The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has awarded its first flight procedure design (FPD) certification to Aeronautical Services and Procedures (ASAP), a Slovakia-based provider of primarily air traffic control products, services, and training. According to EASA, the purpose of FPD certifications is to provide “a consistent and harmonized design of flight procedures and airspace structures” in all member states without any additional national requirements.
EASA's first of the new certificates was presented to ASAP managing director Ian Whitworth by EASA air traffic department officials Jussi Myllarniemi and Manuel Rivas Vila during the recent World Air Traffic Management Congress in Madrid.
In a 2016 EASA study, the complexity of the airspace structure between member states was identified as a safety issue that needed to be addressed. In fact, that study highlighted this as “the greatest risk in controlled airspace is airspace infringements by general aviation pilots lacking awareness of both the complex airspace structure and the services provided in different airspace types.” Hence, the flight procedure design concept was proposed in 2016 and became a certification requirement in 2020.
