Information relative to an intended flight or portion of a flight, to be provided to air traffic services units, shall be in the form of a flight plan. The term ‘flight plan’ is used to mean variously, full information on all items comprised in the flight plan description, covering the whole route of a flight, or limited information required, inter alia, when the purpose is to obtain a clearance for a minor portion of a flight such as to cross an airway, to take off from, or to land at a controlled aerodrome.
The EUR RVSM flight planning requirements for the completion of the ICAO Flight Plan Form are contained in the ICAO EUR Regional Supplementary Procedures (Doc 7030).
Furthermore, the following requirement is in addition to the flight planning requirements contained in the ICAO EUR Regional Supplementary Procedures (Doc 7030): in addition to military operations, operators of customs or police aircraft shall insert the letter M in Item 8 of the ICAO Flight Plan Form.
1.1.1 Submission of a flight plan shall normally be the duty of the pilot-in-command or of his deputy, except that for flights within the operation of an air transport enterprise, a flight plan may also be submitted by a representative of the operating agency.
1.1.2 In accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 a flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating:
a) any flight or portion thereof to be provided with ATC service;
b) any IFR flight outside controlled airspace or any VFR flight planned to operate at night, if leaving the vicinity of an aerodrome;
c) any flight within or into areas, or along routes designated by the competent authority to facilitate the provision of flight information, alerting and search and rescue services;
d) any flight within or into areas, or along routes designated by the competent authority to facilitate coordination with appropriate military units or with ATS units in adjacent States in order to avoid the possible need for interception for the purpose of identification;
e) any flight across international borders;
f) any flight outside controlled airspace operating within a 15 KM (8 NM) area from the Latvian borders with Belarus and Russia from ground level to FL095;
g) any flight intending to be conducted in a Flight Information Zone (FIZ) during its operating hours.
1.1.3 Direct submission with IFPS (Integrated Initial Flight Plan Processing System)
a) Flight plan originators concerned will generally be permitted to submit flight plans for IFR/GAT flights directly to the IFPS without the need to pass them through an ATS Reporting Office (ARO).
b) Direct-filers take the full responsibility for compliance with all relevant IFPS procedures, including complete addressing of the message (e.g. within and outside the IFPS area, VFR part, Operational Air Traffic (OAT) part) .
Detailed procedures are published in the IFPS Users Manual of the Network Operations Handbook.
The Handbook is available at
URL: https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/ifps-users-manual
1.1.4 Acceptance of flight plans filed via an electronic system
With respect to the 8.33 kHz channel spacing capable radio equipment requirements for IFR flights, the IFPS from 01 January, 2018 may send one of the following:
a) REJ message with the following comment: //This flight does not comply with 8.33 kHz radio equipment//
b) ACK message with the following comment: //Flight plan is not compliant with 8.33 kHz radio equipment; expect significant operational penalty//, if the flight is indicated as STS/SAR or STS/HOSP.
1.1.5 Consultation by ARO Riga
a) Consultation will be provided on request by phone +37167300642, +37167783761, +371 67300645 for flight plans, which are/or to be submitted.
b) Any Operational Reply Message (Acknowledgment (ACK), Manual (MAN), Rejection (REJ)) received at ARO Riga is kept available for the flight plan originators (aircraft operators, agencies concerned, pilots-in-command), who are responsible for collecting and responding to such messages at their discretion.
1.1.6 Submission of a flight plan during the flight (Air-filed flight plan (AFIL))
Flight plans may be filed during the flight, if warranted by certain circumstances (e.g. due to unforeseen weather changes, emergency situations). In this case the FIS will accept the flight plan data and will forward the flight plan to ARO Riga for further transmission to the competent units.
1.2.1 Time of submission
A flight plan for any flight planned to operate across international borders or to be provided with air traffic control service or air traffic advisory service shall be submitted as follows:
1. not more than 120 hours before the estimated off-block time;
2. at least 3 hours before the estimated off-block time for flights that may be subject to air traffic flow management measures;
3. at least 60 minutes before departure for all other flights not covered in point 2;
4. if submitted during the flight, at a time which ensures its receipt by the appropriate ATS unit, at least 10 minutes before the aircraft is estimated to reach:
For domestic VFR flights, the flight plan shall be submitted at least 30 minutes before the estimated off-block time.
1.2.2 Place of submission
1. Flight plans may be submitted before departure to the ATS reporting office (ARO) Riga or during a flight to a corresponding ATS unit.
2. Flight plans may be submitted to ARO Riga by phone : +371 67300645, +371 67300642, +371 67783761.
When submitting the flight plan by telephone, the sequence of fields in the ICAO flight plan format shall be followed.
3. Flight plans may be submitted by registered users via LGS Internet Briefing on URL: https://ibs.lgs.lv.
If the flight plan is submitted through the https://ibs.lgs.lv website, the submitter must ensure that the flight plan has been accepted on the website. Otherwise, the availability of the flight plan is not guaranteed.
If the flight plan submitter uses a computerized flight plan transfer system to submit the flight plans, the responsibility for correctness and addressing of the flight plan lies with the submitter.
1.2.3 Contents and format of a flight plan
The formats and requirements for completing the Flight Plan Form, defined by ICAO Doc 4444 shall be strictly adhered to. For FF-ICE (Flight and Flow Information for Collaborative Environment) requirements, see paragraph 4.4 below.
A flight plan shall include all information considered relevant by the competent authority as regards the following:
For flight plans submitted during the flight, the departure aerodrome or operating site provided shall be the location from which supplementary information concerning the flight may be obtained, if required. Additionally, the information to be provided in lieu of the estimated off-block time shall be the time over the first point of the route to which the flight plan relates.
A flight plan shall contain information, as applicable, on relevant items up to and including ‘Alternate aerodrome(s) or operating site(s)’ regarding the whole route or the portion thereof for which the flight plan is submitted.
When a flight plan is submitted, the sequence of items on the flight plan form shall be strictly adhered to.
Aircraft operators, flight plan originators and air traffic services units shall comply with the following:
1. the instructions for completion of the flight plan form contained in Appendix 6 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012;
2. any constraints identified in relevant Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs).
Aircraft operators, or the agents that act on their behalf, which intend to operate within the single European sky airspace for a portion of or the entire route in accordance with IFR shall insert the appropriate indicator for the aircraft equipment available on board and its capabilities in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1770 in the relevant item in the flight plan.
Operators of aircraft not equipped in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1770 which intend to operate within the single European sky airspace shall insert the appropriate indicator for the aircraft equipment available on board and its capabilities, and any potential exemptions in the relevant items in the flight plan.
The flight plan shall, in addition, contain information, as applicable, on all other items when so prescribed by the competent authority or when otherwise deemed necessary by the person submitting the flight plan.
1.2.4 Adherence to airspace utilization rules and availability
No flight plans shall be filed via the airspace of the Riga FIR that deviate from the State restrictions defined within the Route Availability Document (RAD). This common European reference document contains all airspace utilisation rules and availability for the Riga FIR and any reference to them shall be made via
URL:https://www.nm.eurocontrol.int/RAD/index.html
1.2.5 Authorisation for special flights
Flights of a specific character such as survey flights, scientific research flights etc., may be exempt from the restriction specified above.
Request for exemption shall be submitted so as to be received at least one week before the intended day of operations to:
Post:
Civil Aviation Agency
Lidosta “Rīga”, Biroju iela 10
Mārupes pagasts, Mārupes novads
LV-1053, Latvija
Tel: +371 67830953
Fax: +371 67830967
Email: caa@caa.gov.lv
AFS: NIL
NIL
All changes to a flight plan submitted for an IFR flight, or a VFR flight operated as a controlled flight, shall be reported:
1. during the pre-flight phase, to the Network Manager for flights intended to operate in accordance with IFR for a portion of or the entire route, and to air traffic services reporting offices as soon as practicable;
2. during the flight to the appropriate air traffic services unit.
For other VFR flights, significant changes to a flight plan shall be reported as soon as practicable to the appropriate air traffic services unit.
In the event of a delay of 30 minutes in excess of the estimated off-block time for a VFR controlled flight or a delay of 30 minutes for a VFR uncontrolled flight for which a flight plan has been submitted, the flight plan shall be amended, or a new flight plan submitted, and the old flight plan cancelled, whichever is applicable. For any flight operated in accordance with IFR, delays of more than 15 minutes shall be communicated to the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM).
In the case of a change in the aircraft equipment and its capability status for a flight, aircraft operators, or the agents that act on their behalf, shall send a modification message to the Network Manager or the air traffic services reporting offices with the appropriate indicator inserted in the relevant item of the flight plan form.
Information submitted prior to departure regarding fuel or energy endurance or total number of persons carried on board, if incorrect at the time of departure, constitutes a significant change to the flight plan and, as such, shall be reported.
Whenever a flight, for which a flight plan has been submitted, is cancelled, the appropriate ATS unit shall be informed immediately.
3.1.1 The Network Manager, for the portion of the route operated in accordance with IFR, and the air traffic services reporting office shall take the necessary measures to ensure that when a flight plan is received, or when changes are made to it, it is:
(1) in compliance with the applicable format and data conventions;
(2) complete and, to the extent possible, accurate;
(3) if necessary, made acceptable to the air traffic services; and
(4) accepted, or the changes made to it are also accepted, and this is indicated to the originator of the flight plan.
3.1.2 ATC units shall provide the Network Manager with any necessary changes of a flight plan affecting items related to the route or flight level as listed in point 1.2.3 (from 1 to 10) that could affect the safe conduct of a flight, for flight plans and associated update messages previously received by them from the Network Manager. No other changes to, or cancellation of, a flight plan shall be made by an ATC unit in the pre-flight phase without coordination with the aircraft operator.
3.1.3 The originator of a flight plan, when not being the aircraft operator or the pilot, shall ensure that the conditions of acceptance of a flight plan and any necessary changes to these conditions as notified by the Network Manager for the portion of the flight operated in accordance with IFR, or by the air traffic services reporting offices, are made available to the aircraft operator or the pilot that has submitted the flight plan.
3.1.4 The aircraft operator shall ensure that the conditions of acceptance of a flight plan and any necessary changes to it as notified by the Network Manager or by the air traffic services reporting office to the originator of the flight plan are incorporated into the planned flight operation and communicated to the pilot.
3.1.5 The aircraft operator shall ensure prior to the operation of the flight that the content of the flight plan correctly reflects the operational intentions.
If any flight departs from an uncontrolled Latvian aerodrome, airfield or heliport, after departure, the pilot shall activate the FPL (if submitted) and report the actual time of departure to the nearest ATS unit.
3.3.1 A flight plan will be considered as closed after receipt of the arrival report.
3.3.2 An arrival report shall be made in person, by radiotelephony or via data link at the earliest possible moment after landing, to the appropriate ATS unit at the arrival aerodrome, by any flight for which a flight plan has been submitted covering the entire flight or the remaining portion of a flight to the destination aerodrome.
3.3.3 Submission of an arrival report is not required after landing at an aerodrome where ATS are provided on condition that radio communication or visual signals indicate that the landing has been observed.
3.3.4 When no ATS unit exists at the arrival aerodrome or operating site, the arrival report shall be made as soon as practicable after landing and by the quickest means available to the ARO Riga:
AFS: EVRAZPZX
Tel: +371 67300642, +371 67300645, +371 67783761
3.3.5 When a flight plan has been submitted which only covers a portion of a flight, other than the remaining portion of a flight to its destination, it shall be closed by submission of an appropriate report to the relevant ATS unit. This report shall not be considered as an arrival report.
3.3.6 When communication facilities at the arrival aerodrome or operating site are known to be inadequate and alternative arrangements for the handling of arrival reports on the ground are not available, the following action shall be taken. Immediately prior to landing the aircraft shall, if practicable, transmit to the appropriate ATS unit, a message comparable to an arrival report, where such a report is required. Normally, this transmission shall be made to the aeronautical station serving the ATS unit in charge of the FIR in which the aircraft is operated.
3.3.7 If it is expected that the arrival report will not reach the appropriate ATS unit within 30 minutes after the ETA, a notification shall be made in item 18 of the flight plan, providing information about the time when the arrival report may be expected (e.g RMK/EXPECT ARR REPORT 1520).
Arrival reports made by aircraft shall contain the following elements of information:
4.1.1 Flight and flow information for a collaborative environment (FF-ICE). Information necessary for planning, coordination, and notification of flights, exchanged in a standardized format among members of the ATM community, including those involved in flight operations and aerodrome operations.
4.1.2 Flight and flow information for a collaborative environment (FF-ICE) services. A set of services established for the purposes of facilitating the exchange of FF-ICE, accurate assessment of demands, appropriate resource planning, and optimizing flight planning and execution.
4.1.3 Flight and flow information for a collaborative environment (FF-ICE) services unit. A unit designated by the appropriate ATS authority for the provision of FF-ICE services.
4.1.4 Filed flight plan (FPL or eFPL). The latest flight plan as submitted by a pilot, an operator or a designated representative for use by ATS units.
Note. The FPL denotes a filed flight plan exchanged using aeronautical fixed service while eFPL denotes a filed flight plan exchanged using FF-ICE services. The eFPL allows for the exchange of additional information not contained within the FPL.
4.1.5 Globally unique flight identifier (GUFI). An unchangeable data element associated with a flight that allows all eligible members of the ATM community to unambiguously refer to information pertaining to the flight.
4.2.1 FF-ICE operates within a system-wide information management (SWIM) operational environment in which the main procedures and processes are described in terms of services.
4.2.2 EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM) is the designated FF-ICE services unit for the IFPS Zone and provides the following FF-ICE services:
a) filing service: the evaluation of a filed flight plan (eFPL) for the provision of air traffic services and indication of flight plan acceptability;
b) trial service: the evaluation of a trial request with respect to flight plan acceptability and, where practicable, the indication of applicable restrictions and resultant constraints on the flight;
Note: The trial service offers an opportunity for an operator or designated representative to submit “what-if” scenarios and to receive feedback from an FF-ICE services unit, prior to submitting an eFPL or flight plan update.
c) flight data request service: the provision of data regarding a specific flight such as the latest version of a filed flight plan or search and rescue data upon request by an eligible recipient;
d) notification service: the provision of data regarding a certain flight event such as departure and arrival to required recipients; and
e) publication service: the publication of FF-ICE data for access by authorized subscribers.
4.2.3 Detailed descriptions of the NM FF-ICE services are available in the European SWIM registry.
4.2.4 An NM B2B (Business-to-Business) certificate is required to make use of the FF-ICE services provided by the NM via their B2B Services.
4.2.5 The NM provides a translation service whereby all eFPL messages are translated to the FPL message format. Operators may make use of the FF-ICE translation and delivery service provided by the NM to address translated FPL messages to ATS units outside of the IFPZ.
4.3.1 FF-ICE messages are used to exchange FF-ICE information and are described in the following table:
|
MESSAGE |
DESCRIPTION |
|
Submission Response |
A response message indicating whether a submitted FF-ICE message is valid or not. In case of rejection, it also indicates the reason. |
|
Trial Request |
A query to evaluate a flight plan under consideration for an intended flight. A response to a validated Trial Request message indicating the expected flight plan acceptability and, where practicable, applicable restrictions and constraints. |
|
Trial Response |
A response to a validated Trial Request message indicating the expected flight plan acceptability and, where practicable, applicable restrictions and constraints. |
|
Filed Flight Plan (eFPL) |
A flight plan (to be) submitted as a request for air traffic services. |
|
Filing Status |
A response to a validated eFPL message indicating the flight plan acceptability. |
|
Flight Plan Update |
An update to the information contained in a previously submitted flight plan. |
|
Flight Cancellation |
An instruction to cancel and remove a previously submitted flight plan. |
|
Flight Data Request |
A query for flight plan or search and rescue information for a particular flight. |
|
Flight Data Response |
A response to a validated Flight Data Request message, which includes the requested data. |
|
Flight Departure |
A notification that a flight has departed. |
|
Flight Arrival |
A notification that a flight has landed. |
4.3.2 The Flight Information Exchange Model (FIXM) provides individual exchange schema for each of the FF-ICE messages.
4.3.3 Further details on the format, fields and content are provided in the NM B2B Reference Manual and the FIXM User Manual.
4.4.1 General air traffic, operating under IFR must submit eFPLs using the FF-ICE services provided by the NM, instead of FPL messages.
4.4.2 For all operators, an eFPL message shall include, as a minimum (civil aircraft operating as general air traffic fully under IFR have additional requirements):
a) the GUFI;
b) the operator flight plan version;
c) the flight data items required for FPLs as prescribed by the provisions in ICAO Annex 2, paragraph 3.3.2, ICAO Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM), Appendix 2 and paragraph 1.2.3 above.
4.4.3 Civil aircraft operating as general air traffic fully under IFR are additionally required to include the following in their eFPL:
a) expanded route and 4D trajectory;
b) flight-specific performance data consisting of performance climb and descent profiles and climb and descent speed schedules;
c) estimated aircraft take-off mass.
4.4.4 For state aircraft operating as general air traffic fully under IFR and general air traffic operating under mixed IFR and VFR, the inclusion of items mentioned in 4.4.3 a), b) and c) in eFPLs is optional.
4.4.5 Details on the expression of route/trajectory information in an FF-ICE flight plan are provided in the EUROCONTROL Network Manager IFPS Users Manual. When providing a trajectory in an FF-ICE flight plan, the full trajectory from the aerodrome of departure to the aerodrome of destination shall be provided.
4.4.6 The operator, or its designated representative, shall generate and allocate a GUFI to its FF-ICE flight plan. The provision of the GUFI is mandatory when using the filing service and the notification service.
4.4.7 The operator flight plan version number is a mandatory element when submitting eFPLs and any subsequent updates. The version number shall be incremented by the operator or their designated representative with each update to the flight plan.
4.5.1 Submission, update and cancellation of FF-ICE Flight Plans:
a) FF-ICE flight plans are submitted, updated and cancelled using the FF-ICE filing service.
b) Upon processing of an FF-ICE flight plan submission or update, the NM provides feedback via a submission response and filing status. In the case of an FF-ICE flight plan cancellation, the NM provides feedback via a submission response only.
4.5.2 Use of the FF-ICE Trial Service:
a) The trial service is initiated through the submission of a trial request.
b) Upon processing of an FF-ICE trial request, NM provides feedback via a submission response and a trial response.
4.5.3 Use of the FF-ICE Flight Data Request Service:
a) The use of the FF-ICE flight data request service enables users to request:
4.5.4 The notification service is used to enable users to transmit departure and arrival notification information to the NM.
4.5.5 The data publication service is used to enable subscribers to obtain information about flights relevant to their operations.
4.5.6 FF-ICE flight plan re-evaluation:
a) The Network Manager (NM) performs re-evaluation of FF-ICE flight plans to determine whether flight plans remain in compliance with published restrictions or ATM measures that may have been applied or modified since the flight plan was last evaluated.
b) The IFPS performs re-evaluation of eFPLs in the same way that it revalidates FPLs/IFPLs, with all valid flight plans subjected to the same process, criteria, and possible outcomes.
c) The re-evaluation process applies to all processed eFPLs that received an ACK submission status and ACCEPTABLE filing status.
d) Operators should make use of the NM B2B Publish/Subscribe services that will provide updates to the eFPL’s filing status, to maintain awareness of the re-evaluation results.
4.5.7 Further details on the NM implementation and provision of FF-ICE services and related procedures are provided in the NM IFPS Users Manual.
4.6.1 Further information on FF-ICE, NM implementation, and associated procedures can be found in the following:
a) EUROCONTROL FF-ICE webpage at https://eurocontrol.int/ffice
b) EUROCONTROL Network Manager IFPS Users Manual at https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/ifps-users-manual
c) EUROCONTROL NM B2B Reference Manual
d) European SWIM Registry at https://eur-registry.swim.aero/home
e) FIXM User Manual at https://docs.fixm.aero/#/
4.6.2 The EUROCONTROL Network Manager will provide a flight plan translation service for the FIRs/UIRs in the IFPZ where FF-ICE/R1 is not mandated, as a transition arrangement until full implementation by the concerned States.