Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System - Ground End System

Ground End System

The ground end system is the destination for downlinks, and the source of uplinks. Generally, ground end systems are either government agencies such as CAA/FAA, an airline operations headquarters, or in the case of small airlines or general aviation consumers, a subscription based solution. CAA end systems provide air traffic services such as clearances. Airline and general aviation operations provide information necessary for operating the airline or flight department efficiently, such as gate assignments, maintenance, passenger needs, etc. In the early history of ACARS most airlines created their own host systems for managing their ACARS messages. Commercial off-the-shelf products are now widely available to manage the ground hosting.