Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012Show full title

SERA.8005 Operation of air traffic control service

(a) In order to provide air traffic control service, an air traffic control unit shall:

(1)

be provided with information on the intended movement of each aircraft, or variations therefrom, and with current information on the actual progress of each aircraft;

(2)

determine from the information received, the relative positions of known aircraft to each other;

(3)

issue clearances and information for the purpose of preventing collision between aircraft under its control and of expediting and maintaining an orderly flow of traffic;

(4)

coordinate clearances as necessary with other units:

(i)

whenever an aircraft might otherwise conflict with traffic operated under the control of such other units;

(ii)

before transferring control of an aircraft to such other units.

(b) Clearances issued by air traffic control units shall provide separation:

(1)

between all flights in airspace Classes A and B;

(2)

between IFR flights in airspace Classes C, D and E;

(3)

between IFR flights and VFR flights in airspace Class C;

(4)

between IFR flights and special VFR flights;

(5)

between special VFR flights unless otherwise prescribed by the competent authority;

except that, when requested by the pilot of an aircraft and agreed by the pilot of the other aircraft and if so prescribed by the competent authority for the cases listed under b) above in airspace Classes D and E, a flight may be cleared subject to maintaining own separation in respect of a specific portion of the flight below 3 050 m (10 000 ft) during climb or descent, during day in visual meteorological conditions.

(c) Except for cases when a reduction in separation minima in the vicinity of aerodromes can be applied, separation by an air traffic control unit shall be obtained by at least one of the following:

(1)

vertical separation, obtained by assigning different levels selected from the table of cruising levels in Appendix 3 to the Annex to this Regulation, except that the correlation of levels to track as prescribed therein shall not apply whenever otherwise indicated in appropriate aeronautical information publications or air traffic control clearances. The vertical separation minimum shall be a nominal 300 m (1 000 ft) up to and including FL 410 and a nominal 600 m (2 000 ft) above this level;

(2)

horizontal separation, obtained by providing:

(i)

longitudinal separation, by maintaining an interval between aircraft operating along the same, converging or reciprocal tracks, expressed in time or distance; or

(ii)

lateral separation, by maintaining aircraft on different routes or in different geographical areas.