The efficient and flexible use of Turkish airspace without regard to the distinction between civilian and military airspace is expected to shorten flight routes, lead to savings in time and fuel and reduce environmental damage.
A new regulation adopted by the Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry and the Defense Ministry on the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) was published in the Official Gazette on April 18. The regulation aims to enhance cooperation between civilian and military institutions to allow a temporary allocation of military airspace to civilian institutions.
According to European aviation control agency Eurocontrol, FUA refers to an area in which airspace is no longer designated as military or civil airspace but is considered to be a continuum and used flexibly on a day-to-day basis.
“All users may have access and, based on actual needs, their requests should be managed to achieve the most efficient use of the airspace. Wherever possible, permanent airspace segregation should be avoided,” said the Eurocontrol website.
In March of last year, the Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM) asked the military to open its air routes in order to reduce the traffic of commercial airplanes, which are increasingly preferred over land transportation in Turkey.
The SHGM, the State Airports Management General Directorate (DHMİ) and several Turkish airline companies had previously discussed the issue. The first step was taken when the SHGM prepared a recent report on the matter.
Within the scope of the regulation, conditional routes, temporarily reserved spaces, temporarily actual obligated spaces and coordinated airspaces will be formed. Airspace in which military flights do not occur or are low density will compose the “less-coordinated airspace,” and commercial airplanes will be allowed to use that space without the need for civil-military coordination.
The development will bring relief to airlines flying to and from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, as the planes for these routes are fully booked during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Shorter routes will relieve air traffic at İstanbul Atatürk Airport, experts say. Once civilian airplanes begin using the shorter routes more frequently, their total savings in fuel are expected to reach $500 million per year, according to a press release on the SHGM website.
The first study on the benefits of opening military air corridors to civilian aircraft was conducted by Pegasus Airlines in 2006. It showed that significant savings could be achieved if the corridors were opened, with no adverse effects on the operation of military aircraft. While both military and civilian authorities agreed on the positive aspects of the change, no steps had been taken until recently.
Airlines can only fly along those routes permitted by the DHMİ. The remaining airspace is controlled by the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) Air Forces Command. If commercial airplanes use military corridors, they must first obtain permission from the TSK.
According to data from the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications, the traffic in Turkey's airspace has increased by 160.1 percent in the past 10 years. However, the air routes of airplanes have not been arranged in line with this traffic, which in turn leads to heavy air traffic and flight delays.
The shortening of routes will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A Boeing 737 airplane will save 520 kilograms of fuel in a flight between İstanbul and Bodrum. The savings are four times as high for wider-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Airbus 340 and Airbus 330.
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