Economic analysis demonstrates reduced operating costs and increased airspace capacity in the North Atlantic region, indicating clear benefits from adopting Free Route Airspace and RNP 4 standards.
The paper examines ways to enhance the economic efficiency of flight operations in the North Atlantic (NAT) region, characterized by high air traffic density and the absence of ground-based navigation aids. The authors analyze the key features of the region, including its role as a crucial link between Europe and North America, as well as the historical evolution of lateral separation standards—from 120 to 60 nautical miles. The main focus is on the economic justification for implementing modern airspace organization concepts: Free Route Airspace (FRA) and RNP 4 specification. It is demonstrated that the transition to these standards allows for a reduction in route spacing, an increase in airspace capacity, a decrease in operator costs, and provides flexibility in selecting great-circle flight trajectories (the shortest distance). Calculations of the economic effect for an airline are presented.
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Mischenko et al. (2026) studied this question.
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