civil air navigation services organisation Best Practice Guide to Crossing Flight Information Region Boundaries Published June 2015 Contents 2_3 Introduction_____________________________________________________________________________page 4 Acknowledgements______________________________________________________________________page 5 Executive Summary______________________________________________________________________page 6 1 Global Flight Information Regions______________________________________________________page 8 2 Flight Planning Quality _______________________________________________________________ page 10 2.1 Flight Plan Fields__________________________________________________________________page 11 2.2 Flight Movement Messages________________________________________________________ page 12 2.3 Processing Flight Plans____________________________________________________________ page 14 2.4 Review of State Regulations________________________________________________________ page 15 2.5 Communication, Collaboration and Coordination_____________________________________ page 15 3 Surveillance versus Non-Surveillance__________________________________________________ page 17 3.1. Building Surveillance Capabilities___________________________________________________page 17 3.1.1. Increasing Surveillance through New Technology___________________________________ page 18 3.1.2. Sharing Surveillance Data________________________________________________________ page 19 3.2. Continuation of Surveillance Separation Standards and Procedures across FIR Boundaries__ page 20 3.2.1. Coordination Procedures________________________________________________________ page 20 3.2.2. Aligning Procedures and Standards_______________________________________________ page 21 3.3. Crossing FIR Boundaries from a Surveillance to Non-Surveillance Environment___________ page 21 3.3.1. Regional Plans__________________________________________________________________page 23 3.3.2. RNP-4 and Data Link Implementation_____________________________________________ page 23 3.4. Best Practices for Surveillance versus Non-Surveillance Environments____________________page 23 3.4.1. Airspace Classification___________________________________________________________page 24 3.4.2. Automation Interface____________________________________________________________page 24 4 Conclusions and Recommendations_____________________________________________________page 25 References______________________________________________________________________________ page 26 Annex A: Identified FIR Boundary Crossing Discrepancies__________________________________ page 28 Acronyms_______________________________________________________________________________ page 29 © Copyright CANSO 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form, without the prior permission of CANSO. This paper is for information purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the quality and accuracy of information in this publication, it is made available without any warranty of any kind. www.canso.org Best Practice Guide to Crossing Flight Information Region Boundaries Introduction CANSO’s vision is to transform air traffic duplicate, and multiple flight plans have on the management (ATM) performance globally; and service provided by ANSPs. These inaccuracies a key objective is to harmonise airspace so that affect every phase of a flight as it transitions planes can fly smoothly and seamlessly across from the tower, terminal, en-route, and oceanic the globe. The objective of this best practice environments. Service providers are not guide is to assist air navigation service providers able to deliver safe, orderly, and expeditious (ANSPs) to deliver seamless service across Flight services to operators if the service is based on Information Region (FIR) boundaries; optimising erroneous flight plan data. Service providers the seamless and efficient flow of long-haul and operators are also negatively impacted international air traffic across all regions. when more than one flight plan exists that contains varying elements. In its Guide to Seamless Airspace (2013), CANSO defined seamless airspace as “contiguous The second area addresses the airspace that is technically and procedurally inefficiencies and errors that often occur when interoperable, universally safe, and in which all an aircraft transitions from surveillance to non- categories of airspace users transition between surveillance airspace, particularly due to the Flight Information Regions, or other vertical change in required separation standard. or horizontal boundaries, without requiring a considered action to facilitate that transition The guidance will help ANSPs facilitate and without any noticeable change in the type the reduction or elimination of factors that or quality of service received; air navigation contribute to operational inefficiencies, communications performance standards; or unnecessary fuel burn, CO2 emissions, and loss standard practices to be followed.” of required separation standards as aircraft cross FIR boundaries. CANSO has identified that efficiency in crossing FIR boundaries is currently impacted by This publication is intended to disparities in: separation standards; procedures complement guidance material that is already in filing flight-plans; air traffic flow management provided by CANSO’s industry partners - the (ATFM) measures; pilot-to-controller and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), controller-to-controller communication capabilities; the International Air Transport Association incompatibilities between adjacent automation (IATA), and Airports Council International (ACI). platforms; and inconsistent airspace structures. Best Practice Guide to Crossing Flight This guide focuses on establishing best Information Region (FIR) Boundaries is a practices that will help mitigate two of the publication of CANSO and was developed by impediments to the smooth crossing of FIR its FIR Boundary Crossing Task Force (FIRBX boundaries initially identified by CANSO Members TF). The document was created based on a (see Annex A): the quality of flight plans and the review of current experiences and practices transition of aircraft between surveillance and non- of CANSO Members, and the associated surveillance airspace. standards and procedures for air navigation services established in ICAO documents and Quality of flight plans was chosen because annexes. of the residual effect that erroneous, missing, 4_5 Acknowledgements This publication was produced by the Flight Information Region Boundary Crossing Task Force of CANSO’s Operations Standing Committee. CANSO would like to thank Jorge Chades, FAA; Greg Dansereau, NAV CANADA; Ajay Joshi, AAI; Craig Roberts, Thales; Michael Snell, Dirk Hunter and Rick Taylor, Airservices Australia. The authors wish to acknowledge the valuable input provided by Marco Vidal, IATA, IDAC and many other contributing CANSO Members. Best Practice Guide to Crossing Flight Information Region Boundaries Executive Summary CANSO Member ANSPs identified are key areas that ANSPs should consider to discrepancies in technical, equipment, improve flight plan quality. Current and emerging operational, and procedural areas as hindering technologies provide ANSPs and operators the safe, efficient, and seamless transition of air with an opportunity to reduce errors associated traffic across FIR boundaries. These identified with filing flight plans and sending movement discrepancies, which can be found in Annex A, messages. We recommend that ANSPs should were prioritised as high, medium, or low in terms implement automated data transfer systems such of impact to safety and efficiency. This CANSO as automatic message handling system (AMHS) Best Practice Guide to Flight Information Region or aeronautical fixed telecommunication network (FIR) Boundaries recommends mitigation strategies (AFTN) wherever, and whenever, possible. and best practices for two of the high priority discrepancies: filing flight plans and associated Errors and inefficiencies often occur movement messages; and the transition of in the transit of aircraft from surveillance to aircraft between surveillance and non-surveillance non-surveillance airspace in the vicinity of FIR airspace. This guidance will assist in providing boundaries due to the lack of robust, bilateral a procedurally interoperable ATM system that agreements between neighbouring states, promotes a seamless airspace environment. incompatible communication technologies, or differences between procedures and airspace The recommendations regarding flight- classifications. These errors may include applying planning are based on the review and analysis incorrect longitudinal separation when entering a by the FIRBX TF of errors commonly found in non-surveillance environment from a surveillance filing, transmitting, processing, and transferring environment; issuing incorrect communications flight plans and associated messages across FIR transfer instructions; or not providing sufficient boundaries. airway width protection for airway structures that exist in neighbouring non-surveillance airspace. The introduction of duplicate or multiple These inefficiencies could lead to optimum and flight plans, or flight plans containing erroneous desired vertical and/or lateral route profiles not information, has a direct impact on safety and being available to operators during and after the efficiency. Flight-planning processes are still