FABEC Free route airspace adds Swiss entire upper airspace, adjoining French airspace, and German cross-border routes

From 1 December 2022, airspace users flying in Switzerland’s upper airspace gained access to shorter, more efficient flight plan route options following the implementation of Free Route Airspace (FRA) by Skyguide above FL195. FRA represents a fundamental change to the way airlines submit their flight plans. In place of the Air Traffic Services (ATS) Route Network, operators can plan routes between defined horizontal entry and exit points and select the optimum flight paths to suit their needs. This enables airlines to plan more direct routes and flight plans to align more closely with the actual route flown.

To ensure airspace capacity and flight safety is maintained, FRA waypoints continue to adhere to the Eurocontrol Route Availability Document (RAD) – as under the ATS Route Network – and connections between the various FRA points remain subject to airspace availability, so can be blocked by the activation of Temporary Reserved Areas (TRAs).