ExecuJet MRO Services Fits ADS-B for South African Jets

ExecuJet MRO Services’ facility in Johannesburg is busy installing automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) equipment in business aircraft to meet a pending mandate issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The company said its avionics team is now conducting installations on various Bombardier, Learjet, Embraer, Hawker, and Beechcraft models.

Under the mandate, all aircraft operating in South African airspace have to be fitted with ADS-B/Mode S 1090-MHz extended squitter transponders. The requirements were issued by the regulator late last year and took effect in Class A airspace from June 12.

In addition to South Africa, 17 African states that are members of the ASECNA air traffic management agency have an ADS-B mandate that was introduced in June 2023. ASECNA includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

According to Vince Goncalves, ExecuJet MRO Services’ regional v-p for Africa, the South African regulator might consider issuing extensions of between three and six months to aircraft operators that have submitted a valid application and can show purchase orders for parts and a confirmed upgrade reservation. “It is, however, advisable that operators schedule their ADS-B upgrades well in advance to secure a maintenance slot, and to mitigate any lead times that might apply to the ADS-B equipment,” he told AIN. The team has been able to fulfill all recent orders with reasonable downtimes for aircraft, Goncalves noted.

Depending on the aircraft configuration, installations at its facility at Lanseria Airport (FALA) can involve installing or upgrading a DO-260B-compliant transponder and enhancing the aircraft’s GPS system for wide area augmentation capability. Depending on the aircraft make, model, and avionics configuration, the upgrade can cost between $150,000 and $370,000.

“Our team is very experienced doing such installations,” Goncalves said. “As an authorized dealer for major global avionic equipment manufacturers, we are capable of supporting business jet owners and operators with complex avionic upgrades that meet the latest international standards.”

ExecuJet MRO Services, which is wholly owned by Dassault Aviation, provides airframe, engine, and avionics maintenance. It is certified to work on a wide range of business aircraft, including those made by Dassault, Bombardier, Embraer, and Gulfstream. ADS-B installations conducted so far have included a pair of Learjet 45s and a Hawker 800XP.