FAB CE ANSPs work to expand cross-border free route airspace

FAB CE air navigation service providers (ANSPs), neighbouring ANSPs and the Network Manager NM) held an on-line meeting at the start of December 2020 to discuss further airspace restructuring proposals, focusing on extending free route airspace (FRA) procedures in and around the FAB CE area. 

The meeting was part of the FAB CE Airspace Task Force initiative which is working with NM and ANSPs outside FAB CE - including BULATSA, PANSA, ROMATSA and SMATSA – to expand FRA across the important central/south-east European airspace region. The work includes reaching agreements in principle on cross-border airspace restructuring and more detailed plans for implementation.

The meeting discussed plans for the re-sectorising of cross-border airspace areas between Slovakia and Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, the South East Europe Free Route Airspace (SEEFRA) area – which includes Slovakia and Moldova Free Route Airspace - and Baltic FRA and the cross-border interfaces between Croatia and Hungary. Other agreements in principle were made for other cross-border FRA programmes to begin in 2021.

“The final goal is to have one large FRA area which includes Baltic FAB CE, Danube FAB and neighbouring states not currently included in the FAB network, such as Serbia, Montenegro and Albania,” said Matej Eljon, FAB CE Programme Manager and Director of FAB CE Aviation Ltd. “The target is to create a ‘borderless’ FRA area spanning this large expanse of European airspace by 2025."

The next meeting of the Airspace Task Force is scheduled for January 2021.