Airspace changes and advanced Flexible Use of Airspace in the South-West of France

As of 1st March 2018, a new upper airspace network has been implemented in the southern part of the airspace managed by Bordeaux Area Control Centre (ACC). In this region of high civil aviation traffic in summer when military activity still remains intense, this new airspace design aims at improving capacity and flight efficiency while maintaining a high level of safety. Within the FABEC airspace, it also favours direct routes for civil aviation thanks to advanced flexible use of airspace (FUA).

This improved network was based on a reconfiguration of two military zones at high altitudes (Temporary Segregated Areas) to meet the French Air Force missions with new generation arms equipment and enabling activities from the ground to unlimited altitude. Henceforth, Civil Air Traffic Controllers can dispose of a double axis for all levels for ParisBarcelona flows. To ensure the coherence of this new network of routes on a FABEC and SW FAB scale, close collaboration was required between Madrid, Marseille and Barcelona ACCs to anticipate the future evolutions in this area. To accompany this change, sectorisation of the Bordeaux ACC had to be modified. Furthermore, TSA34 was remodeled to include a core area and modular extensions allowing volumes to be adjusted closely to requirements of military missions. By applying the concept of flexible use of airspace management, airlines are now able to plan direct routes ahead whenever a part of this TSA is scheduled to be inactive.

Maurice GEORGES, CEO DSNA, said : "This type of technical and operational achievement is the fruit of many years of sustained effort within a framework of close collaboration and trust between all the civil and military partners. I am convinced that our customers will be able to benefit fully from these changes as of this summer."