Additional direct routes available in Swiss airspace<br><br> The Swiss airspace, despite its small size, is one of the densest and most complex airspace in Europe. With this in mind, we take actions to optimize air traffic flows and bring added value to our customers and partners. Shorter and more direct routes for instance provide a threefold benefit as they increase flight efficiency, reduce airspace congestion and have a positive impact on the environment.
In the framework of the Free Route Airspace project (FRA), skyguide strives to offer airspace users shorter routes through Swiss airspace. Last November, we made 13 additional direct routes available for airlines, thus helping them save fuel and reduce flight time as well as CO2 emissions. Take the route segment between the surroundings of Pontarlier (Jura Mountains) to Chambéry (Savoie) as an example: thanks to the implementation of a direct route overflying the Geneva region, the distance flown could be shortened from 184 to 177 kilometers, leading to an average annual fuel saving of 527 tons and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1700 tons. With the 50 direct routes successfully already realised in March 2017, we reached a total of 63 direct routes.
To further optimise skyguide’s services and contribute to our future, we will continue to improve our network. The goal is to realise in several steps, a Free Route Airspace in Switzerland (FRA) by using the direct routes as a basis. In a FRA, airlines can fly even shorter routes through Swiss and adjacent airspace without being constrained by fixed airspace structures or fixed route networks.
