SERA.4001 Submission of a flight plan

(a)Information relative to an intended flight or portion of a flight, to be provided to air traffic services units, shall be in the form of a flight plan. The term ‘flight plan’ is used to mean variously, full information on all items comprised in the flight plan description, covering the whole route of a flight, or limited information required, inter alia, when the purpose is to obtain a clearance for a minor portion of a flight such as to cross an airway, to take off from, or to land at a controlled aerodrome.

(b)A flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating:

(1)any flight or portion thereof to be provided with air traffic control service;

(2)any IFR flight within advisory airspace;

(3)any flight within or into areas, or along routes designated by the competent authority, to facilitate the provision of flight information, alerting and search and rescue services;

(4)any flight within or into areas or along routes designated by the competent authority, to facilitate coordination with appropriate military units or with air traffic services units in adjacent States in order to avoid the possible need for interception for the purpose of identification;

(5)any flight across international borders, unless otherwise prescribed by the States concerned;

(6)any flight planned to operate at night, if leaving the vicinity of an aerodrome.

(c)A flight plan shall be:

(1)submitted, before departure:

(i)to the Network Manager directly or via an air traffic services reporting office, in accordance with the operations manuals containing the necessary instructions and information developed and maintained by the Network Manager, if there is the intent for the flight to operate in accordance with IFR for a portion, or the entire route, of the flight within the single European sky airspace; or

(ii)to an air traffic services reporting office for other cases;

(2)transmitted, during flight, to the appropriate air traffic services unit or air–ground control radio station.

(d)Unless a shorter period of time has been prescribed by the competent authority for domestic VFR flights, a flight plan for any flight planned to operate across international borders or to be provided with air traffic control service or air traffic advisory service shall be submitted as follows:

(1)not more than 120 hours before the estimated off-block time;

(2)at least 3 hours before the estimated off-block time for flights that may be subject to air traffic flow management measures;

(3)at least 60 minutes before departure for all other flights not covered in point (2); or

(4)if submitted during flight, at a time which ensures its receipt by the appropriate ATS unit, at least 10 minutes before the aircraft is estimated to reach:

(i)the intended point of entry into a control area or advisory area; or

(ii)the point of crossing an airway or advisory route.

(e)For flights operated partially or entirely in accordance with IFR, entering the area of responsibility of an air traffic services unit, for which no flight plan has previously been received from the Network Manager, the unit concerned shall transmit to the Network Manager the aircraft identification, aircraft type, point of entry to its area of responsibility, time and flight level at that point, route and destination aerodrome of the flight.

(f)Requirements laid down in points (c), (d), and (e) shall not apply in the Single European Sky airspace that is not part of the ICAO EUR region.