Member's Home Forums General Discussion Mexico Mexico Aeronautical & Regulatory ADS-B Requirements for Mexico

Mexico has passed regulations covering ADS-B requirements over the Gulf of Mexico as well as over the country. Please note that they differ from USA regulations which could impact some US registered aircraft. For more details and English/Spanish versions of the new regulations, contact Caribbean Sky Tours.

We will be working to address the potential issues for US registered aircraft.

Following is a summary of the Official Regulation initially published in Mexico's Federal Register in February 2015 -effective 60 days after its publication- regarding ADS-B requirements.



The major points that would affect US registered aircraft flying to Mexico or over the Gulf of Mexico are:



1) As of January 01, 2018, unless otherwise authorized by ATC, no aircraft may fly in Class E airspace over the Gulf Of Mexico at or above 3,000 ft MSL beyond 12 Nautical Miles from the Mexican coastline unless the aircraft is equipped with an ADS-B Version 2 system transmitting on 1090 MHz

2) As of January 01, 2020, unless otherwise authorized by ATC, no aircraft may fly in Class A airspace unless the Aircraft is equipped with an ADS-B Version 2 system transmitting on 1090 MHz

3) As of January 01, 2020, unless otherwise authorized by ATC, no aircraft may fly below 18,000 ft MSL AND in the following airspace unless the aircraft is equipped with an ADS-B Version 2 system transmitting on 1090 MHz

a. Within Class B and C airspace

b. Within 30 Nm of the Mexico City International airport from the surface up to 10,000 ft MSL

c. Over Class B and C airspace within the lateral boundaries of the airspace up to 10,000 ft MSL

d. Within Class E airspace over Mexican territory at, or above, 10,000 ft MSL except when below 2,500 ft AGL

4) All aircraft with ADS-B equipment must be transmitting at all times

5) Any requests for deviations from this rule must be submitted to the ATC facility with jurisdiction over the airspace in question based on the following timelines:

a. To request authorization for the operation of any aircraft with an inoperative, installed ADS-B equipment for a flight to its destination, including intermediate stops or to a repair facility where reparations to the equipment can be performed, the request can be made at any time

b. To request authorization for the operation of any aircraft without an installed ADS-B equipment, the request must be made at least 1 hour prior to the anticipated departure time.

The major issue that was observed and raised at the time was the fact that Mexico's regulation specifies the 1090 MHz frequency (1090 ES) and does not indicate anywhere that the 978 MHz frequency (978 UAT) will be used and accepted. At this time we are pursuing this issue with Mexico's DGAC. Stay tuned

All aircraft operators and pilots should be aware that Mexico is implementing its ADS-B regulations as of January 01, 2022. We double checked with the authorities again today to verify and unfortunately, there is presently no plan to implement the 978 UAT option for General Aviation aircraft. Therefore, to legally travel to Mexico, you should be transmitting ADS-B OUT on 1090 ES