What Is New in the Ordinance on Airspace Management?

What Is New in the Ordinance on Airspace Management?

On February 28, 2023, the new Ordinance on Airspace Management (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 20/2023, February 21, 2023) takes effect.

Compared to the previous version, most of the amendments are related to the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into airspace in a clearer, easier and safer way.

The Most Significant Changes Regarding UAS Operations:

• Requirement to register and issue the approval of the competent ASM level for conducting UAS flight operations for all operators and remote pilots of Unmanned Aircraft Systems that are not considered toys (in the sense of the Directive 2009/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the safety of toys);
• UAS operations are conducted only with the prior approval of the competent ASM level, which is issued in line with the laid down approval procedure that is applicable in the geographical zone in which flight operations will be conducted;
• UAS geographical zones are defined as laid down in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 of 24 May 2019, which relate exclusively to UAS operations and do not affect other air traffic and ATS:

• URG – UAS Restricted Geographical Zone – a zone in which UASs exclusively are prohibited from operating;
• ULG – UAS Limited Geographical Zone – a zone in which UAS operations are restricted in a certain way;
• UAG – UAS Approved Geographical Zone – a zone in which airspace structures for UAS operations are established through an automated procedure.

• The former UR UAS no-fly zone in the vicinity of controlled and uncontrolled aerodromes is now defined as an URG zone, and amended to increase air traffic safety for inbound and outbound aerodrome traffic, while decreasing the total restricted area in the vicinity of controlled aerodromes (see picture);
• A UAS Temporary Reserved Area (UTR) is defined exclusively for UAS operations with a related Air Risk Buffer, which has to be calculated into the total volume of the structure when submitting a request to decrease the possibility of UASs unintentionally departing from the approved zone (see picture);
• The UTR zones are considered as virtual obstacles, so the separation of VFR and IFR traffic from the UTR zones is performed accordingly;
• For the UAS operation needs, the whole airspace of the Republic of Croatia is defined statically through UAS geographical zones as follows (see picture):

• UAG (automated approval procedure)
  • Within the CTR from ground level up to 50m AGL, but outside of the published URG zone;
  • Outside of the CTR from ground level up to 120m AGL if in the requested airspace, at the requested time, there are no active restrictions of higher priority (P, R, TRA, TSA, URG).
• ULG
  • Within the CTR, higher than 50m AGL, but outside of the published URG;
  • Outside of the CTR for altitudes higher than 120m AGL.
• URG
  • Within the CTR, in airspace bounded by the distance of 1500m from the security fence of controlled aerodromes, and 500m laterally along the approach surface axis to the distance of 3500m from the runway threshold.

To conduct UAS operations in the vicinity of uncontrolled aerodromes, at distances smaller than 1500m from the edges and 500m laterally along the approach surface axis to the distance of 2500m from the runway threshold, prior approval of the operator of the uncontrolled aerodrome has to be obtained.

Picture 1

Picture 2

The former RPAS/UAS zone is now clearly defined as a new type of structure intended exclusively for UAS operations, namely as:

• A UAS Temporary Reserved Area (UTR): airspace of defined dimensions that is temporary reserved exclusively for UAS flights.  Other manned aircraft are not allowed through the UTR areas, and pilots should avoid it as such.  The ASM service provider can prohibit other UASs from entering the UTR areas at any time.
• The UTR area is a volume of airspace containing an Air Risk Buffer, which has to be calculated into the total volume of the structure and specified when submitting a request by users. The UTR area is considered an obstacle, and the ATS unit has to separate the VFR/IFR traffic from the published borders of an active zone by the laid down standards for the separation of aircraft from the UTR areas;

Picture 3

Publishing Information

Information on static geographical zones will be published by aeronautical information products, and static and dynamic geographical zones and other restrictions and prohibitions will be visible in the AMC Portal ASM system.

Publishing Aeronautical Navigation Warnings via NOTAM

For airspace activities significant for the flight of aircraft, and for which, due to their nature, it is not rational to establish a temporary airspace structure, an aeronautical navigation warning is published in the form of NOTAM.

The aeronautical navigation warning by NOTAM is published for the following activities:

• Flights of unmanned free balloons in the medium and heavy category in the sense of implementing the SERA.3140 provision and points 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 of Appendix 2 of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 of 26 September 2012 laying down the common rules of the air and operational provisions regarding services and procedures in air navigation (Official Journal of the European Union L 281, October 13, 2012) and
• group and mass releases of children’s balloons and/or glowing balloon-like objects (sky lanterns).

A temporary airspace structure is not established for the above activities.

PUBLISHING INFORMATION ON THE USE OF FLEXIBLE AIRSPACE STRUCTURES

For Zagreb FIR, along the European AUP/UUP, a detailed national AUP and UUP is published via an ASM information system (AMC Portal).

Definitions

• UAS geographical zone: a geographical zone determined by a competent body to make UAS operations easier or to restrict or prohibit them, while taking into account risks related to safety, privacy, personal data protection, security or environment arising out of these operations. To enable and facilitate the informing of airspace users about the status of UAS geographical zones, the following airspace structures are introduced: URG, ULG and UAG.
• UAS Restricted Geographical Zone – URG: a part of airspace above a geographical zone determined by a competent body that is conditionally prohibited for UAS operations, but not for other aircraft and flight activities. UAS flight activities in this zone can be approved as an exception, in line with the laid down ASM procedures.  In the context of the FUA concept, URG zones are established through the laid down ASM procedure, and, depending on the nature of the request, can be established temporarily or permanently at an appropriate ASM level.
• UAS Limited Geographical Zone – ULG: a part of airspace above a geographical zone determined by a competent body that is restricted for UAS operations, depending on the specifications of the UAS, type of allowed operations and/or the procedure itself for the approval for conducting flight operations.  Within this zone, the approval for conducting flight operations can be granted in line with the laid down ASM procedures.  In the context of the FUA concept, ULG zones are established through the laid down ASM procedure, and, depending on the nature of the request, can be established temporarily or permanently at an appropriate ASM level.
• UAS Approved Geographical Zone – UAG: a part of airspace above a geographical zone determined by a competent body within which UAS operations can be conducted by the shortened procedure for the approval of flight operations.  Within this zone, the approval for conducting UAS operations can be granted through the automated procedure by a competent authority or service provider.

Framework for Further Integration of UAS Operations

The Ordinance lays down requirements for establishing the U-space airspace in the sense of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664 of 22 April 2021 on a regulatory framework for the U-space, with a special emphasis on services and service providers that have to precede its establishment:

Service Providers:

• A Common Information Service Provider (CISP) is a provider with the function of providing the common information service in the sense of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664 of 22 April 2021 on a regulatory framework for the U-space.
• A U-space Service Provider (USSP) is a provider with the function of providing the U-space service in the sense of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664 of 22 April 2021 on a regulatory framework for the U-space.

Services:

• U-space: a geographical zone established for conducting UAS operations in which operating is allowed only with the support of the U-space service.
• Common Information Service (CIS) means a service encompassing the dissemination of static and dynamic data to enable the provision of U-space services for UAS Traffic Management.

Establishment of U-space

The Ordinance defines the jurisdiction for the establishment of the U-space airspace and related services.

UAS operations within the established U-space airspace are conducted only with the support of the U-space services and the approval of the competent U-space Service Provider.

The U-space airspace can be established to ensure security, safety, privacy or for environmental reasons, and to propose its establishment, an airspace risk assessment needs to be performed.

The criteria for using the U-space airspace are defined by the following entities:

• For the specifications and requirements related to the performance of UASs – Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (hereinafter: the Agency) or the air navigation service provider with the approval of the Agency;
• For the requirements related to the services that have to be provided in the U-space airspace – the Agency;
• For the applicable operating conditions and restrictions in airspace – the Agency or the air navigation service provider with the approval of the Agency.