**Sixth Meeting of the Cross Polar Trans East Air Traffic Management
Providers' Work Group (CPWG/6)**

(Hong Kong 3-5 November 2008)

Agenda Item 5: Review and Status Action Item 090734

AVAILABLE ROUTINGS TO/FROM ATS ROUTE B970 (PILUN) THROUGH THE\
ANCHORAGE FLIGHT INFORMATION REGIONS (FIRS)

(Presented by the Federal Aviation Administration)

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **SUMMARY**                                                           |
|                                                                       |
| This paper outlines the currently available routings through the      |
| Anchorage Flight Information Region (FIR) airspace for aircraft       |
| flight planned via waypoint PILUN and ATS Route B970.                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

1.  **Introduction**

1.1 In July of this year, the Federal Air Navigation Authority of Russia
(FANA) and the Russian State Air Traffic Management Corporation (State
ATM) published a new Trans East route identified as "B970." The route's
eastern terminus, PILUN, lies at 72 degrees North Latitude and 168
degrees, 54 minutes, West Longitude. This point lies along the Anchorage
/ Mys Schmidta Flight Information Region (FIR) boundary. The
implementation of the route required FAA to exercise Air Traffic
Management by publishing routing guidance for aircraft flight planning
through the Anchorage airspace to or from the new route's terminus. This
paper describes those ATM procedures.

2.  **Discussion**

2.1 As noted above, the eastern terminus of B970 is at position PILUN.
PILUN is located in the Anchorage Arctic FIR wherein the minimum lateral
separation standard is 90 nautical miles (NM) between flight
centerlines. PILUN is also outside of Air Route Surveillance Radar
coverage and beyond VHF pilot/controller frequency range. Additionally,
PILUN is located approximately 95.7 NM north of position LISKI, the
terminus of ATS route A218. Traffic flight planned to or from PILUN, and
LISKI, must be transitioned from feet to meters, or meters to feet,
within the Anchorage airspace. This necessary transition greatly
increases the traffic complexity and greatly increases the controller's
workload. A graphic depicting this airspace is found in Attachment A to
this paper.

2.2 The geographical location of PILUN reference LISKI, and the
complicating factors noted above, makes the potential for traffic
confliction between flights on the two routes quite high. The controller
must be provided with sufficient Air Traffic Management (ATM) tools to
resolve potential traffic conflictions in a timely and controlled
manner. The preferred ATM methodology is, of course, the use of Radar
procedures. Lacking this, the controller must rely upon other forms of
procedural separation, the most usual being lateral "route" or
"protected airspace" separation. Accordingly, the most appropriate
response to the development of a new route terminating on the FIR
boundary would be to establish fixed ATS routes within the FIR that
would serve to laterally separate the traffic coming or going to the new
route. Operators, however, prefer not to be tied to fixed route
structures whenever possible. Fixed route structures frequently have a
negative impact on flight efficiency since they force aircraft to fly
less wind favorable routings than might otherwise be available.

2.3 Considering all of the foregoing including the operators' desires,
and based upon projected traffic usage, FAA took the decision to design
a comprise solution. This solution would not force flights onto hard and
fast trajectories, but would still provide the controller with the
ability to implement lateral procedural separation if required.

2.4 The designed solution was to:

> A. Require flights over flying LISKI to also over fly a point over or
> south of position 7030N15700W and to cross the Anchorage / Edmonton
> FIR boundary over *or south* of position VOLOB; and
>
> B. Require flights over flying PILUN to:

-   Also over fly 7200N15700W and to cross the Anchorage / Edmonton FIR
    boundary over TAYTA, *or*

-   also over fly 7330N15700W and to cross the Anchorage / Edmonton FIR
    boundary over *or north* of point 7330N14100W.

2.5 The designed solution permits the air traffic controller to apply
procedural lateral separation and still offers a degree of flexibility
for operators to design wind favorable routings.

**3.** **Recommendation**

a.  The Meeting is invited to note the information provided; and

b.  Operators are invited to forward change proposals which, while
    meeting the needs of ATM, also serve to enhance their flight
    efficiency.

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