detection of deviations from cleared routes and flight levels. Phase 1 will start on February 7, 2013 with limits defined in the vertical plane from flight level 360 to flight level 390, inclusive. In the horizontal plane, phase 1 will cover no more than two tracks designated as core tracks within the NAT Organized Track System (OTS). Phase 2 will enter into effect on February 5, 2015 and will apply to specified portions of the NAT Minimum Navigation Performance Specification (MNPS) airspace. The extension of phase 2 is yet to be determined. To operate in airspace where the mandate applies, aircraft will need to be equipped with FANS-1/A ADS-C and CPDLC data link. The analysis showed that avionics procurement and installation are the highest costs for aircraft operators. The cost to U.S. commercial operators to comply with the data link mandate is approximately $247.9 million (2012 USD). The largest portion of such cost applies to the retrofit of legacy aircraft, which represent a very high number of operations in the NAT and tend to have low equipage levels.