ATS.TR.400 Application

INSTRUCTIONS ON ALERTING SERVICE PROVISION TO AIRCRAFT OTHERWISE KNOWN TO AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES UNITS An air traffic services provider should ensure that appropriate instructions, approved by the competent authority, are provided to its air traffic services units regarding the provision of alerting service to aircraft ‘otherwise known to the air traffic services’. Such instructions should include options for cases where radio contact is not mandatory and a voluntary radio-communication has been interrupted without proper termination of the contact. These instructions should clarify what kind of information may be used for providing alerting service to aircraft which have not filed a flight plan, based on the available technologies and local operational conditions (e.g. use of emergency transponder codes or declared emergency of available communication channels).

COORDINATION FOR ALERTING SERVICE

(a)When alerting service is required in respect of a flight operated through more than one FIR or control area, and when the position of the aircraft is in doubt, responsibility for coordinating such service should rest with the air traffic services unit of the FIR or control area:

(1)within which the aircraft was flying at the time of last air-ground radio contact; or

(2)that the aircraft was about to enter when last air-ground contact was established at or close to the boundary of two FIRs or control areas; or

(3)within which the aircraft’s intermediate stop or final destination point is located if the aircraft was not:

(i)equipped with suitable two-way radio communication equipment; or

(ii)under obligation to transmit position reports.

(b)The unit responsible for alerting service, in accordance with point (a), should:

(1)notify units providing alerting service in other affected FIRs or control areas of the emergency phase or phases, in addition to notifying the rescue coordination centre associated with it;

(2)request those units to assist in the search for any useful information pertaining to the aircraft presumed to be in an emergency, by all appropriate means and available communication facilities;

(3)collect the information gathered during each phase of the emergency and, after verifying it as necessary, transmit it to the rescue coordination centre; and

(4)announce the termination of the state of emergency as circumstances dictate.

(c)In obtaining the necessary information as required under points (b) and (c) of ATS.TR.405, attention is to particularly be given to informing the relevant rescue coordination centre of the distress frequencies available to survivors. Said information is listed in Item 19 of the flight plan but not normally transmitted.

ALERTING OF RESCUE AND FIREFIGHTING SERVICES Local instructions, as in point (d) of ATS.TR.400, should specify the type of information to be provided by the aerodrome control tower or approach control unit responsible or the relevant AFIS unit to the rescue and firefighting services, including type of aircraft and type of emergency and, when available, number of persons on board, and any dangerous goods carried on the aircraft.