{"id":5180,"date":"2022-04-04T00:02:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-03T22:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=5180"},"modified":"2022-04-07T17:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T15:24:36","slug":"hispafra-freedom-in-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/hispafra-freedom-in-the-air\/","title":{"rendered":"HISPAFRA: freedom in the air"},"content":{"rendered":"
The HISPAFRA project aims to implement the concept of free route airspace (FRA) within Spain. At the European level, the FRA initiative is promoted and coordinated by Eurocontrol, in accordance with the stipulations of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021\/116 of 1 February 2021. It is a nationwide project in which Ineco is supporting the ENAIRE Director of Operations and helping to coordinate all of the bodies involved, which include the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, the National Air Safety Agency, the Spanish Air Force and ENAIRE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Until now, airlines and airspace users have defined their flight plans using a network of waypoints and segments published in aeronautical charts. The pre-pandemic growth in air traffic across Europe has meant that this network of segments and flight paths has become more expansive and complex. In turn, this has made it possible to manage air traffic within the capacity of the network without impacting negatively on safety.<\/p>\n Free route airspace is a concept in which airspace users are able to draw up flight plans in line with their companies\u2019 interests, and freely establish connections between waypoints within a particular volume of airspace without reference to the existing published routes. However, they must still adhere to certain rules with regard to connectivity between the waypoints in question. The concept can be compared to the experience of a driver at a junction with traffic lights and a junction with a roundabout: while the traffic lights oblige the driver to stop completely, at the roundabout the traffic flows more freely and the driver can choose where to exit, in accordance with certain pre-defined rules. Although the FRA concept does not imply the absence of rules, it does allow for greater dispersal of air traffic in comparison to structured airspace (thereby reducing \u201ctraffic jams\u201d) and offers users greater flexibility when planning the optimum route between waypoints within the airspace. In turn, this enables them to plan flights that are more efficient, flexible and environmentally sustainable.<\/p>\n