3.2.3.3 Procedures for a Joint/Shared Use of Airspace
3.2.3.3.1 In applying FUA principles, States should, before establishing any AMC-manageable areas, validate activities requiring airspace restriction/segregation and consider the feasibility of a joint or shared use of airspace, whenever possible, between General Air Traffic (GAT) and Operational Air traffic (OAT).
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3.2.3.3.2 To that end, two procedures can be established in Letters of Agreement between the appropriate civil and military control units. These LoAs would need to specify the criteria required by the military authorities to permit or not GAT to fly “off-route” (e.g. radar performance, controller’s workload, amount of OAT traffic expected).
3.2.3.3.3 The Reduced Co-ordination Airspace (RCA) procedure is used to allow GAT to fly “off-route” without requiring civil controllers to initiate co-ordination with the military controllers.
3.2.3.3.4 The RCA procedure is usually applied for a very large area such as the entire FIR/UIR, but also for critical ACC sectors which have different capacity figures according to the existence of military activity or not.
3.2.3.3.5 The Prior Co-ordination Airspace (PCA) procedure, as another way of booking airspace, involves a given block of controlled airspace within which military activities can take place on an ad-hoc basis with individual GAT transit allowed under rules specified in LoAs between civil and military units concerned.
3.2.3.3.6 So as to minimise the need for individual off-route co-ordination, the PCA procedure will mainly be applied for airspace established outside the major traffic flows providing for the optimum GAT flight profile.
3.2.3.3.7 The airspace booking through the PCA procedure will be co-ordinated primarily between the ATS Providers concerned because they will be in the best position to put the reservation into effect. Therefore, Prior Co-ordination Airspace (PCA) will not be published in AIPs, but only in Letters of Agreement between the appropriate civil and military control units.
3.2.3.3.8 When the RCA procedure is in force, these Letters of Agreement should define the criteria required for the application of the PCA procedure with specific notice periods to allow the safe return of GAT flights to the ATS route network. Conversely, when military activities within a Prior Co-ordination Airspace (PCA) cease or decrease, the RCA procedure will be initiated.
3.2.3.4 Degree of Airspace Segregation - Choice between RCA, PCA, TRA and TSA
3.2.3.4.1 From the joint/shared use of airspace to the temporary reservation/segregation of airspace, an airspace segregation scale can be defined as described below.
SEGREGATION OF AIRSPACE PUBLICATION JOINT USE OF AIRSPACE NOT SEGREGATED
-the Reduced Co-ordination Airspace allows
RCA
Published in LoAs for GAT transit without prior co-ordination.
ATS Providers SHARED USE OF AIRSPACE
information only.
-the Prior Co-ordination Airspace allows a shared use of airspace with military activities
PCA LoA
located outside the major traffic flows providing
for the optimum GAT flight profile.
-the Temporary Reserved Area allows the transit 中国航空网 www.aero.cn 航空翻译 www.aviation.cn 本文链接地址：EUROCONTROL MANUAL FOR AIRSPACE PLANNING 1(33)
