Between 1,600 and 3,600 US business jets will not comply with reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) requirements when they take effect in US domestic airspace on 20 January 2005, according to analyst Frost & Sullivan.
In a North American RVSM market survey commissioned by equipment supplier Innovative Solutions & Support (ISSC), Frost & Sullivan estimates that, of the 4,000-6,000 business jets not yet compliant with the mandate, only 2,400 aircraft are expected to be upgraded to RVSM standard by January next year.
Capacity limitations at installation centres, and not RVSM equipment supply, is the bottleneck, says ISSC chief financial officer Jim Reilly.
Frost & Sullivan did not attempt to quantify how many aircraft will be upgraded after 20 January 2005, and how many will be retired or replaced, but Reilly expects the RVSM market to remain "robust to January 2006 and beyond".
Source: Flight International