SERA.4001 Submission of a flight plan
Regulation (EU) 2016/1185
(a) 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.
(b) A flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating:
(1) any flight or portion thereof to be provided with air traffic control service;
(2) any IFR flight within advisory airspace;
(3) 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;
(4) any flight within or into areas or along routes designated by the competent authority, to facilitate coordination with appropriate military units or with air traffic services units in adjacent States in order to avoid the possible need for interception for the purpose of identification;
(5) any flight across international borders, unless otherwise prescribed by the States concerned;
(6) any flight planned to operate at night, if leaving the vicinity of an aerodrome.
(c) A flight plan shall be submitted, before departure, to an air traffic services reporting office or, during flight, transmitted to the appropriate air traffic services unit or air-ground control radio station, unless arrangements have been made for submission of repetitive flight plans.
(d) Unless a shorter period of time has been prescribed by the competent authority for domestic VFR flights, 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 at least 60 minutes before departure, or, if submitted during flight, at a time which will ensure its receipt by the appropriate ATS unit at least 10 minutes before the aircraft is estimated to reach:
(1) the intended point of entry into a control area or advisory area; or
(2) the point of crossing an airway or advisory route.
GM1 SERA.4001 Submission of a flight plan
ED Decision 2013/013/R
GENERAL
(a) A flight plan may cover only part of a flight, as necessary, to describe that portion of the flight or those manoeuvres which are subject to air traffic control.
(b) The term ‘submit a flight plan’ refers to the action by the pilot or the operator to provide ATS with flight plan information. The term ‘filed flight plan’ refers to the flight plan as received and accepted by ATS whereas ‘transmit a flight plan’ refers to the action by a pilot to submit the flight plan, or submit abbreviated flight plan by radiotelephony to the ATS unit concerned.
AMC1 SERA.4001(c) Submission of a flight plan
ED Decision 2016/023/R
In cases where no air traffic services (ATS) reporting office has been established, the flight plan should be submitted to the ATS unit performing the functions of such an office, or via approved direct methods as indicated in the aeronautical information publication (AIP).
SERA.4005 Contents of a flight plan
Regulation (EU) No 923/2012
(a) A flight plan shall comprise information regarding such of the following items as are considered relevant by the competent authority:
(1) Aircraft identification
(2) Flight rules and type of flight
(3) Number and type(s) of aircraft and wake turbulence category
(4) Equipment
(5) Departure aerodrome or operating site
(6) Estimated off-block time
(7) Cruising speed(s)
(8) Cruising level(s)
(9) Route to be followed
(10) Destination aerodrome or operating site and total estimated elapsed time
(11) Alternate aerodrome(s) or operating site(s)
(12) Fuel endurance
(13) Total number of persons on board
(14) Emergency and survival equipment
(15) Other information.
(b) For flight plans submitted during 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.
GM1 SERA.4005(a) Contents of a flight plan
ED Decision 2013/013/R
ABBREVIATED FLIGHT PLAN
An abbreviated flight plan transmitted in the air by radiotelephony for the crossing of controlled airspace, or any other areas or routes designated by the competent authority, normally contains, as a minimum: call sign, type of aircraft, point of entry, point of exit and level. Additional elements may be required by the competent authority.
GM2 SERA.4005(a) Contents of a flight plan
ED Decision 2016/023/R
INFORMATION ABOUT THE OPERATOR IN THE FLIGHT PLAN IN CASE OF PROVIDING ALERTING SERVICE
According to ICAO Annex 11, an ATS unit shall, when practicable, inform the aircraft operator when an alerting service is provided to an aircraft. In order to facilitate quick and effective coordination, it is advisable to provide in the flight plan (item 18 ‘Other information’) information sufficient to enable the ATS unit to contact the on-duty staff of the aircraft operator if such information has not been provided to the ATS unit by other means.
SERA.4010 Completion of a flight plan
Regulation (EU) No 923/2012
(a) 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.
(b) It 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.
SERA.4015 Changes to a flight plan
Regulation (EU) No 923/2012
(a) Subject to the provisions of SERA.8020(b) all changes to a flight plan submitted for an IFR flight, or a VFR flight operated as a controlled flight, shall be reported as soon as practicable 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.
(b) Information submitted prior to departure regarding fuel endurance or total number of persons carried on board, if incorrect at time of departure, constitutes a significant change to the flight plan and as such shall be reported.
SERA.4020 Closing a flight plan
Regulation (EU) No 923/2012
(a) An arrival report shall be made in person, by radiotelephony, via data link or by other means as prescribed by the competent authority at the earliest possible moment after landing, to the appropriate air traffic services 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.
(1) Submission of an arrival report is not required after landing on an aerodrome where air traffic services are provided on condition that radio communication or visual signals indicate that the landing has been observed.
(b) When a flight plan has been submitted only in respect of a portion of a flight, other than the remaining portion of a flight to destination, it shall, when required, be closed by an appropriate report to the relevant air traffic services unit.
(c) When no air traffic services unit exists at the arrival aerodrome or operating site, the arrival report, when required, shall be made as soon as practicable after landing and by the quickest means available to the nearest air traffic services unit.
(d) When communication facilities at the arrival aerodrome or operating site are known to be inadequate and alternate 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 air traffic services 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 air traffic services unit in charge of the flight information region in which the aircraft is operated.
(e) Arrival reports made by aircraft shall contain the following elements of information:
(1) aircraft identification;
(2) departure aerodrome or operating site;
(3) destination aerodrome or operating site (only in the case of a diversionary landing);
(4) arrival aerodrome or operating site;
(5) time of arrival.
GM1 SERA.4020 Closing a flight plan
ED Decision 2013/013/R
ARRIVAL REPORTS
Whenever an arrival report is required, failure to comply with the provisions of SERA.4020 may cause serious disruption in the air traffic services and incur great expenses in carrying out unnecessary search and rescue operations.