What Jeppesen ending paper charts means for ATPL and ATP exams
Jeppesen stopped printing charts on 31 October 2026. See what changed for EASA ATPL and FAA ATP exam charts, and how to practise reading them on screen.
Jeppesen has stopped printing paper charts. For EASA ATPL theory, that affects the printed student manual used for chart questions. For FAA knowledge tests, the exam charts come from the FAA, so Jeppesen’s decision does not change the exam itself. Either way, the skill is finding what you need on a chart quickly. Ask your school or exam authority how charts will be supplied, then practise on that format.
What Jeppesen ended
Jeppesen’s notice for general aviation says its chart printing services ended on 31 October 2026. All remaining paper chart subscriptions ended on 1 November, and any unused subscription time after that date is credited. Jeppesen general aviation notice
AVweb reports that Jeppesen cited the higher cost of handling paper charts and the industry’s growing use of electronic navigation. Jeppesen says most flights worldwide already use its digital charts. AVweb
Paper has not disappeared completely. Jeppesen still sells seven-hole punched paper for charts you print yourself, and ForeFlight Mobile can print or export airport diagrams and approach plates. Jeppesen general aviation notice
What it means for the EASA ATPL exam
EASA ATPL candidates have used the printed Jeppesen General Student Pilot Route Manual (GSPRM) for chart questions. The Irish Aviation Authority says Jeppesen is ending print production of the GSPRM. It says there was no digital replacement for flight schools at the time of writing, although the EASA question bank is planned to keep including chart extracts and Jeppesen’s charts will stay available to EASA in digital form. Irish Aviation Authority
A Bristol Groundschool information sheet from April 2026 describes the plan in more detail. It says the printed GSPRM will not be used in examinations, and that a digital version will be built into the exam application where charts are needed. Students will be able to buy a digital copy to study from, with a price expected to be similar to the printed manual. Bristol Groundschool information sheet
Both sources describe plans, and the IAA page is undated, so confirm the current arrangements with your school or exam authority.
What it means for the FAA ATP exam
The FAA does not use Jeppesen charts in its knowledge tests. The figures and charts come from the FAA’s own testing supplements, so the end of Jeppesen printing does not remove anything from the exam. FAA airman testing
The FAA is also changing how it displays those figures. Pilot Institute reports, citing the FAA’s September 2026 testing advisory, that from 26 October 2026 the ATP and flight instructor tests show their figures on screen, embedded in each question. It also reports that the printed supplement is still available at test centres, with no removal date set. Pilot Institute
The same report says the instrument rating airplane test now includes image-based questions from current FAA sectional, instrument approach and low altitude enroute charts that are not in the supplement. If you are taking the instrument rating test before the ATP, expect to read real charts on screen.
The FAA’s advisory is the original source for these dates. Read the September 2026 special edition and check with your test provider before you rely on them.
How to prepare
The charts are the same, so the skills are too. You still need to find information on an approach plate, read the minima and follow an enroute chart. Only the medium has changed.
If your exam charts will appear on screen, practise on screen. Finding a minimum or a frequency box on a monitor is a different motion from turning a page, and the exam is not the place to find that out. Zoom, scroll and locate the same items until it takes no thought.
For FAA tests, practise on FAA-format charts. Jeppesen plates and FAA plates are laid out differently, so a habit built on one can slow you down on the other.
If you also study from paper, print the extracts you need on seven-hole paper or standard paper, or use printed copies you already own. Note the questions where you lost time finding information, not only the ones you got wrong. Those are the questions that use up your time in the real exam.
Wherever you study, brief every chart in the same order so you never skip part of a crowded plate.