Press Release

Issued by Augsburg Air Service.

April 13, 2018

Augsburg Air Service, the specialist for the robust twin-turboprop aircraft of the Beechcraft King Air family, is offering its customers the conversion to the new, powerful Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite.

From June 7, 2020, all aircraft in Europe that fly faster than 250 knots or are heavier than 5.7 tonnes must be equipped with an ADS-B-capable transponder (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast). The date for the mandate will not be changed, aviation authorities have clearly and repeatedly stated.

For older King Air models, there is no advantage of just adding an ADS-B transponder. But the ADS-B mandate is a great opportunity to swap the entire older avionics for a future-proof high-performance Garmin G1000 NXi. Thus, the owners also increase the value of their aircraft.

Those who decide on a complete conversion to the Garmin G1000 NXi, benefit from several advantages: The required ADS-B functionality is included, and the aircraft's avionics are state-of-the art in just one step. This saves King Air owners unnecessary downtime, and the cost of a package conversion is lower that if all components were replaced individually and in several stages. After upgrading to the G1000 NXi, owners will enjoy an aircraft with one of the most advanced avionics suites on the market.

Waiting for the retrofit to become cheaper is a bad idea, experts warn. The retrofit will not be cheaper, quite the contrary. Due to the anticipated rush for upgrades in 2019, a cost increase of up to 15 percent has to be taken in consideration. In addition, it can happen that there are delays or service slots required at the MRO facilities for the mandatory conversions.