Airspace Design Division of General Directorate of State Airports Authority was officially founded in November 2019. Since 2019, Airspace Design Division has been responsible for airspace design and management projects, instrument flight procedure designs, all regulations and arrangements in controlled airspace and routes, assessments on the possible effects of project proposals about wind power plants, solar power plants, and power transmission lines around the airports and protected areas.

The aim of the Airspace Design Division is to maximize the efficient use of Turkish Airspace in safely manner. To reach this goal, the strategic activities performed in Airspace Design Division include the design of the controlled airspace structures, standard arrivals, standard departures, and instrument approach procedures; areas and zones where the air traffic is restricted, definition of restrictions and conditions for the use of the route network. On following stages, the determined airspace structures are planned and allocated in accordance with the users’ needs and the priorities agreed on. Lastly, dynamic management of the airspace structures in the time and airspace between the different categories of users, and allocation of airspace are performed by Airspace Design Division.

 ​

The main objective of airspace management activities is to maximize the efficient use of airspace while not compromising the level of safety applicable to air traffic operations within Turkish Airspace.  In order to achieve this objective, the airspace structures throughout the Turkish Airspace should be based on common criteria with regards to airspace design, lateral and vertical definitions in controlled airspace, which should be defined as airspace of defined dimensions within which air traffic control service is provided in accordance with the airspace classification.

The requirements about airspace management are derived from ICAO/Eurocontrol standards and recommended practices, and any additional requirements to satisfy Turkish policy as notified.

Airspace and procedure design should follow the principles of ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS) and Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM). PANS-OPS provides criteria for the design of instrument approach, holding, and departure procedures. PANS-OPS provisions also cover en-route procedures where obstacle clearance is a consideration. PANS-ATM provides procedures for air navigation services, whose basic tenets form the basis of airspace design.

Airspace Design Division of General Directorate of State Airports Authority is responsible for instrument flight procedure (IFP) designs and maintenance of instrument flight procedures.

 “A series of predetermined manoeuvres by reference to flight instruments with specified protection from obstacles from the initial approach fix, or where applicable, from the beginning of a defined arrival route to a point from which a landing can be completed and thereafter, if a landing is not completed, to a position at which holding or en-route obstacle clearance criteria apply.”  Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM)

An instrument approach procedure may have five separate segments. They are the arrival, initial, intermediate, final, and missed approach segments Only those segments that are required by local conditions need to be included in a procedure. In addition, an area for circling the aerodrome under visual conditions shall be considered.  An Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) design provider is a provider responsible for the design and maintenance of instrument flight procedures.

The Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) process encompasses the acquisition of data, design, and promulgation of procedures. It starts with compilation and verification of the many inputs and ends with the validation of the finished product, and documentation for publication. The elements of the process encompass enablers, constraints, output, and post-publication feedback for the procedure under consideration.