FSTD transition hub
EASA Regulation (EU) 2026/781: what every FSTD operator must do before 2029
Regulation (EU) 2026/781 replaces qualification by device level (FFS A–D, FTD, FNPT) with the FSTD Capability Signature. It entered into force on 30 April 2026 and applies from 30 April 2028. Here are the dates, the obligations by operator type, and a readiness checklist.
The dates that matter
Four dates, three years
What changes
From device levels to device capability
The old question was "what level is this simulator?" The new question is "which training tasks can this simulator credit?"
Tool-to-task becomes task-to-tool
Training tasks determine the fidelity a device must provide, instead of the device level determining what may be trained on it.
14 features, four fidelity levels
Each device is described feature by feature at Specific, Representative, Generic or None fidelity.
Assigned signatures for legacy devices
Existing devices can keep their type and level, or take an assigned or evaluated signature through the equivalence route.
The Equipment Specification List
The ESL becomes the central document describing the device configuration, maintained by the operator.
Who must act
If you operate, build or oversee an FSTD, this reaches you
Airline FSTD operators
Full flight simulators and FTDs used for type rating and recurrent training: ESL, configuration control and certificate reissue.
ATOs with FNPT II and MCC devices
Decide per device whether to stay legacy or opt in, and check which training your device can credit either way.
FSTD manufacturers and integrators
Deliver devices with a defensible feature profile and the engineering evidence behind each fidelity level.
Competent authorities
Evaluate, assign or reissue signatures and process ESL submissions across the fleet they oversee.
Readiness
Six steps to be ready
A practical sequence. Starting in 2026 or 2027 leaves room for an evaluation slot; starting in 2029 does not.
1. Inventory
List every device, its current qualification, its configuration and its planned life.
2. Feature gap
Describe each device feature by feature and note where the evidence is thin.
3. Data and QTG review
Check which validation data supports which fidelity level: data caps the level you can claim.
4. Draft the signature and ESL
Produce a draft signature and the Equipment Specification List for each device.
5. Authority dialogue
Agree the route per device with your authority: stay legacy, assigned or evaluated.
6. Reissue and maintain
Complete the certificate reissue and keep the signature current as the device changes.
Evaluation slots are finite
Every EU FSTD operator faces the same 2029 deadlines, and every device that opts in after an evaluation needs authority time. The operators who start in 2026 and 2027 choose their slot; the rest take what is left.
Readiness self-check
Where does your fleet stand?
Eight statements. Answer honestly for the fleet as a whole. Your answers stay in this browser: nothing is sent, stored or shared.
- We have a current inventory of every FSTD we operate, with its qualification status.
- We know, per device, whether we will stay legacy or opt in to a Capability Signature.
- We can describe each device feature by feature, not only by its type and level.
- We know which validation data supports which fidelity level for each feature.
- Our QTG and MQTG documentation is current and retrievable per device.
- We have started, or scheduled, the Equipment Specification List for each device.
- We have discussed the transition route per device with our competent authority.
- We know which training tasks each device is used for, and which it must be able to credit.
Regulation (EU) 2026/781: questions operators ask
Is my FNPT II still valid after 30 April 2028?
Yes. Adopting a Capability Signature is not forced on legacy devices: they can keep their existing type and level. What every operator must do is submit an Equipment Specification List by 30 April 2029 (BITDs excepted) and have the certificate reissued by 30 October 2029.
What is an assigned Capability Signature?
It is the signature a legacy device receives from the equivalence tables rather than from a full evaluation. Devices listed on a primary reference document without limitation can take it without an evaluation; others need one first.
Do we need new QTG tests?
Not automatically. The question is whether your existing validation data supports the fidelity level you want to claim for each feature, because the data caps the level. A gap analysis comes before any new testing.
Does this apply to us if we are not in the EU?
The Regulation binds EU operators and devices. It matters elsewhere because ICAO Doc 9625 introduced the same task-to-tool approach and other authorities are moving in the same direction, and because training for EU licences is affected.
What happens to dual-qualified devices?
They can remain legacy or opt in for one merged signature. FTD 1 devices can only take an evaluated signature, and BITDs stay outside the framework with their three-yearly recurrent evaluation.
Where do we start?
With an inventory and a feature-by-feature gap check per device. FCS++ does this and keeps the result current; a 45-minute readiness review is the fastest way to see where you stand.
Sources
Read the primary documents
Every date and obligation on this page comes from the documents below. Verify against them before making a compliance decision.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/781
The binding text, including the transition articles and the equivalence appendix.
ED Decision 2026/006/R
CS-FSTD Issue 1 with the acceptable means of compliance and guidance material.
ICAO Doc 9625
The origin of the task-to-tool method and the feature and fidelity concept.
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