Plain English Meaning

An equipment standard that lets airliners and ATC send each other text messages and automatic position reports over long ocean crossings, instead of using crackly HF radio.

Full Definition

A set of avionics standards that enable digital data communication between aircraft and air traffic control over long-range satellite and HF data links, primarily used for oceanic and remote airspace operations. FANS 1/A combines two compatible implementations: FANS 1 (developed by Boeing) and FANS A (developed by Airbus). It supports Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications () and -Contract (), allowing controllers to send and receive position reports as text messages rather than relying on voice over HF radio.