The Canadian ADS-B Mandate

Welcome back to Jump Seat. Today we want to discuss the upcoming Canadian ADS-B Mandate that takes effect August 10, 2023. As a quick refresher, ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology onboard aircraft that automatically broadcasts flight information from the aircraft via a digital datalink. This technology is more precise than radar and used by air traffic systems to display the aircraft’s position, altitude and airspeed to other aircraft and ATC. The Canadian ADS-B Performance Mandate includes the additional requirement for aircraft transponders to have the capability for transmission to Space-Based ADS-B receivers. Read on to find out more details. 

There are three main components to the Canadian ADS-B Mandate: 

1. A Phased Approach for ADS-B Mandate Implementation 
2. ADS-B Equipment Requirements   
3. Proper Indication of Mandate Compliance On Your Flight Plan 

#1: A Phased Approach for ADS-B Mandate Implementation 

The Mandate will be rolled out over multiple phases: 

• Phase 1: August 10, 2023, aircraft flying in Class A airspace will need to comply. Class A airspace is applied between 18,000 feet (5,500 m) and FL600 with some exceptions. 
• Phase 2: May 16, 2024, aircraft flying in Class B airspace will need to comply. Class B airspace is generally defined as low level-controlled airspace and generally exists between 12,500 ft (3810 meters) and the floor of Class A airspace. 
• Phase 3: No earlier than 2026, aircraft flying in Classes C, D and E airspaces will need to comply. Note that Class F and G Airspaces are not included in the ADS-B Out Mandate. 

90-day Implementation Transition Announced 

There will now be a 90-day transition period from August 10, 2023 to November 8, 2023 to offer aircraft operators more time to acclimate. Aviation Occurrence Reports (AOR) will not be filed during this transition period in the event that an aircraft is not equipped to meet the requirements. However, after November 8, 2023 non-compliant operators can expect an AOR accordingly. Note: NAV CANADA still expects that aircraft operators will file SUR/CANMANDATE in the flight plan as soon as the aircraft is appropriately equipped, including during the 90-day transition period. 

#2: What are the Canadian ADS-B Equipment Requirements? 

Referencing Canada AIC 17/23: 

“To demonstrate compliance with the Canadian ADS-B Out mandate, aircraft are required to:  

• be equipped with an appropriate transponder with ADS-B Out capabilities that performs to the Minimum Operational Performance Standards of RTCA DO-260B, or newer; and  
• have antenna capability for broadcast toward both ground-based as well as space-based ADS-B receivers. This requirement can be met either through antenna diversity (the use of a top and bottom antenna) or with a single antenna capable of transmitting both towards the ground and up towards satellites. 

Aircraft equipment and installation requirements are defined in Airworthiness Chapter 551 – Aircraft Equipment and Installation – Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), section 551.103 – Transponder and Automatic Pressure Altitude Reporting Equipment, which is available at the Transport Canada website: Aircraft equipment and installation requirements - CAR 551.03“ 

#3: How to Indicate Mandate Compliance in your Flight Plan  

Again, Canada AIC 17/23 specifically details the requirements for the new mandate: 

“Aircraft operators are expected to file the following ADS-B equipage in item 10b of the ICAO flight plan:  

· B1 ADS-B with dedicated 1090 MHz ADS-B Out capability; or  

· B2 ADS-B with dedicated 1090 MHz ADS-B Out and In capability.  

In addition to the B1 or B2 code, aircraft equipped in accordance with the Canadian ADS-B Out mandate will also need to include the following new entry in item 18 of the flight plan:  

· SUR/CANMANDATE  

...even if the flight does not plan to enter airspace where ADS-B has been mandated, aircraft operators are encouraged to always begin including SUR/CANMANDATE as soon as the aircraft is appropriately equipped.” 

How to Update Default Flight Plan Filing Information on ARINCDirect  

Please see the Canadian ADS-B Mandate Release Notes for instructions on updating your ATC Filing defaults. Note: Only account administrators and designated accounts are permitted access to modify aircraft ATC Filing defaults on the ARINCDirect Website. 

Additional Questions

Why does Canada have different ADS-B antenna performance requirements than other countries?

From NAV CANADA's Official ADS-B mandate webpage: 

“Canada has an abundance of remote areas without road access, including areas with extreme weather in the north, that make the installation and maintenance of ground-based infrastructure costly and challenging. Space-based ADS-B also has the advantage of a signal that is not blocked by line of sight due to terrain, which is especially advantageous in mountainous regions.” 

Is there any scenario where I can still operate without meeting the mandate requirements in Class A airspace after November 8 (the last day of the transition period)? 

Yes, ADS-B accommodation requests for aircraft that would be unable to transmit in accordance with the Canadian ADS-B mandate, will be “handled in a similar fashion for aircraft without functioning transponders in transponder mandatory airspace.”  

• Individual ADS-B accommodation requests can be submitted online at the NAV CANADA website: https://aar.navcanada.ca   
• Blanket accommodations may be made available to air operators with regularly scheduled flights. Operators wishing to request blanket accommodation should email [email protected]  
• More information on this process can be found in AIC 17/23 under the ADS-B Accommodation for Unequipped Aircraft section.  

What about Canadian and Foreign State Aircraft that are unable to meet the ADS-B Mandate?

“Canadian State aircraft, as well as foreign State aircraft that are specifically covered by diplomatic note or formal agreement, will not be required to provide advance notice and will automatically be accommodated by NAV CANADA.”  Note: More information including unique exemption filing text is on page 15 of CANADA AIP ENR 1.6.3. 

• The ADS-B position source does not need to be the same position source used for navigation. It is acceptable for a GNSS position source to be embedded in the ADS-B equipment and provide position information to the ADS-B system without providing any navigation information to other onboard systems. 
• New York and Oakland Oceanic are currently evaluating future Space-Based ADS-B utilization via the Advanced Surveillance Enhanced Procedural Separation (ASEPS) Program.  
• Gander, Shanwick, and Santa Maria Oceanic airspaces already provide Space-Based ADS-B capability. 

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