Airservices Australia s Flex Track Rules Latest Changes Date Change 17 Dec 09 Inclusion of and details. Replacement of NYA VOR gate with NATYA gate (same position - VOR decommissioned) Background Flex Tracks are created by Airservices Australia s Trackmasters within Australian administered airspace between defined city pairs. The tracks are created on a regular basis as a Minimum Fuel track (MFT) using the FAA s DOTS (Dynamic Oceanic Track System) software. The tracks are published; direct to registered Airlines via AFTN, by NOTAM and on the Airservices Australia website. While the tracks are created as a city pair they are available to any operation that can gain a benefit but all users must fly the complete Flex Track from gate to gate. Aircraft Requirements Aircraft must have a minimum fit of: RNP10 approval, and HF communications. Track Definition Message/TDM - Format The Airservices Australia Trackmaster uses the Track Definition Message/TDM format in accordance with Table 4-3 of the ICAO Asia Pacific Regional Interface Control Document (ICD), which is used for the generation of the PACOTS on the Pacific Ocean. The TDM consists of: Message formatting info Track identifier Validity period Track description section RMK section Irrespective of any concept of standard times, the official validity period will be the times as specified on the TDM. Flex Track are defined between gates. These gates will be either on an external FIR boundary or an established airport departure or arrival fix. All Waypoints used in a TDM will be either: - Published High Level Waypoints, or - Published Floating/Buried Waypoints, or - Latitude/Longitude Waypoints based on whole degrees
The ATS section of the TDM provides a description of the fixed ATS route required beyond the Flex Tracks. Airservices Australia will not specify the flight planning requirements outside Australian airspace. Therefore the TDM will only include in the section the fixed route details for departures from an Australian airport to join the Flex Tracks or for Australian airport arrivals the fixed route details from the end of the Flex Tracks to the destination. Aircraft operators preferring to automatically receive the TDMs should contact the Trackmaster via Email on Trackmaster@airservicesaustralia.com or via AFTN: YMMMZRZS AFTN Telex Format Example FF YBBBMONX 010728 YMMMZRZD (TDM TRK SY2A 050101200001 0501020000 0501021300 WLG WDH BOU VINAX TNK 17S130E 15S126E ONOXA /YSSY SY H202 WLG RMK/0) NNNN TDM Structure (Message Priority) (Addressee) (Message sent time) (Initiator) TDM TRK (Flex Track Identifier)*(Creation time and version number)amdt** (Flex Track validity start time) (Flex Track validity end time) (Flex Track details) / (tracking details from departure point to commencement of Flex Tracks or tracking details from end of Flex Track to destination only within Australian Airspace) RMK/ ( Specific comments affecting the use of the Flex Track) NNNN * Maximum of four alpha numeric characters ** AMDT Amendment will be added to the message if it is corrected Track Definition Message/TDM Track Designator Format Character 1 & 2 Identifiers Characters 1 & 2 represent the direction of the Flex Track, which is either a track between two specified airports or between an airport and an area/region Specific Airports o A Auckland o B Brisbane o C Christchurch o M Melbourne o P Perth o S Sydney Areas/Regions o X Arabian Gulf o Y Singapore Area of Southeast Asia o Z India o K Bangkok Area of Southeast Asia
Character 3 - Track Number Character 3 represents the track number for a specific track pairing. This number will generally be one (1) unless a second Flex Track is generated. Character 4 - Validity Period The fourth character will be either: For Flex Tracks intended to be generated twice a day o A (meaning tracks created from the 06:00 UTC wind updates) o P (meaning tracks created from the 18:00 UTC wind updates) For Flex Tracks generated once a day o A number from 1-7 (representing the day of the week that the Flex Track is created starting with Monday - 1, Tuesday 2 etc.) Track Designator Examples The following are examples of TDMs published by the Trackmaster: City Pair TRACK DESIGNATOR (1) Singapore to Brisbane YB1 (2) Singapore to Sydney YS1 (3) Singapore to Melbourne YM1 (4) Brisbane to Singapore BY1 (5) Sydney to Singapore SY1 (6) Melbourne to Singapore MY1 (7) Bangkok to Sydney KS1 (8) Sydney to Bangkok SK1 (9) Mumbai to Sydney ZS1 (10) Sydney to Mumbai SZ1 (11) Arabian Gulf to Perth XP1 (12) Perth to Arabian Gulf PX1 (13) Arabian Gulf to Sydney XS1 (14) Arabian Gulf to Melbourne XM1 (15) Sydney to Arabian Gulf SX1 (16) Melbourne to Arabian Gulf MX1 (17) Arabian Gulf to Brisbane XB1 (18) Brisbane to Arabian Gulf BX1 Further examples: SY2P - represents a second Flex Track created between Sydney and the Singapore Area valid for the afternoon period. XB11 - represents the first Flex Track created between the Arabian Gulf and Brisbane, created on a Monday. AP16 - represents the first Flex Track created between Auckland and Perth, created on a Saturday. Flight Planning The AUSOTS concept has been implemented at the request of airlines to improve operational efficiency. It is expected that all operators other than those affected by operational limitations will plan to utilise the AUSOTS when generated and applicable. All Waypoints published in the original TDM are to be included in item 15 of the ICAO ATS- Flight Plan. Flex Track Designators and ATS-Route Designators (within the Flex Track area) shall not be shown in the filed Flight Plan; neither in the ATS Route Description (item 15), nor in the RMKs-field (item 18).
Aircraft operating on the AUSOTS must have reached the published end gate Waypoint prior to termination of the Flex Track validity times. Aircraft that cannot complete the Flex Track portion of the flight during the published validity period must flight plan via the fixed ATS-Route structure. - However, when a flight is unexpectedly delayed and this delay would cause the aircraft to still be on the Flex Track, but outside the validity period, approval can be granted from the Melbourne ACC Operations Room Manager to proceed as planned. If approval is not granted, the flight is required to replan via the fixed ATS-Route structure or the relevant published Flex Tracks. Airline Operators may flight plan, using the Flex Tracks, even when not intending to land at the Flex Tracks designated destinations. However, they may not diverge from the Flex Tracks prior to the exit gate unless approval is specified in the RMKs section of the TDM (e.g. RMK/AIRCRAFT FOR YPAD TO EXIT AT WHA). The Flex Track is also available for aircraft departing from an Australian airport different than described in the TDM, however the Flex Track must be use the complete published Flex Track from the Entry to the Exit gates. The Route planned before or after the Flex Track within Australian Administered airspace must be filed in accordance with the Australian AIP. Further information may be obtained from: Garth Cooper User Preferred Route Program Manager Airservices Australia E-Mail: garth.cooper@airservicesaustralia.com and s are the fixed routes to and from the gates at the Australian end of Flex Tracks. Inbound to SY: SCO VIMAB KADUV EKKEY UVUPU AD BUNGY KROWS SCO H39 SY YSSY VIMAB A576 PKS H319 TARAL Y59 SY YSSY KADUV G222 PKS H319 TARAL Y59 SY YSSY EKKEY J141 PKS H319 TARAL Y59 SY YSSY UVUPU J21 GTH UH205 CULIN Y59 SY YSSY AD H247 CULIN Y59 SY YSSY V279 ML H129 DOSEL Y59 SY YSSY BUNGY T8 AY DCT ARRAN Y59 SY YSSY KROWS T131 BOR J142 NONUP Y59 SY YSSY Inbound to ML: TOBOB TOBOB UY324 CANTY H119 ML YMML CALUM CALUM DCT CANTY H119 ML YMML NATYA NATYA H119 ML YMML STEFF STEFF DCT DANKS Y12 ARBEY H119 ML YMML HINDY HINDY Y12 ARBEY H119 ML YMML WOKKA WOKKA DCT SPIDR Y53 WENDY V279 ML YMML MTG MTG Y53 WENDY V279 ML YMML V279 ML YMML SD SD DCT WENDY V279 ML YMML
Inbound to BN: EML TAM LAWRY EYELA BEBAK CRANE MOUSE CATAN MITCH EML UY409 EAGLE Y177 BN YBBN TAM V327 HAWKE Y491 SMOKA Y177 BN YBBN LAWRY OK AMB GLENN BN YBBN EYELA OK AMB GLENN BN YBBN BEBAK OK AMB GLENN BN YBBN CRANE T91 AMB GLENN BN YBBN MOUSE ELENI T91 AMB GLENN BN YBBN CATAN TROTA Y340 AMB GLENN BN YBBN MITCH Y340 AMB GLENN BN YBBN Outbound from SY YSSY SY H202 RIC H76 NBR Q144 ROM YSSY SY H202 RIC H76 NBR B587 SGE YSSY SY H202 WLG YSSY SY H202 RIC UH226 NYN YSSY SY H44 KAT A576 VIMAB YSSY SY H44 KAT A576 PKS G222 KADUV YSSY SY H44 GTH J21 UVUPU YSSY SY H44 KAT A576 PKS J141 EKKEY YSSY SY H44 GTH H44 AD YSSY SY H65 WOL J42 CB J142 BOR T131 KROWS YSSY SY H65 WOL J42 ARRAN T8 BUNGY YSSY SY H65 RAZZI Q29 ML V126 ROM SGE WLG NYN VIMAB KADUV UVUPU EKKEY AD KROWS BUNGY Outbound from ML YMML ML H50 TOBOB YMML ML H164 KEPPA UH336 NATYA YMML ML H164 JAMOR YMML ML H164 KEPPA Q168 ROBET YMML ML H345 BOR YMML ML H345 NEVIS DCT WOKKA YMML ML Q158 CRENA YMML ML V126 TOBOB NATYA JAMOR ROBET BOR WOKKA CRENA Outbound from BN YBBN BN V179 IBUNA Q473 HAWKE V129 EML YBBN BN V179 TAM YBBN BN G326 MORRO YBBN BN H62 WIZZA UQ440 CLEOS CRANE YBBN BN H62 WIZZA HARDD Q295 DOUGY EML TAM MORRO CRANE DOUGY