1.1   General

The overall authority for the provision of Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) in Vilnius FIR/UIR for international flights is delegated to the Eurocontrol/Network Manager Operations Centre (NMOC).

1.2   Responsibilities of the NMOC

The NMOC is responsible for:

1. ensuring that traffic flows correspond to the stated capacity of the sectors through which they pass;
2. ensuring that ATFM measures, when necessary, are applied in an equitable manner and in such a way as to reduce as far as possible the penalties to the aircraft operators.

For this purpose, the NMOC applies procedures, which are published in the corresponding ICAO and NMOC documentation.

These procedures have in Vilnius FIR/UIR the same status as procedures explicitly published in this AIP.

1.3   Responsibilities of the air traffic services

Air Traffic Flow Management Service has been established in Vilnius Area Control Centre (ACC) of the Oro navigacija AB to liaise between ATC, aircraft operators and the NMOC.

The hours of operation are: H24

ATS at aerodromes will ensure that flights adhere to departure slots issued by the ATFM Service.

In accordance with the provisions of the Regional Supplementary Procedures, Europe (ICAO Doc 7030) and the ATFM Handbook (ICAO EUR Doc 003), flights which do not adhere to their slot will be denied ATC clearance.

However, ATC will make all efforts to enable departing flights to comply with the slot, and small taxiing delays will not be prevent flights from departing.

1.4   Responsibilities of aircraft operators

Aircraft Operators who wish to ensure that they are correctly defined within the NM database and/or want to provide the address where they should receive slot related messages, may send their details to the following:

The slot related messages for Aircraft Operators who have not been defined within the NM database or who cannot be identified from the flight plan will, by default, be sent to the Vilnius ARO.

3.1   Flight plan requirements

AOs filing flight plans for flights departing from within the ATFCM area or from within the ATFCM Adjacent area and entering the ATFCM area, shall assume their flight is subject to ATFCM measures and subject to the requirement to submit a flight plan at least three hours before EOBT.

For flights which are not subject to ATFM measures flight plan shall be submitted to Vilnius ARO or directly to IFPS at least 60 minutes before EOBT.

Changes in EOBT of more than 15 minutes and/or cancellation of flight plans shall be reported immediately to Vilnius ARO or directly to IFPS.

Flight plan and associated messages for flights departing from the Republic of Lithuania international airports to the IFPS Zone are addressed to the IFPS Units: EUCHZMFP and EUCBZMFP.

Flight plan and associated messages for flights departing from the Republic of Lithuania international airports outside IFPS Zone are addressed to the two IFPS Units and additionally to ATS Units outside IFPS Zone.

When an individual flight plan (FPL) has been filed but it is decided, within 4 hours of EOBT, to use an alternative routeing between the same aerodromes of departure and destination, either a modification message (CHG) may be sent or alternatively:

1. a cancellation message (CNL) shall be sent to IFPS;
2. not less than 5 minutes after sending the CNL message, a replacement flight plan (RFP) in the form of an FPL with identical call sign shall be transmitted;
3. the RFP shall contain, as the first element of Item 18, the indication ’RFP/Qn’; and
   the last RFP shall be filed at least 30 minutes before EOBT.

3.2   Slot allocations

Aircraft Operators and pilots of flights departing from the Republic of Lithuania airports into areas where ATFM restrictions are applied shall contact the Vilnius FMP or Vilnius ARO not earlier than one hour and 45 minutes before EOBT and not later than one hour before EOBT in order to receive slot time.

NMOC will calculate departure slots as a CTOT.Recipients of Slot Allocation Messages (SAM) are required to comply with the issued departure slot time and operators shall arrange their flights so as to take-off within slot tolerance window (-5 to +10 minutes of the CTOT). ATC clearance shall be denied to pilots intending to take-off outside CTOT tolerance window.

Pilots of flights which are unable to meet the allocated time shall advise Vilnius ARO.

The following categories of flights are exempted from ATFM measures:

• for a life critical medical emergency evacuation;
• flights which have specific approval from the Office established by the State and has STS/ATFMX;
• flights operating for search and rescue operations;
• flights with “Head of State” on board;
• fire-fighting flights.

The STS indicator is used in ICAO flight plan item 18 to indicate the necessity for “special handling”.The following abbreviations shall be used:

STS/ Reason for special handling by ATS, e.g. a search and rescue mission, as follows:

ALTRV: for a flight operated in accordance with an altitude reservation;

ATFMX: for a flight approved for exemption from ATFM measures by the appropriate ATS authority;

FFR: fire-fighting;

FLTCK: flight check for calibration of navaids;

HAZMAT: for a flight carrying hazardous material;

HEAD: for a flight with Head of State status;

HOSP: for a medical flight declared by medical authorities;

HUM: for a flight operating on a humanitarian mission;

MARSA: for a flight for which a military entity assumes responsibility for separation of military aircraft;

MEDEVAC: for a life critical medical emergency evacuation;

NONRVSM: for a non-RVSM capable flight intending to operate in RVSM airspace;

SAR: for a flight engaged in a search and rescue mission;

STATE: for a flight engaged in military, customs or police services.

Procedures related to IFPS and ATFM can also be found in the Network Operations Handbook, in particular, the IFPS Users Manual and the ATFCM Users Manual are available at the Eurocontrol Library.

3.3   Guidelines for determining the need for the use of STS/ATFMX for an individual flight

The following guidelines should be used to determine whether a flight should be entitled to obtain exemption from the ATFM slot allocation process:

1. if the flight does not operate with all possible delays eliminated, a life or lives may be lost. Such flights shall require specific medical/UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) authorisation in support of the request;
2. the person or persons on board a flight are on State business of such importance that the flight cannot accept any delay;
3. the mission being undertaken by the flight, carried out by or on behalf of the State, is of such importance that any delay will jeopardise the success of the mission;
4. if the safe and expeditious delivery of COVID-19 vaccines is required (upon approval, STS/ATFMX and RMK/VACCINE shall be inserted in item 18 of the flight plan).

If any of the above applies, the flight may be granted approval to use STS/ATFMX by the appropriate authority in the State of departure of that flight, and details shall be passed on to the ATFM Service.

3.4   Procedure for requesting authorization for the use of STS/ATFMX

The operator of a flight seeking approval to insert the indicator STS/ATFMX in item 18 of a flight plan for a flight departing from an aerodrome within Vilnius FIR/UIR shall obtain prior permission from Vilnius FMP a minimum of 3 hours in advance of the flight.

4.1   Flexible use of the airspace of the Republic of Lithuania introduction

Use of airspace of the Republic of Lithuania is carried out in compliance with Republic of Lithuania Airspace Organization Rules approved by Government Decree Nr. 285 on 17 March 2004 and the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2150/2005 by which the common rules for the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) based on the original conception of FUA are established.

The basis for the FUA Concept is that airspace should no longer be designed as either military or civil airspace but should be considered as continuum and used flexibly on a day-to-day basis. Consequently, any necessary airspace segregation should be only of a temporary nature.

The FUA Concept is based on three levels of Air Management (ASM) which have been identified as:

• strategic ASM – Level 1;
• pre-tactical ASM – Level 2;
• tactical ASM – Level 3.

The three ASM levels correspond with tasks of the sport/military activity co-ordination with ATM. Each level is related directly to, and impacts on the others.

4.2   Airspace Management (ASM) in the Republic of Lithuania

In accordance with Law on Aviation and Republic of Lithuania Airspace Organization Rules provisions Airspace Management on respective levels performed by Ministry of Transport, Armed Force Commander, Lithuania Transport Safety Agency and Oro navigacija AB.

Oro navigacija AB performs specific tasks at ASM and FUA Level 1 and Level 3 (see 4.3 and 4.5) and the appointed Airspace Management Cell (AMC) is responsible for conduction of FUA tasks at Level 2 (see 4.4).

4.3   Strategic ASM (Level 1)

The National Airspace Coordination Working Group represents the strategic ASM (Level 1).

In line with Republic of Lithuania Airspace Organization Rules:

1. Prohibited, restricted and danger areas are approved by Minister of transport Order No. 3-353 of 16 June 2004.
2. Temporary segregated areas (TSAs), Special Glider Zones (SGZs) and Temporary established segregated areas (TESA) for military exercises, air shows, competitions etc. determines director general of the Oro navigacija AB on ATM division rendering.

Major activities in ASM Level 1 performed by ATM division:

1. participates in the prohibited, restricted and danger areas draft preparation process;
2. creates temporary established segregated areas, TSAs and SGZs drafts;
3. creates drafts of the appropriate agreements in regard of airspace use.

Contact information:

Working hours:
MON – THU: 0530-1415 (0430-1315) UTC;
FRI and on the eve of HOL 0530-1315 (0430-1215) UTC, except SATs, SUNs and public holidays.

4.4   Pre-tactical ASM (Level 2)

ATM division (AMC) as a joint civil-military unit carries out pre-Tactical ASM in Lithuania. AMC conducts the day-to-day management and temporary allocation of airspace in the framework of the State airspace structure, rules and negotiation procedures as laid down in separate Letters of Agreement with airspace users.

ATM division (AMC) performs the following tasks:

1. collects and analyses applications/notifications requests for published airspace structures that are subject to AMC management (AMC manageable areas), for the following day. Application/notification shall be submitted to AMC until 09.00 (08.00) UTC. Application/notification of activity intended to be performed on the first workday of next week shall be submitted on the last workday of the current week;
2. when necessary coordinates the duration and scope of activity;
3. allocates and issues approvals for the activity within TSAs and SGZs;
4. provides Oro navigacija AB AIS unit with all relevant information, which is necessary to issue appropriate NOTAM;
5. promulgates Airspace Use Plan (AUP) not later than 1400 UTC on the day before the day of planned activities;
6. collects and analyzes cancellations of previously allocated AMC manageable areas, if their need is terminated by the appropriate users;
7. promulgates UUPs and NUPs during the time-period from 0630 UTC till 1200 UTC on the day of planned activities, if any changes to airspace allocation are necessary;

   Note.

   AMC collects airspace requests from the Approved Agencies (AAs) and promulgates the airspace allocation as an Airspace Use Plan (AUP) (D-1), changes to the airspace plan are notified via Updated Airspace Use Plans (UUPs) (D-1 and D-0) by AMC and by Vilnius ACC during the AMC non-working hours. AUPs/UUPs contain AMC Manageable Areas (AMA) such as TSAs, TESAs, Restricted and Danger areas. EUROCONTROL consolidates national AUPs/UUPs and promulgates them on the NOP Portal (Network Operations Portal) as European AUP/UUP (EAUP/EUUP).

8. prepares and promulgates the bulletins of the airspace restrictions (NUP), which reflects all airspace restrictions (AUP and as local interest below FL095 – TSAs, TESAs, SGZs, D and R zones). The NUPs are available on the Oro navigacija AB website www.ans.lt.

4.5   Tactical ASM (Level 3)

On the day of operation, before commencing the planned activities inside pre-booked areas, users are obliged to coordinate with appropriate ATC unit conducts real-time coordination of appropriate activity the exact start time, delay or cancellation of the activities in the area.

Users are to inform Appropriate ATC unit immediately when the activity is completed.

Activation time or requested vertical limits of the airspace structure elements published in the AUP/UUP/NUP may only be decreased within the originally requested time and vertical limit block or cancelled.

Coordination of the significant alterations of activity within the temporary established segregated areas, TSAs and SGZs appropriate ATC unit conducts together with AMC (during its hours of service).