ABOUT AIS

Responsible service

The Aeronautical Information Service, which forms part of the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration – ROMATSA, ensures the flow of information necessary for the safety, regularity and efficiency of international and national air navigation within the area of its responsibility as indicated under AIP GEN 3.1.2. Pre-flight information service is provided by ARO/Briefing units established at certain aerodromes as listed under AIP GEN 3.1.5.

Area of responsibility

The Aeronautical Information Service is responsible for the collection and dissemination of information for BUCURESTI FIR.

Aeronautical publications

The aeronautical information is provided in the form of the Integrated Aeronautical Information Package consisting of the following elements:

• Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)
• Amendment service to the AIP (AIP AMDT)
• Supplement to the AIP (AIP SUP)
• NOTAM and Pre-flight Information Bulletins (PIB)
• Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC)
• Checklists and Summaries
  

NOTAM and the related monthly checklists are issued via the Aeronautical Fixed Service (AFS), while PIB are made available at aerodrome AIS units. All other elements of the package are distributed by air mail.

Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)

The AIP is the basic aviation document intended primarily to satisfy international requirements for the exchange of permanent aeronautical information and long duration temporary changes essential for air navigation. AIP ROMANIA is published in one volume. The AIP is published in a loose-leaf form with bilingual text (English and Romanian) for use in international and domestic operations, whether the flight is a commercial or a private one.

Amendment service to the AIP (AIP AMDT)

Amendments to the AIP are made by means of replacement sheets. Two types of AIP AMDT are produced:

• regular AIP Amendment (AIP AMDT), issued in accordance with the established regular interval (ref. GEN...) and identified by a light blue cover sheet, incorporates permanent changes into the AIP on the indicated publication date; and

• AIRAC AIP Amendment (AIRAC AIP AMDT), issued in accordance with the AIRAC system and identified by a pink cover and the acronym - AIRAC, incorporates operationally significant permanent changes into the AIP on the indicated AIRAC effective date.

A brief description of the subjects affected by the amendment is given on the AIP Amendment cover sheet. New information included on the reprinted AIP pages is annotated or identified by a vertical line in the left margin (or immediately to the left) of the change/addition.

Each AIP page and each AIP replacement page introduced by an amendment, including the amendment cover sheet, are dated. The date consists of the day, month (by name) and year of the publication date (regular AIP AMDT) or of the AIRAC effective date (AIRAC AIP AMDT) of the information. Each AIP amendment cover sheet includes references to the serial number of those elements, if any, of the Integrated Aeronautical Information Package which have been incorporated in the AIP by the amendment and are consequently cancelled.

Each AIP AMDT and each AIRAC AIP AMDT are allocated separate numbers which are consecutive and based on the calendar year. The year, indicated by two digits, is a part of the number of the amendment, e.g. AIP AMDT 1/96; AIRAC AIP AMDT 1/96.

A checklist of AIP pages containing page number/chart title and the publication or effective date (day, month by name and year) of the information is reissued whenever is neccessary and is an integral part of the AIP.

Supplement to the AIP (AIP SUP)

Temporary changes of long duration (three months and longer) and information of short duration which consists of extensive text and/or graphics, supplementing the permanent information contained in the AIP, are published as AIP Supplements (AIP SUP). Operationally significant temporary changes to the AIP are published in accordance with the AIRAC system and its established effective dates and are identified clearly by the acronym AIRAC AIP SUP

AIP Supplements are separated by information subject ( General-GEN, En-route-ENR and Aerodromes-AD)

and are placed accordingly at the beginning of AIP. Supplements are published on yellow paper to be conspicuous and to stand out from the rest of the AIP Each AIP Supplement (regular or AIRAC) is allocated a serial number which is consecutive and based on the calendar year, i.e. AIP SUP 1/96; AIRAC AIP SUP 1/96.

An AIP Supplement is kept in the AIP as long as all or some of its contents remain valid. The period of validity of the information contained in the AIP Supplement will normally be given in the supplement itself. Alternatively, NOTAM may be used to indicate changes to the period of validity or cancellation of the supplement.

The checklist of AIP Supplements currently in force is reissued whenever is neccessary and is an integral part of the AIP.

The last distributed AIP SUP are mentioned in the monthly printed plain-language summary of NOTAM in force.

NOTAM and Preflight Information Bulletins (PIB)

NOTAM contain information concerning the establishment, condition or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential for personnel concerned with flight operations. The text of each NOTAM contains the information in the order shown in the ICAO NOTAM Format and is composed of the significations/uniform abbreviated phraseology assigned to the ICAO NOTAM Code complemented by ICAO abbreviations, indicators, identifiers, designators, call signs, frequencies, figures and plain language. NOTAM are originated and issued for BUCURESTI FIR and are distributed in four series identified by the letters A, B, C and S.

Series A. Information relating AIP ROMANIA (IFR), with international and national distribution.

Series B. Information relating airspace restrictions and navigation warnings, with international and national distribution.

Series C. Information relating domestic subjects and VFR flights, with national distribution

Series S (SNOWTAM). Information concerning snow, slush, ice or standing water associated with snow and slush and ice in the movement areas. SNOWTAM are prepared in accordance with ICAO Annex 15, Appendix 2, and are issued by the individual aerodrome directly, with separate serial numbers. Details are given in the Snow plan in the Aerodrome (AD) Part.

Pre-flight Information Bulletins (PIB), which contain a recapitulation of current NOTAM and other information of urgent character for the operator/flight crews, are available at the aerodrome AIS/ARO units. The extent of the information contained in the PIB is indicated under 5. of this subsection.

Depending of the requirements of the users, manually prepared printed plain language PIBs are available in the form of:

• area type bulletins;

• route type bulletins;

• aerodrome type bulletins;

• administrative bulletins,

wich are in compliance with ICAO standard bulletin formats.

Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC)

The Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC) contain information on the long-term forecast of any major change in legislation, regulations, procedures or facilities; information of a purely explanatory or advisory nature liable to. affect flight safety; and information or notification of an explanatory or advisory nature concerning technical, legislative or purely administrative matters. AICs are divided by distribution are issued in three series (A, B and D). AIC Series A contains information affecting international civil aviation and is given international distribution, while AIC Series B and D contains information affecting national aviation only and is given national distribution.

Each AIC is numbered consecutively within each series on a calendar year basis. The year, indicated by two digits, is a part of the serial number of the AIC, e.g. AIC A 1/96; AIC B 1/96. A checklist of AIC currently in force is issued as an AIC once a year.

Checklist and summary of NOTAM

A checklist of valid NOTAM is issued monthly via AFS. The checklist is followed by a printed summary of NOTAM distributed by mail to all recipients of the Integrated Aeronautical Information Package. It contains a plain language (in English) presentation of the valid NOTAM and information about the number of the latest issued AIP AMDT, AIRAC AIP AMDT, AIP SUP and AIC as well as the numbers of the elements issued under the AIRAC that will become effective or, if none, the NIL AIRAC notification.

AIRAC System

In order to control and regulate the operationally significant changes requiring amendments to charts, route manuals etc., such changes, whenever possible, will be issued on predetermined dates according to the AIRAC SYSTEM. This type of information will be published as an AIRAC AIP AMDT or an AIRAC AIP SUP. If an AIRAC AMDT or SUP cannot be produced due to lack of time, NOTAM clearly marked AIRAC will be issued. Such NOTAM will immediately be followed by an AMDT or SUP.

The table below indicates AIRAC effective dates for the coming years. AIRAC information will be issued so that the information will be received by the user not later than 28 days, and for major changes not later than 56 days, before the effective date. At AIRAC effective date, a trigger NOTAM will be issued giving a brief description of the contents, effective date and reference number of the AIRAC AIP AMDT or AIRAC AIP SUP that will become effective on that date. Trigger NOTAM will remain in force as a reminder in the PIB until the new checklist / summary is issued.

If no information was submitted for publication at the AIRAC date, a NIL notification will be issued by NOTAM not later than one AIRAC cycle before the AIRAC effective date concerned.

Pre-flight information service at aerodromes/heliports

Pre-flight information is available at aerodromes as detailed below:
 

  * The ARO/Briefing units are connected to the European AIS Database (EAD).