Mexico’s ADS-B mandate, delayed a year, is coming into effect January 1, 2022.
Why was it delayed?
Apparently it came down to supply of ADS-B equipment issues meaning a lot of Mexican registered aircraft were unable to get it installed in time.
What do you need?
Mexico have mandated the use of 1090-MHz Mode S squitter transponders and as yet have not agreed to extend the mandate to allow 978 MHz Universal access transceivers, which are allowed in the US. The main difference is 978 MHz transponders are not allowed above 18,000′ while 1090MHz ones can be used at any altitude.
The mandate is for ADS-B Out. If you’re unsure on the difference then the FAA have a handy page on it here, but the simplified difference is Outtie’s broadcast an aircraft’s GPS location, altitude, groundspeed etc to ATC ground stations and other aircraft. Innie’s provide the aircraft with weather and traffic info delivered directly to the flight deck.
Where will you need it?
The rules look similar to those in the US:
- Class A
- Class B
- Class C
- Class E above 10,000 feet
- Class E over the Gulf of Mexico, above 2,500 feet
- Within 12nm of the Mexican coast, above 3,000 feet
- Within 30nm of MMMX/Mexico City International Airport, above 10,000 feet
Easier in a diagram.
What if mine breaks?
There is a process for operators to request permission, in advance, if their ADS-B is inoperative. You can also request to fly without ADS-B equipment installed if you submit the request at least an hour before departure (probably a good idea to do it a little earlier).
Where is the official info?
All we have discovered so far is this Advisory which unfortunately is in Spanish. Watch this space for info on how to request the no ADS-B permission.
Where else do I need ADS-B?
We have a whole post on ‘ADS-B Mandates Around the World’ which you can read here.
More on the topic:
- More: Canada ADS-B Mandate
- More: ADS-B Controversy? Landing Fee Fuss in Florida
- More: Mexico Permit and APIS Issues – The Latest
- More: US FAA: Swift Move to Improve Flight Tracking Privacy
- More: Mexico Permit Chaos: New Rules Explained
More reading:
- Latest: Dodging Danger: The Three Routes Through the Middle East
- Latest: US Pre-Clearance: How does it work?
- Latest: 2025 North Atlantic Plotting & Planning Chart
- Safe Airspace: Risk Database
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Jeppesen (at least in my current FDPro) has nothing yet either…
Hi, I sure hope you are going to publish the procedure for requesting permission for no ADS-B.
I’ve done a web search and looked at the Mexican AIC, but it is vague (as usual 🙂 so I see no details on how to request exemptions.