Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) Alerting service shall be provided by the air traffic services units:
(1) for all aircraft provided with air traffic control service;
(2) in so far as practicable, to all other aircraft having filed a flight plan or otherwise known to the air traffic services;
(3) to any aircraft known or believed to be the subject of unlawful interference.
(b) Flight information centres or area control centres shall serve as the central point for collecting all information relevant to a state of emergency of an aircraft operating within the flight information region or control area concerned and for forwarding such information to the appropriate rescue coordination centre.
(c) In the event of a state of emergency arising to an aircraft while it is under the control of an aerodrome control tower or approach control unit or in contact with an AFIS unit, such unit shall notify immediately the flight information centre or area control centre responsible which shall in turn notify the rescue coordination centre, except that notification of the area control centre, flight information centre, or rescue coordination centre shall not be required if the nature of the emergency is such that the notification would be superfluous.
(d) Nevertheless, the aerodrome control tower or approach control unit responsible or the relevant AFIS unit shall first alert and take other necessary steps to set in motion all appropriate local rescue and emergency organisations which can give the immediate assistance required, in accordance with local instructions, whenever either of the following situations occurs:
(1) an aircraft accident has occurred on or in the vicinity of the aerodrome;
(2) information is received that the safety of an aircraft which is or will come under the jurisdiction of the aerodrome control tower or of the AFIS unit may have or has been impaired;
(3) requested by the flight crew;
(4) when otherwise deemed necessary or desirable or the urgency of the situation so requires.
GM1 ATS.TR.400(a)(2) Application
ED Decision 2020/008/R
INSTRUCTIONS ON ALERTING SERVICE PROVISION TO AIRCRAFT OTHERWISE KNOWN TO AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES UNITS
An air traffic services provider should ensure that appropriate instructions, approved by the competent authority, are provided to its air traffic services units regarding the provision of alerting service to aircraft ‘otherwise known to the air traffic services’. Such instructions should include options for cases where radio contact is not mandatory and a voluntary radio-communication has been interrupted without proper termination of the contact. These instructions should clarify what kind of information may be used for providing alerting service to aircraft which have not filed a flight plan, based on the available technologies and local operational conditions (e.g. use of emergency transponder codes or declared emergency of available communication channels).
ED Decision 2020/008/R
COORDINATION FOR ALERTING SERVICE
(a) When alerting service is required in respect of a flight operated through more than one FIR or control area, and when the position of the aircraft is in doubt, responsibility for coordinating such service should rest with the air traffic services unit of the FIR or control area:
(1) within which the aircraft was flying at the time of last air-ground radio contact; or
(2) that the aircraft was about to enter when last air-ground contact was established at or close to the boundary of two FIRs or control areas; or
(3) within which the aircraft’s intermediate stop or final destination point is located if the aircraft was not:
(i) equipped with suitable two-way radio communication equipment; or
(ii) under obligation to transmit position reports.
(b) The unit responsible for alerting service, in accordance with point (a), should:
(1) notify units providing alerting service in other affected FIRs or control areas of the emergency phase or phases, in addition to notifying the rescue coordination centre associated with it;
(2) request those units to assist in the search for any useful information pertaining to the aircraft presumed to be in an emergency, by all appropriate means and available communication facilities;
(3) collect the information gathered during each phase of the emergency and, after verifying it as necessary, transmit it to the rescue coordination centre; and
(4) announce the termination of the state of emergency as circumstances dictate.
(c) In obtaining the necessary information as required under points (b) and (c) of ATS.TR.405, attention is to particularly be given to informing the relevant rescue coordination centre of the distress frequencies available to survivors. Said information is listed in Item 19 of the flight plan but not normally transmitted.
AMC1 ATS.TR.400(d) Application
ED Decision 2020/008/R
ALERTING OF RESCUE AND FIREFIGHTING SERVICES
Local instructions, as in point (d) of ATS.TR.400, should specify the type of information to be provided by the aerodrome control tower or approach control unit responsible or the relevant AFIS unit to the rescue and firefighting services, including type of aircraft and type of emergency and, when available, number of persons on board, and any dangerous goods carried on the aircraft.
ATS.TR.405 Notification to rescue coordination centres
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) Without prejudice to any other circumstances that may render such notification advisable, air traffic services units shall, except as prescribed in point ATS.TR.420(a), notify rescue coordination centres immediately when an aircraft is considered to be in a state of emergency in accordance with the following:
(1) Uncertainty phase when either of the following situations applies:
(i) no communication has been received from an aircraft within a period of 30 minutes after the time a communication should have been received, or from the time an unsuccessful attempt to establish communication with such aircraft was first made, whichever is the earlier;
(ii) an aircraft fails to arrive within 30 minutes of the estimated time of arrival last notified to or estimated by air traffic services units, whichever is the later.
Uncertainty phase does not apply when no doubt exists as to the safety of the aircraft and its occupants.
(2) Alert phase when either of the following situations applies:
(i) following the uncertainty phase, subsequent attempts to establish communication with the aircraft or inquiries to other relevant sources have failed to reveal any news of the aircraft;
(ii) an aircraft has been cleared to land and fails to land within 5 minutes of the estimated time of landing and communication has not been re-established with the aircraft;
(iii) at AFIS aerodromes, under circumstances as prescribed by the competent authority;
(iv) information has been received which indicates that the operating efficiency of the aircraft has been impaired, but not to the extent that a forced landing is likely;
(v) an aircraft is known or believed to be the subject of unlawful interference.
Points (i) to (iv) do not apply when evidence exists that would allay apprehension as to the safety of the aircraft and its occupants.
(3) Distress phase when either of the following situations applies:
(i) following the alert phase, further unsuccessful attempts to establish communication with the aircraft and more widespread unsuccessful inquiries point to the probability that the aircraft is in distress;
(ii) the fuel on board is considered to be exhausted, or to be insufficient to enable the aircraft to reach safety;
(iii) information is received which indicates that the operating efficiency of the aircraft has been impaired to the extent that a forced landing is likely;
(iv) information is received or it is reasonably certain that the aircraft is about to make or has made a forced landing,
Distress phase does not apply when there is reasonable certainty that the aircraft and its occupants are not threatened by grave and imminent danger and do not require immediate assistance.
(b) The notification shall contain such of the following information as is available in the order listed:
(1) INCERFA, ALERFA or DETRESFA, as appropriate to the phase of the emergency;
(2) agency and person calling;
(3) nature of the emergency;
(4) significant information from the flight plan;
(5) unit which made last contact, time and means used;
(6) last position report and how it was determined;
(7) colour and distinctive marks of aircraft;
(8) dangerous goods carried as cargo;
(9) any action taken by the reporting office;
(10) other pertinent remarks.
(c) Such part of the information specified in point (b), which is not available at the time the notification is made to a rescue coordination centre, shall be sought by an air traffic services unit prior to the declaration of a distress phase where time permits and where there is reasonable certainty that this phase will eventuate.
(d) Further to the notification specified in point (a), air traffic services units shall, without delay, furnish the rescue coordination centre with either of the following:
(1) any useful additional information, especially on the development of the state of emergency through subsequent phases;
(2) information that the emergency situation no longer exists.
GM1 ATS.TR.405(a)(1) Notification to rescue coordination centres
ED Decision 2020/008/R
AIRCRAFT REPORT FOR THE PURPOSES OF UNCERTAINTY PHASE
When no report from an aircraft has been received within a reasonable period of time (which may be a specified interval prescribed on the basis of regional air navigation agreements) after a scheduled or expected reporting time, the air traffic services unit should, within the stipulated period of 30 minutes, endeavour to obtain such report in order to be in a position to apply the provisions relevant to the ‘Uncertainty Phase’ should circumstances warrant such application.
GM1 ATS.TR.405(a)(2)(ii) Notification to rescue coordination centres
ED Decision 2020/008/R
MISSED AIRCRAFT REPORT — ACTIONS OF THE AERODROME CONTROL TOWER
When an aircraft fails to report after having been transferred to an aerodrome control tower, or, having once reported, ceases radio contact and in either case fails to land 5 minutes after the expected landing time, the same aerodrome control tower should, in accordance with point (c) of ATS.TR.400, report the situation to the approach control unit, ACC or flight information centre, or to the rescue coordination centre or rescue sub-centre.
GM1 ATS.TR.405(a)(2)(iii) Notification to rescue coordination centres
ED Decision 2020/008/R
MISSED AIRCRAFT REPORT — ACTIONS OF THE AFIS UNIT
When an aircraft fails to report to or ceases radio contact with an AFIS unit under the circumstances established by the competent authority, the same AFIS unit should, in accordance with point (c) of ATS.TR.400, report the situation to the approach control unit, ACC or flight information centre, or to the rescue coordination centre or rescue sub-centre.
GM1 ATS.TR.405(c) Notification to rescue coordination centres
ED Decision 2020/008/R
INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ALERTING SERVICE
In case of missing information specified in point (b) of ATS.TR.405, the air traffic services units should clearly indicate to the rescue coordination centre the information not available at the time of the notification of the distress phase.
GM1 ATS.TR.405(d) Notification to rescue coordination centres
ED Decision 2020/008/R
CANCELLATION OF ACTION(S) RELATED TO ALERTING SERVICE
The cancellation of action(s) initiated by the rescue coordination centre is the responsibility of that centre.
ATS.TR.410 Use of communication facilities
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
Air traffic services units shall, as necessary, use all available communication facilities to endeavour to establish and maintain communication with an aircraft in a state of emergency, and to request news of the aircraft.
ATS.TR.415 Plotting aircraft in a state of emergency
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
When a state of emergency is considered to exist, the air traffic services unit or units aware of the emergency shall plot the flight of the aircraft involved on a chart or other appropriate tool in order to determine the probable future position of the aircraft and its maximum range of action from its last known position.
AMC1 ATS.TR.415 Plotting aircraft in a state of emergency
ED Decision 2020/008/R
PLOTTING AIRCRAFT IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY WHERE ATS SURVEILLANCE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED
The progress of an aircraft in emergency should be monitored and (whenever possible) plotted on the situation display until the aircraft passes out of coverage of the ATS surveillance system, and position information should be provided to all air traffic services units which may be able to give assistance to the aircraft. Transfer to adjacent sectors should also be effected when appropriate.
ATS.TR.420 Information to the operator
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) When an area control centre or a flight information centre decides that an aircraft is in the uncertainty or the alert phase, it shall, when practicable, advise the aircraft operator prior to notifying the rescue coordination centre.
(b) Whenever practicable, an area control centre or flight information centre shall, without delay, communicate all information notified to the rescue coordination centre to the aircraft operator.
ATS.TR.425 Information to aircraft operating in the vicinity of an aircraft in a state of emergency
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) When it has been established by an air traffic services unit that an aircraft is in a state of emergency, other aircraft known to be in the vicinity of the aircraft involved shall, except as provided in point (b), be informed of the nature of the emergency as soon as practicable.
(b) When an air traffic services unit knows or believes that an aircraft is being subjected to unlawful interference, no reference shall be made in air traffic services air-ground communications to the nature of the emergency unless it has first been referred to in communications from the aircraft involved and it is certain that such reference will not aggravate the situation.