The White House’s request for $136 million of its Data Communications (Data Comm) program in Fiscal Year 2020 comes as the FAA prepares for the rollout of the technology at nation’s air route traffic control centers (ARTCC). Data Comm provides a means for air traffic controllers and pilots to communicate digitally. Controllers can send text instructions to several aircraft at once, while pilots may digitally transmit flight plans, clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests, reports, and other essential messages.
The FAA estimates that the technology could produce $10 billion in savings (and another $1 billion for the FAA alone) over 30 years. The agency completed deployment of the technology at 55 airports in 2016, two and a half years ahead of schedule. With the cost-saving from that deployment, the agency expanded the program to seven more airports last year: Buffalo, Charleston, Columbus, Fort Myers, Joint Base Andrews, Reno-Tahoe, and Van Nuys. All went into operation by last summer, again more than a year ahead of schedule.
The FAA had set a goal of having 1,900 aircraft participating this year. By the end of 2018, some 5,800 aircraft were participating. To participate, aircraft must be equipped with Future Air Navigation System avionics and VHF digital link radios. By the end of 2018, 50,000 communications were being transmitted weekly.
The next phase is looking to the en route environment, and the FAA said testing is underway at ARTCCs. Deployment is anticipated and initial services are expected to be in place by 2020 with full en route services anticipated by 2022. Once complete, the FAA said, it will look toward future NextGen capabilities for technology.