The Southeast Common Sky Initiative (SECSI), launched by Bosnia and Herzegovina and the BiH Air Navigation Agency (BHANSA), will be joined by air navigation service providers from Albania and North Macedonia.
Based on the existing SECSI Free Route Airspace Agreement between Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, a single airspace has been established over these countries, and will now be extended to Albania and North Macedonia.
The enhanced SECSI FRA is delivering potential savings of around 700.000 NM in flight distance per year. It will make more options available when determining the user-preferred trajectory. Full cross-border FRA allows airlines to take better advantage of wind or adapt to network disruptions. The optimal use of FRA options at flight planning level improves predictability and reduces ATC workload.
This initiative not only works towards achieving the goals of the European Commission regarding the implementation of “Free Route” across Europe but also fulfils airspace user´s requests for having multiple route options available for the same city-pair.
The enlarged SECSI Free Route Airspace is one of the largest cross-border airspace free routes in Europe, now covering eight countries and represents a major step towards achieving a common European airspace of free routes.
“The extension of free route airspace over this part of Europe is just a confirmation of how useful this initiative is and how much it facilitates air traffic. As a co-initiator, BHANSA immediately recognized the potential of this project and we are happy that in this way we are contributing to the realization of the European goal of a single sky. I would remind you that BHANSA also received an award from the European Commission for the project of establishing free routes together with the neighboring countries of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. Slovenia and Austria joined the initiative, and now Albania and North Macedonia. Italy is also showing interest, and I expect further expansion to the southeast, i.e. to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus,” said BHANSA Director Davorin Primorac.
