For Gander, the departure clearance will be the oceanic clearance unless it is modified by ATC. The aircraft shall NOT change the route unless ATC clears it for the route change.
Effective July 11, 2026, when a reroute is required, Gander Domestic FIR (CDQX) will resume issuing CPDLC amended route clearances [CLEARED TO (position) VIA (route clearance)] before an aircraft reaches its Oceanic Entry Point (OEP). The route may be issued by Gander Domestic FIR (CDQX), Moncton Domestic FIR (CZQM), or Montreal North Domestic FIR (CZUL).
Gander Oceanic FIR (CZQX) will continue to issue CPDLC amended route clearances once an aircraft is past its Oceanic Entry Point (OEP).
The route clearances are updates to the original departure clearance. Listed here are highlights of the changes:
- The CLEARED TO (position) will be a waypoint contained within the filed flight plan, either after oceanic exit or within oceanic airspace.
- With a partial reroute format, if the reroute connects within oceanic airspace, only the changed portion is in the message as described in GOLD guidance.
- The voice clearances issued since May 2025 are replaced by the CPDLC amended route clearance, unless unable to connect to the flight plan. In this case, the reroute will be issued by voice. Check for a discontinuity.
- This only applies to eastbound traffic with a Gander Oceanic FIR route.
Other OCR procedures, including Oceanic flight planning, RCL submission requirements and timing, and CPDLC route conformance monitoring, will continue unchanged.
For voice RCL requests or issues with an RCL rejection message, pilots should contact ATC on the assigned (current) control frequency.
Refer to the AIP Supplement for complete details.