NAT HLA Tracks FL330 and Below to be Abolished

Effective March 1, 2022, North Atlantic tracks at FL330 and below will no longer be published. As a result, flights operating at FL330 and below will be free of the organized track structure. Although there have never been restrictions for random routing crossing tracks, this will aid the operators who plan not to cross tracks at active flight levels.

This abolishment of tracks is part of a collaboration with the North Atlantic OTS Focus Group and NAV CANADA to reduce the number of flight levels on published OTS tracks.

The development of Aerion space-based ADS-B has been a significant factor in reducing separations. This service provides controllers an update every 7 to 8 seconds as opposed to 14 minutes, starting a movement away from procedural control to closer to real-time surveillance. This transition is the first step, while additional changes and reductions are expected to be implemented in the future.