Airspace & Navigation – Airspace

• Airspace administration in Australia is generally aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prescribed airspace classes and associated levels of service as set out in Annex 11 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944) (Chicago Convention).
• Differences to the ICAO classes of airspace in Australia are notified to ICAO and listed in the Australian Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).

Class A

IFR (instrument flight rules) flights only are permitted. All flights are provided with an Air Traffic Control (ATC) service and are separated from each other.

Class B

IFR and VFR (visual flight rules) flights are permitted; all flights are provided with ATC service and are separated from each other. This class is not used at present in Australian-administered airspace.

Class C

IFR and VFR flights are permitted. IFR flights are provided with an ATC service and are separated from both IFR and VFR flights. VFR flights are provided with an ATC service for separation from IFR flights and traffic information on other VFR flights.

Class D

IFR and VFR flights are permitted and all flights are provided with an ATC service. IFR flights are separated from other IFR flights and are provided with traffic information on all VFR flights. VFR flights are provided with traffic information.

Class E

IFR and VFR flights are permitted. IFR flights are provided with an ATC service and are separated from other IFR flights and receive traffic information on VFR flights as far as is practicable. VFR flights are provided with a flight information service, which includes traffic information, as far as is practicable.

Class F

IFR and VFR flights are permitted. All participating IFR flights receive an air traffic advisory service and all flights receive a flight information service if requested. This class is not used at present in Australian-administered airspace.

Class G

IFR and VFR flights are permitted. IFR and VFR flights receive a flight information service. North of 65°S this flight information service includes directed traffic information to IFR flights on other IFR flights and known VFR flights.

Overview

Australia has adopted the ICAO designations described in Annex 15, Chapter 2, of the Chicago Convention for accommodating activities that may be incompatible with routine flying operations, i.e. Prohibited, Restricted and Danger Areas.

These areas and the circumstances in which they can be declared are described at Regulation 6 of the Airspace Regulations 2007.

This is consistent with the relevant ICAO documentation.

Prohibited Area

An airspace of defined dimensions within which the flight of aircraft is prohibited. CASA must not declare airspace to be a Prohibited Area unless, in the opinion of CASA, it is necessary for reasons of military necessity to prohibit the flight of aircraft over the area.

Restricted Area

An airspace of defined dimensions within which the flight of aircraft is restricted in accordance with certain specified conditions. CASA must not declare airspace to be a Restricted Area unless, in the opinion of CASA, it is necessary in the interests of public safety, including the safety of aircraft in flight; the protection of the environment or security, to restrict the flight of aircraft over the area to aircraft flown in accordance with specified conditions.

Danger Area

An airspace of defined dimensions within which activities dangerous to the flight of aircraft may exist at specified times. CASA must not declare airspace to be a Danger Area unless, in the opinion of CASA, there exists within or over the area an activity that is a potential danger to aircraft flying over the area.

Examples

• ERSA entry R633A
• NOTAM R663A

• Altitude of operations?
• In Restricted Area?
• ERSA entry R620A
• NOTAM R620A or group AMX
• Group AMX will also give CTR details