FIR restructuring in Brazil

In the night between December 11 and 12, 2013, airways over the crowded area between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo underwent a significant restructuring of the Flight Information Regions (FIR) and Air Defense Regions (DCA), according to the PBN (Performance Based Navigation) project . This operation was very critical because it had to be very well planned and synchronized to avoid revert back effects in case of problems. The restructuring included communications, visualization, radar and management information and services.

The above mentioned re-sectorisation recalls the larger one occurred on October 17, 2013, when Brazil went through a deep restructuring of the overall Flight Information Regions (FIR) and Air Defense Regions (DCA), as the result of a long-term project started in 2007. The transition operation went through several phases, all run in the same night, starting at 3 AM from the first Air Defense and Air Traffic Control Integrated Center (CINDACTA 1), followed one-by-one by the other CINDACTAs (Amazonas, Brasilia, Curitiba, Recife/Atlantic). The transition went smooth as expected, although all participants were anxious because of the extreme delicacy of the steps being done. During transition, air traffic controllers could only use their radio channels to communicate to aircrafts. Last but not least, the Air Defense UHF/VHF radios were also migrated to the new frequencies.

SITTI staff was directly involved in supporting both this important migration process. Their proactive assistance and professionalism have significantly contributed to the full success of the overall operation.

For further information please follow these links:

http://www.decea.gov.br/2013/10/22/decea-conclui-redimensionamento-das-firrda-brasileiras

http://www.decea.gov.br/2013/10/04/comeca-em-dezembro-a-operacao-pbn-no-rio-de-janeiro-e-em-sao-paulosirius/

http://www.cnt.org.br/Paginas/Agencia_Noticia.aspx?n=9092