ICAO DOC 9426-AN/924, Part II, Section 2, Para 2.3.4, Para 2.4.7, and Para points of the area where the Mach Number Technique is used, add 1 minute for Faster being separated are never less than a prescribed minimum. There is no upper limit.
stated as follows: For each 600 NM in distance between the entry and exit Direct Controller Pilot Communications (DCPC) and ATS Surveillance are unavailable in most parts of the NAT Region. It is divided into a total of seven Oceanic Control Areas (OCAs) / Flight Information Regions (FIRs). (See The following conditions must be met when the As of that date, all aircraft operating on or at any point along two specified tracks within the NAT OTS between FL 360 to FL 390 (inclusive) during the OTS validity period were required to be fitted with, and using, Phase 2A of the ICAO NAT Region Data Link Mandate was implemented on 05 February 2015. With full implementation of Data Link Mandated Airspace, there will be a corridor, in the same geographic area as the current Blue Spruce Routes, for aircraft not equipped with CPDLC / ADS-C. Aircraft using this corridor will, however, require Provisions for Aircraft Not Meeting HLA / MNPS CriteriaReduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) AirspaceProvisions for Aircraft Not Meeting HLA / MNPS CriteriaReduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) Airspace Consider separation to exist when the estimated positions of the aircraft Application of the Mach Number Technique When the Following Aircraft is That upgrade will allow the implementation of a 23 nm lateral separation standard in oceanic airspace, followed by a 20 nm longitudinal separation standard by 2022. Additionally, within the HLA, special routes, referred to as ATC may provide special approval for a NAT HLA MNPS approved aircraft that is not approved for RVSM operation to fly in NAT HLA airspace provided that the aircraft:
In 2012 approximately 460,000 flights crossed the North Atlantic and that volume of traffic continues to increase. estimated spacing over the oceanic exit point when either conflict probe is Phase 2C, commencing 30 January 2020, further expands CPCLC / ADS-C mandated airspace to include FL 290 and above throughout the ICAO NAT region.
Mach number technique is being applied: Airspace at and above FL55 is All flights operating at or above FL60 must be conducted in accordance with Separation within NAT airspace is procedural and is based on altitude, distance and time. However, FAA officials have not completely given up on space-based ADS-B as a long-term solution for managing oceanic air traffic. not in use or when requested by another facility. • 30 NM lateral and longitudinal separation is applied in Pacific oceanic FIRs between aircraft meeting prescribed CNS requirements • RNP 4 is the prescribed navigation specification for 30/30 • RNP 4 authorization is not a requirement for Pacific oceanic operations; it is an operator option Observance of these standards ensures safe separation from the ground, from other aircraft and from protected airspace (see Loss of Separation). At the heart of the debate was a General Accountability Office (GAO) report which states flatly that the FAA has committed to using “enhanced ADS-C” to reduce separation of aircraft in US oceanic airspace, as part of its commitment to implement new international standards by 2022, while the agency will continue “to study space-based ADS-B for future use”. This article is intended to provide an overview of the NAT Region airspace including its divisions and basic operating rules. Aircraft separation, and hence safety, are ensured by demanding the highest standards of horizontal and vertical navigation performance/accuracy and of operating discipline. Longitudinal separation expressed in distance may be applied as prescribed in Chapter 6, Nonradar. Over the high seas, the lower limit of all NAT oceanic control areas is FL55. Phase 2B, commencing 7 December 2017, expanded CPCLC / ADS-C mandated airspace to include FL 350 to FL 390 (inclusive) throughout the ICAO NAT region. The North Atlantic Region encompasses virtually all of the non-domestic airspace over the Atlantic Ocean between roughly 20° north latitude and the North Pole except the airspace of New York Oceanic West. To flight plan or fly in the altitude band FL 350-390 inclusive on any OTS track, aircraft must be equipped with and operating FANS 1/A or equivalent CPDLC and ADS-C. Embedded within the North Atlantic Region are a number of domestic CTAs / TMAs including: