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Free Route Airspace introduced in Finland

Press release
Article published
12.11.2015 at 10:00
Archived
lentokone taivaalla
People & Aviation
Flight routes will become shorter through the introduction of Free Route Airspace (FRA) in Finland, Norway, Estonia and Latvia on 12 November.

Free routing allows for flexibility and efficiency in air space use. It is now easier for airlines to optimise the quantity of fuel in aircraft and to better account for the weather and other airspace users when planning flight routes.

An airspace renewal was implemented in Finland last autumn with the aim of introducing free routing. Harmonising the operating models used in different countries will help achieve benefits throughout Northern Europe.

"By harmonising the airspaces of various countries, the aim is to make air traffic control more efficient in Europe, where it costs twice as much as in the United States. The renewal will only have a positive impact on the average air passenger, as flight times will be shorter and the costs for airlines will fall. The goal is to promote the competitiveness of air traffic", says Raine Luojus, head of Finavia's air navigation services.

The SES (Single European Sky) laws of the EU form the backbone of the structural reform of all of Europe's airspace. The purpose is to harmonise operating methods and airspace throughout Europe.

The massive renewal has been implemented gradually, and FRA is a significant step for Northern European countries. At the next stage, the goal is to further expand the FRA with service suppliers in the UK and Ireland.

Read more in NEFAB's release.