Online Training available at:

eLearning.FlightSafety.com

North Atlantic High Level

Airspace (NAT HLA)
CLIENT GUIDE
REVISION 1.2
FlightSafety International, Inc.
Specialty & Enrichment Training
[email protected]
eLearning.FlightSafety.com
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Publication history:

Original. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 2014

Revised Rev 1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .March 2018
Revised Rev 1.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2019
Revised Rev 1.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 2020

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All rights reserved.
 North

NAT

FL
Pole

42
0
FL
Bodo

HLA
Reykjavik

28
5
Gander
Shanwick
(North Atlantic High
17° N Level Airspace)
New York This is airspace where better navigational
Santa Maria
equipment is required in order to allow for
closer separation minimums.

THE HISTORY OF NAT HLA The specific North Atlantic MNPS airspace included all of
Reykjavik, Gander, Shanwick and Santa Maria Oceanic
areas, and the portion of New York Oceanic north of 27°
The North Atlantic is the busiest oceanic airspace in the
North, but excluding the area which is west of 060° West
world, with an average of over 1,200 flights crossing each
and south of 38°30’ North (Western Atlantic Route
day.
Structure [WATRS] area) and vertically from FL 285 to FL
420.
In 1984, the North Atlantic implemented the Minimum
Navigation Performance Specification (MNPS) airspace,
In February 2016, the North Atlantic MNPS airspace was
which required more accurate navigational capabilities in
re-designated as the North Atlantic High Level Airspace
order to reduce the lateral and longitudinal separation
(NAT HLA). This changed the name of the airspace and
requirements, thus allowing for more aircraft in the
also added in Bodo Oceanic Control Area to the NAT HLA.
airspace.

CANADIAN MNPS

Many people are not aware that there is MNPS airspace Both the North Atlantic High Level Airspace and Canadian
outside of the North Atlantic. However, northern Canada MNPS airspace have the same navigational requirements.
also has an area of designated MNPS airspace. Canadian • Canadian MNPS Airspace is between FL 330–FL 410.
MNPS Airspace includes parts of Northern Control Area • Canadian MNPS Transition Airspace is between
(NCA) and Arctic Control Area (ACA). FL 270 to below FL 330.

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VERTICAL SEPARATION
As with most airspace around the world today,
there is 1,000 foot vertical separation up to FL 290,
and also from FL 290 to FL 410 in RVSM airspace,
which includes NAT HLA areas.

Above FL 410, we go back to Conventional Vertical

Separation Minimums (CVSM) of 2,000 feet.

LATERAL & VERTICAL

SEPARATION
With the implementation of MNPS in 1984 and
the requirement for more accurate navigation
capabilities, lateral separation was cut in half
from 120 NM to 60 NM (one degree of latitude).
With RNP 10 required today, the lateral
separation is further reduced to 50 NM.

LONGITUDINAL
SEPARATION
In NAT HLA airspace, the longitudinal
separation may be reduced to 10 minutes in
trail using Mach number technique.

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EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS
Two High-Accuracy
Operations in NAT HLA require very accurate Long Range Navigation (LRN) systems.
Long Range
A minimum of two LRN systems is required for unrestricted NAT HLA authorization.
Navigation Systems

All aircraft operating in NAT HLA or Canadian MNPS airspace are required to have
authorization for RNP 10 and/or RNP 4.
RNP 4
and
Aircraft operating on Performance Based Communication and Surveillance (PBCS)
RNP 10 tracks or using Advanced Surveillance Enhanced Procedural Separation (ASEPS)
must have authorization for RNP 4

Letter of Authorization
A Letter of Authorization (LOA) or Operations Specifications
(OpSpecs) is required to operate in all special areas of
operations, including MNPS, NAT HLA and RVSM. LOAs
or OpSpecs are issued by the State of Registry or State of
the Operator after ensuring proper equipment capabilities
and training requirements.

Aviation Authority Verification

The Aviation Authorities of the country issuing a Letter of
Authorization (LOA) or Operations Specifications
(OpSpecs) to a company for any special use airspace will
verify several things.

Equipment & One of the things the Authorities will verify is the proper equipment is installed on the
Documents aircraft and the documentation matches the requirements of the airspace.

For NAT HLA authorizations, the authorities will check the navigation systems installed
Navigation on the aircraft to make sure they meet the requirements for the airspace. This is also
Equipment normally where they would check part numbers for the installation process of that
equipment.

The authorities will also check training programs for the crews and maintenance people
Crew Training
to ensure proper understanding of the procedures for this airspace.

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 ROUTE OPTIONS
Within the North Atlantic High Level Airspace there are
three different route options for aircraft. Which route
option you choose to use will depend greatly on weather,
operator’s approvals and aircraft capabilities in terms of
equipment, range and performance.

Special Routes, nicknamed “Blue Spruce Routes,” are established for shorter
range aircraft as well as aircraft equipped with only one serviceable LRNS or
Special Routes
without HF radios. These routes are published in the North Atlantic Operations
and Airspace Manual as well as on the Atlantic Orientation Chart.

The Organized Track System (OTS) is set up to take care of the major
commercial traffic flows. Effectively the Organized Track System (OTS)
Organized Track becomes a superhighway system for moving traffic across the North Atlantic as
System easily as possible. The tracks are one directional (eastbound at night,
westbound during the day) and will change every day based on weather
patterns.

Any flights not on an Organized Track or Special Route are called Random
Random Routes Routes. Random routes are normally set up using whole or half degrees of latitude
and whole degrees of longitude with 10° longitude increments for position reporting.

Routing within Canadian MNPS

Routing within Canadian MNPS can either be on
established routes or using random routing in both the
Northern Control Area (NCA) and Arctic Control Area
(ACA).

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ICAO FLIGHT PLAN CODES
As part of pre-flight preparation, when filing their flight plan, crews must also know the appropriate codes for filing an
ICAO Flight Plan.

NAT HLA or CMNPS

ICAO Flight Plan Codes Item 10 before the / Item 18
NAT HLA Authorization X

RVSM Authorization W

Equipment H (HF Radio)

J2 (CPDLC FANS 1/A – HFDL)
(select the applicable
J5 (CPDLC FANS 1/A – IMMARSAT)
Communication

code[s]) J6 (CPDLC FANS 1/A – MTSAT)

J7 (CPDLC FANS 1/A – Iridium)

Required
Communication
Performance P2 (RCP 240)

Performance-
Navigation

based Navigation
Authorization
R PBN/A1 L1

Item 10 after the /. Item 18

Enhanced Mode S L
Surveillance

ADS-B B1 or B2

ADS -C with Required

Surveillance
Performance D1 SUR/RSP180

NOTE 1: Codes that are BOLD BLUE are additional requirements for Performance-
based Communication and Surveillance (PBCS) routes.

NOTE 2: Codes that are BOLD GREEN are additional requirements for Advanced Sur-
veillance Enhanced Procedural Separation (ASEPS) routes. Only one of these two codes
would apply.

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FLIGHT OPERATIONS
Prior to any flight, crews should ensure the aircraft and Oceanic Clearances
crew are authorized for the operations to be conducted. The three components of an Oceanic/Remote Airspace
Going into any special areas of operations, such as NAT Clearance are Route, Level and Speed.
HLA, CMNPS or RVSM airspace, requires special
authorization with either Letters of Authorization (LOA) or Aircraft departing from coastal airports will normally be
Operations Specifications (OpSpecs), and crew training. required to get their oceanic clearance before takeoff due
The LOA or OpSpecs is required to be onboard the aircraft to the short amount of time available once airborne
for flight. (frequently as little as 20 minutes).

During preflight, the crew should check the maintenance Requests for oceanic clearance should be done at least
logs for any problems or malfunctions that could affect the 30 minutes prior to departure for eastbound flights
required flight operations to include special areas of (Gander) or 40-45 minutes prior to departure for westbound
operations. Ensure all appropriate maintenance actions flights (Shanwick).
have been completed and review any restrictions to
Longer-range aircraft departing from further inland should
operations for any failed equipment before flight.
request their oceanic clearance at least 45 but no more
than 90 minutes before reaching the oceanic boundary.
Crews should always check the database to ensure it is
Crews can also receive their oceanic clearance via data
current. Standard Operating Procedures for programming
link if so equipped.
Long Range Navigation Systems (LRNS) should always
include cross checking by both pilots to ensure no input
Operations Without an Assigned Fixed Speed
errors.
(OWAFS)
Oceanic Checklist Whenever possible, oceanic controllers in the NAT
region will remove the speed restrictions on flights under
Oceanic Checklist a program called Operations Without an Assigned Fixed
Refer to the eLearning Course’s Resources Speed (OWAFS). Crews should NOT request this
section, or reference the LiveLearning procedure, it will be given automatically when feasible.
Handouts to access this document.

When flights have the speed restrictions removed, crews

ICAO North Atlantic Working Groups composed of will be given the clearance “Resume Normal Speed,” either
industry, ATC and state regulators have created this via voice communications or CPDLC. When the “Resume
checklist for reference only. It is not intended to replace Normal Speed” clearance is received, crews can allow the
an operator’s oceanic checklist. Operators should use an speed to fluctuate during the flight. Crews are required to
Oceanic Checklist as part of their Safety Management notify Oceanic Controllers of any speed changes over 0.02
System. Mach.

If it becomes necessary to return to a fixed speed, crews

Operators without an oceanic checklist are encouraged to
will be notified with a clearance of “Maintain Mach X.XX.”
use this sample and tailor it to their specific needs and
Crews would then be required to hold the assigned speed
approvals. This checklist provides an orderly flow of tasks
exactly.
designed to assist in reducing oceanic errors. The Oceanic
Errors Safety Bulletin (OESB) and the North Atlantic
Operations and Airspace Manual (NAT Doc 007) should be
used together with this checklist.

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Standard Message Types
There are four primary message types that have specific formats to use; Position Reports,
Revised Estimates, Request Clearance, and When Able Higher Reports.

Position Report Position reports are one of the most critical reports given as it helps ATC keep track
of where aircraft are so we can ensure safe separation. When giving a position
report, get the information from the Long Range Navigation System that is being
used to navigate the aircraft, not from the computer flight plan. That will help give
another cross check of our navigation information.

Revised If the estimated time to the next waypoint changes by more than two minutes due
Estimate to shifting winds or other issues, we need to contact ATC with a revised estimate.

Request We can use a ‘Request Clearance’ message to change parts of our clearance. For
Clearance example, if we want to request a higher Mach speed, we can use the same format
abbreviated for our purpose.

When Able We can also advise ATC of our ability to climb to a higher altitude at a given point
Higher Report or time.

Note: The response from ATC will normally take some time as they must coordinate to determine
if your request can be done without losing separation from other aircraft.

Plotting Requirements
The FAA and ICAO highly recommend crews to use a Since a gross navigational error (GNE) is now considered
plotting chart to provide themselves with a visual to be only 10 NM off course, it should be considered to do
presentation of the intended route. this plot at approximately 5 minutes or 1 degree of
longitude to avoid GNEs.
Among the things that should be plotted on the chart
before departure are waypoints, Equal Time Points (ETPs),
potential divert airports and nearby Organized Tracks and
routes.

It is recommended to
plot your position
approximately 10
minutes or 2 degrees of
longitude after passing
each waypoint to
ensure the aircraft is on
course.

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What is an
Equal
Time
Point?
An Equal Time Point (ETP) is the point along the route where it will take the same amount of time to either continue
across the ocean to the nearest coastal airport or reverse course and return back to the nearest coastal airport.
The ETP will not be the same as the physical halfway point since it varies based on winds.

Typically there are at least three ETPs calculated; The three ETPs will normally fall relatively close to
1. Medical (all engines operating), each other, but never the same because of winds.
2. Pressurization Failure, and There may be additional ETPs if there is a potential
3. Engine Failure off-route divert airport.

SPECIAL IN-FLIGHT PROCEDURES

Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP)
The Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP) is a For aircraft that can set and maintain an automatic offset
standardized operational procedure established in oceanic they should offset in tenth-of-a-mile increments up to two
and remote airspace since 2004. nautical miles right of course. Offsets to the left are NOT
permitted. Some basic guidelines for SLOP are:
SLOP is meant to mitigate the risk of collision due to
• Aircraft should start this offset as soon as radar
abnormal events such as:
service is terminated and maintain this offset until
• Operational Altitude Deviation Errors the oceanic exit point.
• Turbulence Induced Altitude Deviation Errors
• No ATC permission or acknowledgement is required.
• Effects of wake vortex encounters
• Continue to make your standard position reports as
if you are on centerline. ATC will accept a deviation
of 2 NM in your actual position to account for SLOP.

• Coordination with aircraft in the vicinity on

123.45/121.5.

• Aircraft can switch offsets if needed (wake

turbulence, etc.) without coordination with ATC.

• The Long Range Navigation system must have the

ability to offset automatically after programming the
system. Aircraft without the automatic offset
capabilities must use centerline.

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 Advanced Surveillance Enhanced Procedural Separations Replacement Information
Following a successful trial phase, the North Atlantic ASEPS allows longitudinal separations to be reduced
has implemented Advanced Surveillance Enhanced to 17 NM for aircraft on the same route or 14 NM for
Procedural Separation, or ASEPS for suitably aircraft on crossing routes meeting specific angle
equipped aircraft. Equipment requirements includes requirements. It also allows for lateral separations to
ADS-B with a top mounted antenna capable of using be reduced to 19 NM.
space-based ADS-B systems, RNP 4 authorization Aircraft filing the above equipment capabilities on the
and FANS 1/A data link with CPDLC (RCP 240 ICAO flight plan may be given these lower separation
authorized) and ADS-C (RSP 180 authorized). requirements. Crews do not need to request ASEPS.

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 Areas of Compass Unreliability
In areas of both NAT HLA and Canadian MNPS where operations are in the far northern latitudes, the magnetic
compasses become unreliable. Most corporate aircraft do not fly in these areas. However, care should be taken
to understand the potential problems of operations in that area.

In areas where magnetic compasses are not reliable, navigation orientation is frequently
changed from a magnetic reference to a true north reference. Crews should exercise
Magnetic North
extreme caution when changing between magnetic and true north references as errors
vs. True North
can be significant and dangerous. It is noted on the chart what is being used for
Reference
reference. Routes using true north for reference will have a “T” next to the course bearing
to indicate “True.”

Most modern Long Range Navigation (LRN) systems will automatically switch from
Long Range magnetic north reference to true north reference at about 72° to 73° north latitudes.
Navigation Crews should become familiar with their specific equipment and procedures. It is
Systems recommended to push the system into true north navigation reference at approximately
70° north latitude.

Many of the VORs that can be used for navigation in Canadian Northern Domestic
Airspace (to include CMNPS airspace) will be oriented to true north reference instead of
VOR Orientation
magnetic north. Crews should verify the orientation when using any VORs for navigation
checks or operations.

Operators are reminded that they are responsible to ensure they meet any specific
training requirements for operations in areas of magnetic compass unreliability. They
Special Training
are also reminded that they are responsible to ensure they are aware and meet any
and Approval
specific special authorizations to operate in such areas. Specific country requirements
Requirements
vary, so pilots are encouraged to seek guidance from their own Aviation Authorities for
specific guidance.”

CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES
ICAO Document 4444 also talks about general procedures There are two things that are critical to remember:
to use when things are not going as planned. These are 1. Traffic separation is the most critical issue.
referred to as Contingency Procedures and include: 2. 
P ilot-in-command (PIC) ultimately holds the
responsibility for the safety of their aircraft.
• Severe Turbulence

• Mountain Wave Activity Standard rules of contingency procedures in any

airspace in the world:
• Wake Turbulence
1. Light up the airplane
• Equipment Failures 2. Talk on the radios. Let ATC and other aircraft in the
• Weather Deviation vicinity know what the problem is and your intentions.

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Contingency References
There are several good resources for dealing with contingency issues in NAT HLA.

ICAO Doc Air Traffic Management rules for worldwide contingency operations. The source document for
4444 all other contingency references.

NAT Doc 007 North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual is a good resource for NAT High Level Airspace.

Jeppesen
Atlantic
A very valuable resource for any North Atlantic operations.
Orientation
Chart

Transport
Canada’s
Aeronautical Good resource for Canadian MNPS operations.
Information
Manual

NAT OPS
Bulletin A good resource for contingency procedures for the North Atlantic including ASEPS.
2018_005

Loss of Communication
ICAO Standard Lost Communications procedures are as follows:

VMC Squawk 7600 in the transponder, remain VMC, find an airport to land, and call on the ground to let ATC
know you are safe.

IMC Squawk 7600 in the transponder, start the clock, remain with your current clearance for:

• 7 Minutes if you are in a controlled environment.

• 20 minutes from the time you miss a position report that should have been given if you are in a
non-controlled environment.

Following that time, go to filed flight plan routing and altitudes.

Important Note: All areas do NOT follow standard ICAO Lost Communication procedures.

NAT HLA Lost Communication Procedures:

Before Receiving Oceanic Clearance – IMC; Cross on Flight Planned Route, Mach Number and Altitude.
Planned step climbs are NOT to be done.

After Receiving Oceanic Clearance – IMC; follow cleared route. At the Oceanic boundary fix after
crossing, follow standard ICAO Loss of Communication Procedures or the procedures for the country
where you are operating.

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Navigation Failure
ICAO Standard Lost Communications procedures are as follows:

Loss of Single Long Range Navigation System

The best option is to land and get the system repaired before departure. For
Before Entering
the North Atlantic High Level Airspace, we would have the option of changing
NAT HLA
our route to a Special Route (Blue Spruce Route)

As with any contingency, turn on all exterior lighting. Let ATC know of the
system failure. Tell them what your plan is. In this case, it would probably be
In NAT HLA
best to remain on our flight planned or cleared routing. Talk with other aircraft
around you for help also. Verify your position by any means available.

Loss of ALL Long Range Navigation System

Before Entering Contact ATC and return to land at a suitable airport to get the systems repaired
NAT HLA before entering NAT High Level Airspace.

Turn on all exterior lighting. Let ATC know of the system failure. Tell them
what your plan is. In this case, it would probably be best to remain on our
In NAT HLA flight planned or cleared routing. Talk with other aircraft around you for help
also. Verify your position by any means available. Use flight plans, times,
distances and headings.

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ICAO Doc 4444 Contingency Procedure
If we experience a failure or a malfunction, such as an 5 NM offset and parallel course, then descend to an
engine or pressurization failure where we cannot maintain altitude below the main traffic flows (below FL 290), then
our current clearance, what would we do? Ideally, we begin your divert. If an immediate divert is required, ensure
should contact ATC and coordinate our actions. If you are you are 500 feet off assigned altitudes before beginning
in radio contact with ATC, comply with their instructions or the divert. In all cases, coordinate with other aircraft on
notify them if you are unable to comply with instructions. 121.5 or 123.45 to avoid conflicts.

If you are NOT in contact with ATC, ICAO has developed

standard procedures for dealing with such contingencies
in ICAO Doc 4444 (Air Traffic Management) consisting of
both a lateral and vertical deviation. The lateral deviation
consists of a turn of at least 30 degrees off heading to an
offset of 5 NM. The turn can be to either side of course at
the pilot’s discretion. Crew should consider what will keep
them away from other traffic, and what will help them get
to the airport they need to go to in deciding which way to
turn. The vertical deviation will be half of your vertical
separation standards, 500 feet off if below FL 410 and 1000
feet off if above FL 410. At FL 410, a decent would be a
500 foot change, a climb would be a 1000 foot change. If
a descent is necessary, level 500 feet off from normal
altitudes (i.e., FL 255). The standard 15 NM offset (5 NM in
the North Atlantic Region) would still be applicable.

In some cases, the best option may be an off route divert

or course reversal to get to the closest airport. If that is
the case it is strongly recommended to initially do the

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Weather Deviation Procedure
While in NAT HLA airspace if a weather deviation is Transmit on 123.45/121.5
required, crews should attempt to contact ATC as • Callsign, FL, Position and Intentions
soon as possible. • Turn on all aircraft exterior lights
• Watch for conflicting traffic both visually and with TCAS
Remember, in remote areas where HF is the primary
communication method, it will normally take time for What if you can’t contact ATC?
coordination, so the earlier we talk with ATC the
better. • If your deviation is staying within 5 NM of center line of our
cleared route, you would stay on the assigned altitude.
When contacting ATC it is recommended that you • If you must deviate more than 5 NM from center line you
use the terminology “Weather Deviation Required” will do an altitude change to give a better chance of
to alert the radio operator that this is a more urgent avoiding conflicting traffic.
issue.

SAND
South Ascend, North Descend

Route Deviation Level Change

000-179 Left  300 feet

magnetic Right  300 feet

180-359 Left  300 feet

magnetic Right  300 feet

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Data Link Mandate

The North Atlantic Region has mandated that all aircraft There are three exemption areas to this mandate:
operating between FL 290 and FL 410 must be equipped
with FANS 1/A data link equipment. There are three • Airspace north of 80˚ North
exemption areas to this mandate: • New York Oceanic East Flight Information Region (FIR)
• Airspace where an ATS surveillance service is provided
The ATS surveillance service exemption area is published by means of radar, multilateration and/or ADS-B,
on both the Atlantic Orientation Chart and the North coupled with VHF voice communications as depicted
Atlantic Plotting Chart produced by Jeppesen with maroon in State Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP),
lines in the area of Greenland, Iceland and the UK. That provided the aircraft is suitably equipped (transponder/
area is highlighted in the graphic above. ADS-B extended squitter transmitter)

Performance-based Communication and Surveillance

The NAT Atlantic Region has a procedure to reduce allow PBCS separations to be used throughout the
separation requirements called Performance-based Organized Track System.

Communication and Surveillance (PBCS) tracks. This

In order to utilize the PBCS tracks, aircraft and operators
procedure allows tracks to be set up using half-latitude
must be equipped and authorized for RNP 4 and FANS 1/A
waypoints, reducing the lateral separation down to as little
data link to include CPDLC with RCP 240 and ADS-C with
as 23 NM. Additionally, operations on these tracks allow
RSP 180. Flight plans must indicate those capabilities in
for longitudinal separations of 5 minutes in trail instead of
order to be assigned to a PBCS track.
the normal 10 minutes required for NAT HLA.

The daily track message will identify which tracks are

Originally, these tracks were set up in the Organized Track
PBCS tracks for that day.
System using three consecutive tracks with waypoints
space 30 NM apart. The program has been expanded to

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