What's New - Air Traffic Control System Command Center

Effective June 5, 2008 at 1100Z the West Atlantic Route System (WATRS) will be restructured. Existing routes, or route sections, will be replaced by new routes and fixes. This implementation will reduce the lateral separation standard to 50 nautical miles between appropriately equipped aircraft (Required Navigation Performance 10 (RNP 10) or RNP 4). The FIR regions affected will be New York, Miami, and San Juan. Additionally, Jacksonville Center, Moncton ACC, Haiti ACC, Dominican Republic ACC, and Havana ACC will implement a modified route/fix structure.

For more details and a pictorial of the affected airspace and route/fix information, click on this link: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/enroute/oceanic/WATRS_Plus/

Effective date 07/31/2008 is available in HTML and Portable Document Format (PDF)

The CDR program provides a rapid means to reroute aircraft when the filed route is constrained by either weather or congestion. Historically, abbreviated CDR clearances have only been issued to airline customers who have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the facilities that issue abbreviated CDR clearances. Recently, general aviation customers have requested the use of this reroute capability. This change permits general aviation customers to communicate to Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities their ability and willingness to accept CDRs and their capability to accept abbreviated clearances associated with CDRs.

ICR is a process that builds on FEA/FCAs. The ICR process requires that a constraint is identified early. Traffic management may issue a planning (PLN) advisory describing the system constraint and providing route guidance. System stakeholders are allowed an opportunity to consider the area of concern, and provide early intent (EI) messages that communicate their decisions in response to the constraint. EI messages update enhanced traffic management system (ETMS) flight trajectories, monitor alert values and routing intentions. At the expiration of the EI window, traffic management can then analyze the customer responses and decide if the actions taken have resolved the issue, or if recommended routes, required routes, airspace flow programs (AFP) and/or other traffic management initiatives (TMIs) will be necessary to further reduce demand.

ICR allows system stakeholders flexibility in managing their flights based on an identified NAS constraint, reducing the possibility of more restrictive initiatives. Traffic flow management (TFM) tools benefit from enhanced flight information and collaborative responses to system capacity actions.

On or about Saturday, June 17, 2006, the Severe Weather area at the David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) will be dissolved and replaced by a new functional area consisting of ATCSCC National Traffic Management Officer (NTMO) personnel: the National System Strategy Team (NSST).  The NSST will control a variety of national airspace management functions and processes from one organizational location.
Functions and processes managed by the NSST will include conducting Planning Teleconferences, coordinating and implementing Airspace Flow Programs (AFP), managing reroutes, and facilitating International Operations.

Airspace Flow Programs (AFP) will be introduced in the spring of 2006 and mark a significant new step in enroute traffic management.  The principal goal for the initial deployment will be to provide enhanced enroute traffic management during severe weather events.

Beginning in the spring of 2006, customers will have access to a graphical representation of a published AFP along with the associated parameters and advisory.  This will allow customers to consider options for avoiding the area associated with a delay and to be more proactive when operating in the National Airspace System.

In order to support the addition of AFPs, the XML Airport Status page will be changing.  Read all about it.