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Operators May Soon Fly Outside North Atlantic Tracks at FL330
Anyone flying between North America and Europe at FL330 and below may do so outside the North Atlantic’s Organized Track Structure (OTS) starting March 1, giving operators the flexibility to file a random route plan and choose any trajectory that suits them thanks to Aireon’s real-time satellite-based ADS-B surveillance system. The OTS serves as an invisible multi-lane “motorway” that connects Europe and North America. Each day, UK NATS and Nav Canada create up to 12 tracks for westbound and… (www.ainonline.com) More...
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Wouldn't the increased fuel burn below FL330 cancel any benefit to flying outside the OTS?
The piece is somewhat misleading. The OTS is optimized for the day’s wind forecast and typically includes flight levels 350 to 390 meaning 330 and below is already by definition ‘random’ and includes five or six parallel ‘tracks’ separated by either a half or full degree of latitude. What I’m getting from this is that some operators are programmatically limited from actually filing a route at FL330 or below that does not conform to the track above and that this issue has been resolved. What I have heard what is potentially more interesting is that the concept or organized tracks may be nearing obsolescence with the surveillance system mentioned so just as over land, virtually any route and altitude could be filed (random route) and approved resulting in great increases in efficiency and reduction of pollution.
How many fly at or below FL33?
[This poster has been suspended.]
Helicopters cross the North Atlantic all the time. Of course most of them are riding on freighters.
across the atlantic??? lol
