Identification of standard departure and standard arrival routes and associated procedures
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/469
(a) When identifying standard departure and standard arrival routes and associated procedures, it shall be ensured that:
(1) the system of designators shall permit the identification of each route in a simple and unambiguous manner;
(2) each route shall be identified by a plain language designator and a corresponding coded designator; and
(3) in voice communications, the designators shall be easily recognisable as relating to a standard departure or standard arrival route and shall not create any difficulties in pronunciation for pilots and ATS personnel.
(b) When composing designators for standard departure and standard arrival routes and associated procedures, the following shall be used:
(1) a plain language designator;
(2) a basic indicator;
(3) a validity indicator that shall be a number from 1 to 9;
(4) a route indicator that shall be one letter of the alphabet; the letters ‘I’ and ‘O’ shall not be used; and
(5) a coded designator of a standard departure or standard arrival route, instrument or visual.
(c) Assignment of designators
(1) Each route shall be assigned a separate designator.
(2) To distinguish between two or more routes that relate to the same significant point (and are therefore assigned the same basic indicator), a separate route indicator as described in point (b)(4) shall be assigned to each route.
(d) Assignment of validity indicators
(1) A validity indicator shall be assigned to each route to identify the route that is currently in effect.
(2) The first validity indicator to be assigned shall be the number ‘1’.
(3) Whenever a route is amended, a new validity indicator, which consists of the next higher number, shall be assigned. The number ‘9’ shall be followed by the number ‘1’.
ED Decision 2020/008/R
SYSTEM OF DESIGNATORS
The system of designators should:
(a) make a clear distinction between:
(1) departure routes and arrival routes;
(2) departure or arrival routes and other ATS routes; and
(3) routes requiring navigation by reference to ground-based radio aids or self-contained airborne aids, and routes requiring navigation by visual reference to the ground;
(b) be compatible with ATS and aircraft data processing and display requirements;
(c) be of utmost brevity in its operational application;
(d) avoid redundancy; and
(e) provide sufficient possibility for extension to cater for any future requirements without the need for fundamental changes.
GM1 to AMC1 SECTION III — (a)(1)
ED Decision 2020/008/R
SYSTEM OF DESIGNATORS
The term ‘route’ is used in the meaning of ‘route and associated procedures’.
ED Decision 2020/008/R
PLAIN LANGUAGE DESIGNATOR
A plain language designator of a standard departure or arrival route should consist of:
(a) a basic indicator followed by;
(b) a validity indicator followed by;
(c) a route indicator, where required, followed by;
(d) the word ‘departure’ or ‘arrival’ followed by;
(e) the word ‘visual’, if the route has been established for use by aircraft operating in accordance with the visual flight rules (VFR) or in accordance with the instrument flight rules (IFR) under visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
ED Decision 2020/008/R
BASIC INDICATOR
The basic indicator should be considered the name or name-code of the significant point where a standard departure route terminates or a standard arrival route begins.
ED Decision 2020/008/R
CODED DESIGNATOR
The coded designator of a standard departure or standard arrival route, instrument or visual, should consist of:
(a) the coded designator or name-code of the significant point followed by;
(b) the validity indicator followed by;
(c) the route indicator, where required.
ED Decision 2020/008/R
GENERAL
(a) Guidance material relating to the establishment of standard departure and arrival routes and associated procedures is contained in ICAO Doc 9426 ‘Air Traffic Services Planning Manual’.
(b) The flight procedure naming convention is contained in ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS) Volume II ‘Construction of Visual and Instrument Flight Procedures’, as last amended.
(c) The plain language designator used for the phraseology is contained in ICAO Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM) ‘Air Traffic Management’, as last amended.
(d) The runway designator detailed requirements are contained in ICAO Annex 14 Volume I, Section 5.2.2.
(e) Examples of plain language and coded designators for standard departure and arrival routes and associated procedures
(1) Example 1: Standard departure route — instrument
Plain language designator: BRECON ONE DEPARTURE
Coded designator: BCN 1
Meaning: The designator identifies a standard instrument departure route which terminates at the significant point BRECON (basic indicator). BRECON is a radio navigation facility with the identification BCN (basic indicator of the coded designator). The validity indicator ONE (1 in the coded designator) signifies either that the original version of the route is still in effect or that a change has been made from the previous version NINE (9) to the now effective version ONE (1). The absence of a route indicator signifies that only one route, in this case a departure route, has been established with reference to BRECON.
(2) Example 2: Standard arrival route — instrument
Plain language designator: KODAP TWO ALPHA ARRIVAL
Coded designator: KODAP2A
Meaning: This designator identifies a standard instrument arrival route which begins at the significant point KODAP (basic indicator). KODAP is a significant point not marked by the site of a radio navigation facility and therefore assigned a five-letter name-code in accordance with Appendix 2 to ICAO Annex 11. The validity indicator TWO (2) signifies that a change has been made from the previous version ONE (1) to the now effective version TWO (2). The route indicator ALPHA (A) identifies one of several routes established with reference to KODAP and is a specific character assigned to this route.
(3) Example 3: Standard departure route — visual
Plain language designator: ADOLA FIVE BRAVO DEPARTURE VISUAL
Coded designator: ADOLA 5 B
Meaning: This designator identifies a standard departure route with visual portion of flight, which terminates at ADOLA, a significant point not marked by the site of a radio navigation facility. The validity indicator FIVE (5) signifies that a change has been made from the previous version FOUR (4) to the now effective version FIVE (5). The route indicator BRAVO (B) identifies one of several routes established with reference to ADOLA.
(f) Examples of plain language and coded designators for approach procedures
(1) Example 1: Instrument approach to a runway
Plain language designator: RNP ZULU APPROACH RUNWAY ONE EIGHT
Coded designator: RNP Z RWY18
Meaning: The designator identifies an RNAV approach procedure to runway 18. The suffix letter ZULU (Z) identifies one of several RNAV approaches established on runway 18 and is a specific character assigned to this procedure.
(2) Example 2: Instrument approach to a runway
Plain language designator: ILS ZULU APPROACH RUNWAY THREE TWO
Coded designator: ILS Z RWY32
Meaning: The designator identifies an ILS approach procedure to runway 32. The suffix letter ZULU (Z) identifies one of several ILS approaches established on runway 32 and is a specific character assigned to this procedure.
(3) Example 3: Instrument approach to a helipad (PinS)
Plain language designator: RNP APPROACH TWO THREE TWO
Coded designator: RNP 232
Meaning: The designator identifies an RNAV approach procedure to a helipad for which the final approach track is equal to 232°.
(g) In this section, the term ‘route’ is used in the meaning of ‘route and associated procedures’.