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ACAS II Equipage Requirements |
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Current European ACAS II equipage requirements |
In Europe, as of 1 January 2005 all civil fixed-wing turbine-engined aircraft with a maximum take-off mass over 5,700 kg, or capable of carrying more than 19 passengers, must be equipped with TCAS II version 7.0. Additionally, many State and business aviation aircraft are also equipped.
On 20 December 2011, the European Commission published an Implementing Rule mandating the carriage of ACAS II version 7.1 within European Union airspace earlier than the dates stipulated in ICAO Annex 10 (see below):
- by all aircraft with a maximum certified take-off mass exceeding 5,700 kg or authorised to carry more 19 passengers from 1 March 2012;
- with the exception of aircraft with an individual certificate of airworthiness issued before 1 March 2012 that must be equipped as of 1 December 2015;
- aircraft not referred above but which will be equipped on a voluntary basis with ACAS II, must be equipped with version 7.1.
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European Commission Implementing Rule 1332/2011 |
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ACAS in State (military) aircraft |
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For information regarding State (military) equipage requirements, please refer to the web page of the EUROCONTROL Directorate if Civil-Military ATM Coordination.
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EUROCONTROL Civil-Military website |
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Minimum Equipment List (MEL) exemptions |
Flying with an inoperative ACAS II is permitted, including within RVSM airspace, provided it is done in accordance with the applicable Minimum Equipment List (MEL).
The MEL for TCAS II throughout Europe is Class A - 10 days (excluding the day of discovery). Operation under the terms of the EASA-OPS 1 TCAS II MEL has been agreed and accepted by the ECAC Member States. JAA TGL 26 (which is still applicable) states that TCAS II "may be inoperative provided the system is deactivated and secured, and repairs or replacements are carried out within 10 calendar days. Note: Local Authorities may impose a more restrictive rectification interval days."
Additional MEL requirements concerning partial failures are also listed in the TGL 26. Note: the actual MEL period applicable to an aircraft is set by the national authority of the aircraft operator, but if longer than Class A it would cause operational issues for flights in European airspace.
However, one State in Europe applies a more restrictive requirement: in German airspace the time period during which TCAS II may be inoperative is reduced to 3 days (refer to German AIP GEN 1.5 para. 5). This applies to all aircraft.
Finally, if flying with an unserviceable ACAS II, then the altitude reporting transponder must be serviceable.
ATC authorities are not required to determine whether an aircraft is fitted with ACAS II, nor is it the role of ATC to police ACAS II serviceability. In Europe, there is no requirement to notify ATC or to make a remark in the flight plan about TCAS II being inoperative. ICAO PANS-ATM Doc 4444, para 15.7.3.1 states: “The procedures to be applied for the provision of air traffic services to aircraft equipped with ACAS shall be identical to those applicable to non-ACAS equipped aircraft”.
NOTE:
1. Equipage and flight planning requirements are subject to change at any time. Please contact Please refer to the individual States authorities for more information.
2. Equipage and flight planning requirements outside Europe, e.g. India, China, Japan, Australia are different. Please refer to the individual States authorities for more information.
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Current ACAS II equipage requirements outside Europe |
ICAO Annex 6 states that as of 1 January 2005, all turbine-engined aeroplanes of a maximum certificated take-off mass in excess of 5700 kg or authorized to carry more than 19 passengers shall be equipped with an airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS II).
Amendment 85 to ICAO Annex 10 volume IV, published in October 2010, introduced a provision stating that:
- all new ACAS installations after 1 January 2014 shall be compliant with version 7.1; and
- all ACAS units shall be compliant with version 7.1 after 1 January 2017.
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However, some States outside Europe may apply different requirements. Please refer to the individual States authorities for more information.
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Current transponder equipage requirements |
ICAO Annex 6 states that all aeroplanes shall be equipped with a pressure-altitude reporting transponder which operates in accordance with the relevant provisions of Annex 10, Volume IV. This provision is intended to improve the effectiveness of air traffic services as well as airborne collision avoidance systems.
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History of European ACAS implementation policy |
In November 1995, the European Air Traffic Control (ATC) Harmonisation and Integration Programme (EATCHIP) Project Board agreed a common policy for the mandatory carriage and operation of ACAS for defined civil aircraft when flying in the airspace of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) States (link below). It was confirmed, in February 1997, at the fifth meeting of ECAC Ministers on the Air Traffic System in Europe (MATSE 5), when it was emphasised that the maintenance of aviation safety must remain of fundamental importance in guiding future ATM developments.
The implementation was divided into two phases. In Phase 1 (with the deadline initially set for 1 January 2000 and subsequently extended till 30 September 2001 due to limited availability of compliant equipment) some 10,000 aircraft belonging to over 2,000 operators were equipped.
The Phase 2 of ACAS II implementation was completed on 31 March 2006 and involved some 900 aircraft. It extended the carriage requirement to all civil, fixed-wing turbine-engined aircraft having a maximum take-off mass exceeding 5700 kg or a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of more than 19.
Currently, some 11,000 aircraft in Europe are equipped with ACAS II.
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