Chapter 1. Description of Airspace

General

The manual is designed for the IGA pilot planning a flight across the North Atlantic. The portion of the airspace addressed by this manual, along with the associated Flight Information Regions, is depicted in Chart 1. It is primarily concerned with airspace located north of 27° North Latitude, below FL285 and above FL420. The airspace between FL285 and FL240 in most of the North Atlantic is designated as Minimum Navigation Performance Specification (MNPS) airspace. An manual specifically detailing MNPS airspace and operations, the North Atlantic MNPS Airspace Operations Manual, is also available. Annex 1 provides information on how to obtain an MNPS Operations Manual.

Most of the airspace in Oceanic FIRs/CTAs is high seas airspace within which the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council has resolved that rules relating to flight and operations of aircraft apply without exception. The majority of the airspace is also controlled airspace, and instrument flight rules (IFR) apply to all flights in oceanic airspace when at or above FL060 or 2000 ft. (600 m) above ground level (AGL). whichever is higher, even when not operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

This controlled airspaces include:

1. New York Oceanic, Gander Oceanic, Shanwick Oceanic, Santa Maria Oceanic, and Reykjavik FIRs/CTAs;

2. Bodo Oceanic FIR/CTA when operating more than 100 NM seaward from the shoreline;

3. Sondrestrom FIR/CTA when operating outside the shoreline of Greenland:

4. Reykjavik FIR/CTA when operating in the Oceanic Sector, or in the Domestic Sector at or above FL200.

Commonly Flown Routes

The routes most regularly used by general aviation aircraft are depicted in Chart # 1, and are described in detail in the "Route Planning" section of this manual.

Chart #1

NOTE: Traffic above FL 195 in Sondra Stromfjord FIR is controlled by Reykjavik and Gander

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