For special activity airspaces, PANS-AIM requires as part of the minimum AIP data set to provide information about the type of restriction or nature of hazard and in case of an ADIZ, the risk of interception in the event of penetration.
In addition, information on system and means of activation announcements, together with information pertinent to civil flights and applicable ADIZ procedures shall be provided.
In AIXM 5 the AirspaceActivation class will be used to define the type of activity (i.e. the primary situation or reason on the ground or in the air, which may have an impact on airspace usage) that takes place in the airspace.
Open Question:
In addition, the activation status of the airspace, allowing to define if the restriction is active will be defined including timesheet information (see also topic Schedules for Airspace).
The status might carry the following values:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| 'AVBL_FOR_ACTIVATION' | The feature may be activated. |
| 'ACTIVE' | The airspace is active (but it might not be in use yet). |
| 'IN_USE' | The airspace is actually used inside the activation period. |
| 'INACTIVE' | The airspace is not active. |
| 'INTERMITTENT' | The Airspace is active but with periods of no real usage. |
| 'OTHER' | Other. |
For the AIP data set, the status should be coded with 'IN_USE' when required for for ATS airspaces'.
For the AIP data set, the status should be coded with 'ACTIVE when required for special activity airspaces'.
Unless, the actual activation of the time intervals coded in the Timesheet is "announced by NOTAM", than the status shall be 'AVBL_FOR_ACTIVATION'.
In the latter two cases a digital NOTAM issued, will override that status e.g. to 'ACTIVE' or 'IN_USE'.
See also coding rules of topic Schedules for Airspace.
The restriction may be limited within the airspace to a certain vertical portion of airspace by using the AirspaceLayer class. The vertical limits of the airspace concerned may be defined by a certain upper and lower limit of the AirspaceVolume, which by a digital NOTAM may be limited to the actual AirspaceLayer used, which may be just a portion of its whole vertical extent .
More details about airspace activation in regard to digital NOTAM can be found in the Digital NOTAM Event Specification.
Coding Rules for Restriction & Activation of Airspace
| Identifier | Data Encoding Rule | Justification | Data Verification Rule (UID) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ASE-501 | The AirspaceActivation.activity attribute is mandatory for special activity airspaces and other regulated airspaces. | Minimum data | TBD | PANS-AIM requires the class of airspace as part of the minimum AIP data set only for special activity airspaces other regulated airspaces, not for ATS airspaces. |
Coding Example
The figure below gives a simple example of an airspace activation for BERTRIX AREA.
It is available for activation by a defined schedule. Its actual activation is announced by NOTAM. When activated, the vertical limits may be adjusted to the applicable airspace layer portion.
More coding examples can be found in the DONLON AIXM 5.1.1 AIP data set file.
| No. | Description | XPath Expression |
|---|---|---|
| ASE-EX-03 | Special activity airspace, Prohibited Area, Circle | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_VAARDNOR_P'] |
| ASE-EX-04 | Special activity airspace, Restricted Area, Arc segment (Arc by centrepoint) | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_BRAVO_R'] |
| ASE-EX-05 | Special activity airspace, Restricted Area, Rectangle | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_BURGENVALK_R'] |
| ASE-EX-06 | Special activity airspace, Restricted Area, reference to state boundary (annotation) | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_WINSWUK_R'] |
| ASE-EX-07 | Special activity airspace, Local type, reference to state boundary (xlink:href) | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_EAMOA01_MOA'] |
| ASE-EX-08 | Special activity airspace, Danger Area, Active weekday schedules | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_HORSHAM_D'] |
| ASE-EX-09 | Special activity airspace, Danger Area, within CTR | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_DONLON_D'] |
| ASE-EX-19 | Aerial sporting activities airspace | //aixm:AirspaceTimeSlice[@gml:id='ASE_DONBURG_PARACHUTE_JUMPING_AERA'] |