FABEC ANSPs signed agreement on cross-border Free Route Airspace

The FABEC air navigation service providers (ANSP) DFS and skyguide have signed an agreement to develop and implement cross-border Free Route Airspace (FRA) operations across the Areas of Responsibility of Zurich ACC, Munich ACC and Karlsruhe UAC in a stepwise approach. This agreement allows DFS and skyguide to implement initial FRA designs that provide operational, environmental and cost benefits to the airspace users.  In addition, it creates a management framework for meeting the future FRA requirements currently proposed in the Common Project One legislation.

The first implementation step scheduled for 2^nd December 2021 will enable airspace users to file trajectories in the flight plan between the FRA areas by using FRA Intermediate (I) Points instead of FRA Entry/Exit (E/X) Points. It will offer limited cross border operations using mandatory Intermediate waypoints located aside from ATC sector boundaries which have been selected in order to reduce the distance flown between the FRA areas.

After this initial step, the agreement commits DFS and skyguide to further develop and implement cross-border Free Route Airspace operations with a view to continually improve network inefficiencies.