IFR Helicopter Route Network (LFN)

The main driver is the requirement of Rega and the Swiss Air Force to fly in all weather conditions considering Switzerland’s difficult terrain. It was estimated by Rega that more than 600 additional life-saving missions could be flown per year with a fully developed low flight route network.  First a T-shape route profile and Point in Space (PinS) procedures for the hospitals of Zurich, Berne and Winterthur have been developed.

Skyguide’s role covered two areas. One is the development of the low-flight routes and flight procedures, and the second is the integration into the existing ATM system Switzerland. Given the density of the airspace and the challenging terrain it requires close cooperation between all involved parties.

It was “uncharted” territory for our IFP designers, and particularly for the PinS it turned out that existing ICAO criteria proved to be insufficient. A set of new helicopter specific criteria had to be developed, with an ongoing development for the worldwide first helicopter RNP AR/RNP 0.1 procedures. Once validated with the HEMS operator, they were and are put forward to the ICAO IFP panel for discussion and adoption.

The implementation of the PinS procedures and the LFN required new ATM procedures as well, which have to complement the existing ATS standards, also in a controlled airspace of airports like Zurich or Berne.  To allow an H24/7 operation, an operational concept that allowed the use of the network without ATC has been developed for some routes and landing locations. It should be mentioned that the legislation in Switzerland requires ATC for all IFR flights which is a problem for the low-flight routes without radar or radio coverage.

The LFN proved useful during the last 5 years of deployment, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when patients needed to be transported to less occupied hospitals. Stepwise more PinS to hospitals were established and in 2021 it was decided that the LFN should become a national infrastructure for blue light organizations and the Swiss Air Force in general. Therefore, a switch to a national project under the lead of the Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) to drive the evolution of this infrastructure according to the needs of the cantonal health services and the Swiss Air Force is ongoing. Skyguide is looking forward to further develop the network and connecting more hospitals and military landing sites.

With the experience, Skyguide’s IFP team and experts gained regarding challenging terrain, dense and complex airspace, but also during the cooperation with neighboring ANSPs and authorities we would like to support you developing your own PinS procedures and low-flight network routes.