Equipment Will Be Mandatory In Australia In Two Years

Perth, Australia-based Skywest Airlines has become the first Fokker 100 operator worldwide to implement ADS-B OUT, which will be mandatory for operations above FL290 in Australia after December 12, 2013.

Fokker Services developed and certified the ADS-B OUT system for the Fokker 100. The system was installed in the Skywest aircraft at the Fokker Services Asia facilities in Singapore where the final certification testing was also carried out.

"The main benefit for operators to start using this system is higher flexibility and priority in routes and clearance requests in areas with limited or no ATC radar coverage", says Karel van Meekeren, Product Manager from Fokker Services.

"We are proud to be the first Fokker 100 operator to implement this system" says Fred Crampton, Fokker 100 Fleet Manager from Skywest. "We hope to achieve more flexibility in our operation, particularly in areas of Western Australia where traffic density is very high, due to the fly-in, fly-out workforce of the mining industry. Radar coverage is limited in these remote areas and ADS-B will reduce the reliance on procedural separation requirements."

FMI: www.fokkerservices.com