Extension of Free Route Airspace in France

On February 21, 2024, two additional Free Route cells were introduced within the airspaces managed by Reims and Marseille Area Control Centres (ACCs), thereby expanding the Free Route Airspace coverage above FL 195 (6,000 meters) in France to 70%.

This latest phase, which took place for the first time in a 4-FLIGHT environment, reinforces DSNA's commitment to implementing Free Route throughout its upper airspace in alignment with European regulations. This new system not only provides airlines with greater flexibility in selecting their routes but also facilitates a decrease in the average length of planned routes, fostering more environmentally sustainable flights.

“Free Route Airspace (FRA) is a key milestone in implementing free routing throughout European airspace as part of the progression towards business trajectories operations (TBO) and 4D profiles”, DSNA CEO Florian Guillermet highlighted. This innovative approach to airspace management will play a significant role in enhancing environmental flight efficiency.

Furthermore, our teams, now trained in optimizing trajectories as part of the design of Free Route cells, are now applying their newfound skills to enhance existing trajectories. Concurrently with the FRA implementation, the Brest, Paris and Reims ACCs have successfully integrated these optimized routes into their respective airspaces. This initiative is expected to result in significant fuel savings of approximately 7 tons of kerosene per day, translating to a yearly reduction of 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions for users.