HungaroControl abolished fixed flight route network
 

Hungarian ATC provider, HungaroControl introduced HUFRA (Hungarian Free Route Airspace) today. It means that from now on direct routes can be used between entry and exit points of its airspace. Hungary it the first country in Europe providing this service 24/7/365.

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Not the first one no. Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal and a part of the Spanish airspace were fully implemented more than 2 years ago

H24 all year round?

Sweden and Ireland definitely for at least the last 5 years.

Only time they will keep you on a route is when there is mil areas active but as soon as your clear of it you go direct.

So the waypoints are still existing and DCT can not be filed/used without time or geographical limitations.

They exist but its extremely rare you ever go through one unless its on a STAR or SID.

its still handy to have an occasional one anyway purely because it gives us a fixed point to do a fuel check abeam.

Ireland hasn't had airways or intermediate waypoints for several years now, direct routes are always filed. The NW corner of Spanish airspace has also been also FRA 24/7/365(6) for roughly a year?

Nice to see Hungary joining the trend but i wouldn't say they were first. How about loosing the early descent via GOTAR as well?

Even before Shannon went route free we used to give directs 99% of the time, but flights still had to fuel up to fly the full airway. Getting rid of the routes was a win-win

If you read carefuly it says first to abolish ATS route network totaly.
If you look at the latest Skyvector lower ATS route map you will see that there are ATS routes in the Portugal Irish, Spanish and Swedish airspace but not in the Hungararian. This is acknolidged also by Eurocontrol.
So they are realy the firt offering free route (and not DCTs) H24 in the total airspace.:)

If you read carefuly you will see that Hungary is the first who completly abolished the entire ATS route network in its airspace.
Ireland and Spain and also Portugal stil use the ATS route network in the lower airspace, so you like or not th Hungarians are the first in this aspect.:)