Six airlines joined Eurocontrol’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Pioneer Airlines Project, which will help the airlines obtain airworthiness approval for their existing ADS-B equipment. Air France, Air Mediterranee, Air One, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Volkswagen joined project, launched last year by Eurocontrol’s CASCADE Program. The six operators join 11 others who became part of the project in 2006. In total, more than 400 aircraft are now involved, generating more than 500,000 ADS-B certified flights per year in European airspace, Eurocontrol said. The aircraft will provide air navigation service providers with surveillance data that will allow them to bring their ADS-B ground stations online by late 2008 or early 2009. The project includes a wide range of Airbus, ATR, Boeing and Dassault aircraft types and consequently helps a large part of the industry to prepare for early use of ADS-B in Europe, Australia and Canada.