States that provide air traffic services outside of their sovereign airspace, including airspace which overlies waters outside their territory (i.e. high seas airspace) regardless of the type of flight information region (FIR), have been requested to provide information on the areas within that airspace where ATSUs obtain position information at greater than 15 minute intervals.
Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are invited to submit and maintain surveillance information and operational contact details for ATSUs providing services in airspaces which overlies waters outside the territory of a State, using the new OPS Control Directory service that can be accessed at the following link: https://www4.icao.int/opsctrl
The map below indicates areas of airspace which overlie waters outside the territory of a State, where position reports are received by ATC at less than 15 minute intervals for aircraft equipped with a transponder and ADS-C. Where this is not the case, or where insufficient information has been obtained for an FIR, it is recommended that Air Operators track their ADS-C equipped aircraft, in accordance with the aircraft tracking provisions of Annex 6 Part I, 3.5.
It is important to note that the reporting interval used by ANSPs to provide a safe service is dependent on the density of traffic in a given airspace. In some airspaces, the amount of air traffic is too small for a system with a higher reporting rate to be cost-effective. However areas with a lower reporting rate are in no way unsafe when compared to high reporting rate areas; it is simply dictated by efficient traffic management.
*Delineations of Flight Information Region (FIR) boundaries are approximations provided for informational purposes only and should not be in any way relied upon for purposes of air navigation.
