20 Dec 2019

Don’t forget to book your ADS-B installation

If you own a New Zealand-registered aircraft with a MCTOW of less than 7,500kg, you may qualify for financial support to help you equip with ADS-B.

In October the Government announced a $12.5 million ADS-B Grant programme, to support the uptake of ADS-B equipment by New Zealand’s general aviation sector, and in November we released the eligibility criteria for the grant scheme.

Because the grant scheme will apply retrospectively, eligible installations since 14 June 2014 will be covered by the grants. That means that you can book your installation now for the New Year and know that you will be ADS-B equipped well ahead of the proposed ADS-B mandate, while also being able to claim financial support for your installation through one of the most generous grant schemes worldwide.

The Authority is currently developing the application process and administration system for the grant scheme, and further details will be announced in early 2020.

Have your say on the proposed ADS-B mandate

Yesterday we released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for rules that would mandate the use of ADS-B OUT systems in all controlled airspace.

This is the second phase for ADS-B uptake in New Zealand as part of the wider New Southern Sky (NSS) programme, with the first phase having brought in mandatory ADS-B for all aircraft operating above flight level 245.

The NPRM will hopefully not come as a surprise to the sector, as this proposed ADS-B mandate has been signalled since as far back as 2014, and NSS stakeholders have made invaluable contributions to the development of this proposed rule.

The NPRM consultation will run until 21 February 2020 and I would encourage all interested parties to make a submission on proposed rules. You can read more about the proposed rule and see the full NPRM here.