The Free Route Airspace (FRA) project will implement the operational functionalities of Family 3.2.4 Free Route Airspace as laid down by the SESAR Deployment Manager within the Deployment Programme 2015 on the basis of implementing the Pilot-Common-Project Regulation EU No. 716/2014. Therewith, deploying advanced operational concepts in a timely, coordinated and synchronized effort to raise capacity, improve safety and cutting costs and thus enabling a significant performance increase at DFS. Furthermore, the Free Route Airspace (FRA) project enables improved flight efficiencies in fuel and in time for the airspace users thus, also reducing the environmental footprint of commercial aviation.
It is the objective of DFS to deploy Free Route Airspace in German airspace in accordance with the deployment plan of this coordinated 2015 CEF funding application through the SESAR Deployment Manager. The potential utilization of funding through the Connecting Europe Facilities (CEF) will enable DFS to pursuit a timely implementation of Free Route Airspace and therewith facilitating an early realization of benefits for airspace users. The DFS Free Route Airspace project is also set-up as a first mover project with regard to deploying the Free Route Airspace functionalities within high-traffic and complex airspaces at Europe's core a full four years prior to the formal requirements as set out by the European Commission within the PCP IR. Deploying Free Route Airspace (FRA) in DFS AoR (UIR Rhein, FIR Muenchen, FIR Bremen, parts of FIR Wien), available during night from FL245 and above, as from 1.3.2018 Deploying Free Route Airspace (FRA), available H24 from FL285 and above (or lower) in NE Germany (parts of UIR Rhein, FIR Muenchen), as from 1.3.2018 Deploying Free Route Airspace (FRA) in DFS AoR (UIR Rhein, FIR Muenchen, parts of FIR Wien), available H24 from FL245/FL285 and above, as from 10.10.2019 Reduce the extent of time/structural limitation to the maximum possible by 03.12.2020.