Establishing one of the largest free route airspaces in Europe

With the connection of the Southeast Common Sky Initiative Free Route Airspace (SECSI FRA) - from Austria (Austro Control), Albania (Albocontrol), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHANSA), Croatia (Croatia Control), Serbia/Montenegro (SMATSA), North Macedonia (M-NAV) and Slovenia (Slovenia Control) with the Free Route Airspace Italy (FRAIT) one of the largest Free Route airspaces in Europe has been established. This will lead to substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions of around 30,000 tonnes per year.
 
Direct routes at cruising altitude without detours - that is Free Route. For airlines this means less fuel consumption, for passengers less flight time and for the environment a significant reduction in emissions. The larger the free route airspace and the more national airspaces are included, the greater the positive effects.
 
The connection between the two airspaces was presented by Austro Control Managing Directors Elisabeth Landrichter and Philipp Piber together with the CEO of Croatia Control Mario Kunovec-Varga, CEO of Slovenia Control, Srecko Jansa, the Director of BHANSA Davorin Primorac and the COO of Italian ANSP ENAV Maurizio Paggetti during an international meeting in Vienna. With Free Route, ANSPs are enabling more climate-friendly flying in Europe. Flight routes are shortened and C0₂ emissions reduced. Optimising procedures in upper airspace is the most important lever for ANSPs to guide traffic flows through European airspace in the most environmentally friendly way.
 
Along the busy European south-east axis, shorter flight routes between SECSI FRA and FRAIT will make a significant contribution to optimised and environmentally friendly traffic flow in southeastern Europe.