A Garmin integrated flight deck sits at the ready inside a cockpit, which features Garmin's FAA Data Comm.
Aviation

How and why Garmin is bringing FAA-approved Data Comm to more aircraft

November 4, 2025

Communication is critical in the cockpit, and with FAA Data Comm, that communication is even clearer, faster and more efficient.

For more than a decade, the aviation industry has known data communications — or “Data Comm” — as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) modern approach to communication between the cockpit and air traffic controllers at FAA air route traffic control centers and clearance delivery at major airports. Simply put, Data Comm allows pilots and select air traffic controllers to exchange clearances via text-based messages instead of relying solely on voice radio communications.

In recent years, Garmin has worked diligently to deliver its own FAA-approved Data Comm solutions, designed to provide seamless communication and greater efficiency to many aircraft with Garmin integrated flight decks and now the retrofit market.

Enter Garmin FAA Data Comm, which received FAA certification for select aircraft equipped with GTN™ 750Xi series navigators in June 2025. This streamlined, text-based system designed for the retrofit market connects pilots with FAA air route traffic control centers, and ATC at 60 major airports, bypassing congested radio frequencies so pilots can receive ATC clearances more clearly and quickly. FAA Data Comm is approved for installation on more than 25 makes and models equipped with a GTN 750Xi series navigator. See which aircraft are eligible here.

Check out this FAA Data Comm/GTN Xi intro video:

Also available on select forward-fit aircraft equipped with Garmin integrated flight decks, FAA Data Comm capabilities can be easily enabled to provide quick and easy text-based communications in your aircraft.

The advantages are clear. FAA Data Comm gives pilots and air traffic controllers the ability to transmit clearances or pilot requests all with the touch of a button. By replacing voice clearances with text-based communications, FAA Data Comm helps minimize miscommunication and enhances safety for everyone in the air and on the ground.

How FAA Data Comm works

When flying through areas with VHF datalink coverage, pilots can send and receive messages with FAA air route traffic control centers directly from the cockpit.

At select airports, predeparture clearances can be sent straight to the cockpit, allowing pilots to review, accept and automatically load route details into their avionics when equipped. Once airborne, en route controller-pilot datalink communication (CPDLC) services keep the connection going above 16,000’ MSL in the U.S., allowing pilots to receive frequency changes, altitude clearances and routing changes from ATC or send requests via text-based messaging.

The result? Faster, clearer and more efficient communication throughout every phase of flight.

How to get FAA Data Comm

To access, here’s what’s needed run FAA Data Comm:

Are you looking to install FAA Data Comm hardware and the associated enablement? Connect with a Garmin authorized dealer today. Then, register yourself and your aircraft, and you’ll be on your way to experiencing streamlined communications with FAA Data Comm.