The Air Transport Association has reaffirmed its
endorsement of the accelerated deployment of Automatic Dependent
Services Broadcast (ADS-B) technology in the Gulf of Mexico. ADS-B is a
new cost-effective surveillance technology that provides very accurate
aircraft position information.

    In a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator
Marion Blakey, ATA President and CEO James C. May said, “ADS-B will
enable the FAA to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS) to safely
and efficiently meet tomorrow’s demand for air transportation services
while allowing for the decommissioning of expensive ground-based radar
systems, some dating back to the 1960s.”

 

    Additionally, ATA noted that it fully supports FAA utilization of
commercially-supplied services, which expands the value of ADS-B
technology. ADS-B is also a critical component for achieving the Smart
Skies vision of modernization of the NAS and the system’s 35-year-old
funding mechanism. ADS-B, slated for deployment over the next 25 years,
must allow for a positive return on investment to both government and
industry.
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