US airlines confirm the operational case for ADS-B In, yet only a third treat the technology as a commercial investment

• Almost six in ten (58%) US airline professionals view ADS-B In primarily as a safety imperative, but only a third (34%) see it as a commercial decision justified by operational and fuel savings

• More than four in five (84%) agree ADS-B In will deliver measurable fuel and emissions savings, but show lack of clarity on the ROI

• Almost nine in ten (87%) expect it to help ease runway capacity constraints at major US airports over the next three to five years 

New research from Acron Aviation finds that US airline professionals see ADS-B In primarily as a safety measure, with the commercial case widely accepted yet rarely driving investment decisions. The findings come from a survey of 100 US airline management professionals and from part of Acron Aviation's ADS-B In: Industry readiness report 2026.

ADS-B In is the receiving half of the ADS-B system already fitted to commercial aircraft. It gives pilots a GPS-precise view of surrounding traffic up to 180 nautical miles, updated every second, and supports applications including Cockpit Display of Traffic Information Assisted Visual Separation (CAVS) and Interval Management (IM). FAA operational evaluation at Dallas-Fort Worth with American Airlines logged an average 12-second reduction in arrival spacing, four to five additional landings per hour per runway, and 490,000 lbs of fuel saved in the first year.

Asked which statement best reflects their view on ADS-B In investment, almost six in ten (58%) said it was a safety priority the industry should act on regardless of mandates. Only a third (34%) said it makes strong commercial sense on the basis of operational and fuel savings. Yet asked separately whether ADS-B In will deliver measurable fuel and emissions savings, more than four in five (84%) agreed, and almost nine in ten (87%) said it will help address runway capacity constraints at major US airports over the next three to five years. Additionally, more than eight in ten (85%) of airline professionals predicted that fleets which equip earlier will have a meaningful commercial advantage.

The study also shows that the day-to-day problems ADS-B In solves are top of mind for airline professionals. Almost all respondents (99%) rated fuel costs and consumption as a significant challenge for their fleet today, and 98% said the same about on-time performance and schedule reliability. More than nine in ten (93%) flagged runway capacity and congestion at major airports, and aircraft spacing and arrival sequencing inefficiencies, as significant challenges.

Safety worries sit alongside those pressures. More than nine in ten (92%) said they are concerned about pilot workload and situational awareness gaps, and a similar number cited (89%) near-miss incidents in congested terminal airspace, (86%) runway incursions and ground conflicts, and more than four in five (83%) about mid-air collisions between commercial aircraft.

When asked to rate the importance of specific ADS-B In benefits to their airline's decision-making, the commercial outcomes rank at the very top alongside safety. Almost all (97%) rated improving on-time performance as very or extremely important, along with reducing fuel consumption. Better collaboration between pilots and air traffic control was rated equally highly by respondents (98%) with improving pilot situational awareness and safety close behind at 97%.

Damien Moreau, President of Acron Aviation's ACSS, said: "Safety is the headline rationale for ADS-B In, and past events demonstrate why. Yet the data tells us something else, which is that the operational challenges operators face such as fuel consumption, arrival spacing and so on, ADS-B In can help address. When airline professionals tell us fuel is a significant challenge and that they expect this technology to deliver fuel savings, both safety and operational benefits need to be part of the conversation.”

Cam Morast, Product Manager at ACSS, said: "What we see in operational service backs up what the survey shows. The Dallas-Fort Worth evaluation with American Airlines produced tighter arrival spacing, four to five extra landings per hour per runway, hundreds of thousands of pounds of fuel saved, and zero separation-related safety incidents. The fact that both safety and operational benefits arise from this technology is why we are seeing airlines moving now to equip their fleets.”

The findings are released as the ALERT Act, which has passed the US House of Representatives, and is subject to Congressional review looks likely to mandate ADS-B In equipage on most aircraft by December 31, 2031.

The full report, including the readiness data, investment drivers and barriers, is available here.