Another View On Airspace
The Eurocontrol AIRSPACE AND NAVIGATION TEAM (ANT) has a fresh understanding of airspace categorisation. The ANT works with 40 member states across Europe to harmonise and simplify airspace and at the ANT’s 34th meeting (9-11 June) work papers 2 and 3 on Operational Improvements within the European Airspace Strategy are being debated.
Improvement 2A concerns airspace below F195 while 1A is aimed above F195. The widespread opinion among stakeholder groups is that ICAO class E should not be used, therefore leaving ICAO class C and
D or G to choose from for Improvement 2A. It is expected that States who need to implement airspace improvements should adopt principles that keep the current level of safety and whenever
possible improve it. This means many States will need to provide funding for an increase in service provision from class G &/or E to class D &/or C airspace with a target date for completion of April 2006.
ICAO Airspace Classification system classifies airspace as either controlled or uncontrolled; A to E being controlled. The big difference with the Europeans is the notion of airspace environments, in particular class E where VFR flights are permitted without ATC clearance. This ANT meeting should formalise the approach that ICAO classification of airspace be based on known or unknown traffic as opposed to controlled or uncontrolled. Therefore A to D would be known traffic environments and E to G would be unknown traffic environments. Consequently the Europeans don’t consider class E to be controller airspace
Wow what a novel idea, controlled airspace applying to known traffic...
Dick, internationally harmonize with this please!
It would be interesting to see a list of 'stakeholders' and wonder how it would compare to an Australian list of stakeholders.