Chapter 7. Airspace
Guam and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS (July 2010) CHAPTER 7. AIRSPACE 7.1 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 7.1.1 Definition of Resource 7.1.1.1 Airspace Management Airspace management is defined as directing, controlling, and handling flight operations in the volume of air that overlies the geopolitical borders of the United States (U.S.) and its territories. In the U.S., airspace is a resource that is managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with established policies, designations, and flight rules to protect aircraft on the airfield, en route, in Special Use Airspace (SUA) identified for military and other governmental activities, in other military training airspace, and for ground training activities that require the use of airspace over ground firing areas or other hazardous activities on the ground that impact the airspace overlying the activity. The FAA Western Service Area (Renton, Washington) provides guidance and control of U.S. territory airspace in the Pacific that includes Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Guam Air Traffic Control, Guam Approach Control and Guam Departure Control manage air traffic in Guam. Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) also has tower controllers. For airspace outside of the U.S. and its territories, rules are agreed to by members of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations, that codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the coordination, planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. The practices used to manage airspace consider how the airspace is designated, used, and administered to best accommodate the individual and common needs of the military, commercial organizations, and private aviation enthusiasts.
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