In which airspaces does skyguide operate?

With traffic volumes rising all the time, international collaboration is becoming increasingly essential in the air traffic management field. When cross-border airspace structures are created, safety and efficiency are the paramount priorities. The airspace controlled by skyguide meets these criteria. It also fully complies with the Single European Sky philosophy, and with the associated creation of “functional airspace blocks”.

The airspace which is managed by skyguide essentially conforms to an operational rather than a national standpoint, and extends far into neighbouring countries (France, Italy, Austria and Germany). In return, part of Switzerland’s airspace is managed by Italian air traffic control; and traffic to and from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse is handled by France’s air navigation service provider. 

Airspace is not always the same thing. Three distinct concepts need to be defined here:      

• national airspace: the airspace which is the sovereign territory (both land and water) of a particular country
• the area of responsibility of an air navigation service provider, in which that provider manages and monitors air traffic flows.
• flight information region (FIR): the airspace in which an air navigation service provider will provide information and search-and-rescue services for those flights it is aware of. 

FIRs and their borders are also used by Eurocontrol to calculate air navigation services charges. These areas are not always the same: some of them may extend beyond national borders.