One Year of Free Route Concept in Portugal

The fact that the airlines are not limited to pre-defined routes, allows them to choose, depending on prevailing winds, the more efficient route within our FIR, giving them a reduction in distance flown, flight time and fuel consumption, with consequent environmental benefits that this gives to us all. As testimony to the benefits brought by this important change in the configuration of our air space over the past year, the IACA - International Air Carriers Association welcomed NAV Portugal as the very first Air Traffic Services Provider to design and implement, within European airspace, the first successful initiative of this kind, highlighting the significant savings in fuel and carbon emissions provided to their associated airlines, which are large users of Portugals airspace for both, incoming and outgoing flights to Portugal and over flights. Fillip Lamoral, Flight Operations Director of IACA, stressed that we now see developments in increased airspace flexibility, Night Direct airways and the introduction of Free Route airspace elsewhere in Europe which can, in part, be attributable to the success of the Portuguese project. In terms of advances made in Air Traffic Flow Management and the first successful implementation of Free Route Airspace, NAV Portugal undoubtedly placed the first key building block and first puzzle piece of the planned Single European Sky. Congratulations from the IACA team, her Member Airlines and Associate Members and we truly hope to continue to deliver our support to NAV Portugal in order to build an efficient European Sky for all partners involved.