UAE's Free Route Airspace Project Manages One Of Region’s Busiest, Most Dynamic Skies: GCAA

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 15th Sep, 2025) The UAE’s Air Navigation Services (ANS) are engineered to manage one of the busiest and most dynamic airspaces in the world, handling over 1 million air movements in the past year, supported by advanced ANS systems and capabilities, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said in its third report ‘’An Inside Look at Civil Aviation in the UAE''.

As part of its commitment to transparency and providing in-depth analytical insights into the developments within the civil aviation sector, the GCAA is launching a new series of analytical reports titled “A Closer Look: Civil Aviation in the UAE.”

This series aims to highlight key milestones, challenges, and future opportunities based on official data and accumulated operational experience. It also sheds light on the strategic approach adopted by the UAE to establish itself as a pivotal global hub influencing the current reality and shaping the future of civil aviation.

The UAE continues the ANS Modernisation Programme by investing heavily in strengthening the ANS Infrastructure, advancing the ANS technologies and AI applications and empowering personnel to continue safely and efficiently leading the ANS operations to a sustainable and brighter future. The UAE is leading the middle East Air Navigation industry to ensure alignment between the national, regional and the Global Air Navigation Plans supporting ICAO to achieve global harmonisation and effective implementation of the ASBU framework.

One of the most forward-looking projects in this journey is the Free Route Airspace (FRA) project designed to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and regional coordination.

Launched in mid-2023 and implemented in the UAE’s Flight Information Region (FIR) (above FL355), the Free Route Airspace allows aircraft to fly user-preferred trajectories, rather than being limited to fixed airways. This flexibility gives operators the ability to optimise routes cutting flight times, reducing fuel burn, and lowering carbon emissions.

The FRA was designed through close coordination with:
• Neighbouring Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs)
• Airspace users and operators
• Regional and international stakeholders
This collaborative approach ensured the project’s seamless integration with surrounding FIRs and supported wider regional airspace interoperability.

Since its implementation, the UAE’s Free Route Airspace project has delivered substantial operational and environmental gains. Since inception, more than 400,000 flights benefited from the FRA implementation despite the current availability being limited to only a few flight levels (FL360 and above), where demand remains extremely high.

The operational and environmental results recorded in just one year include:
• Over 235000 nautical miles saved in total flight distance
• More than 11,000 KG of fuel saved across all FRA-utilising flights
• A reduction of nearly 35,000 KG of CO₂ emissions

These outcomes reflect the tangible contribution of the FRA initiative toward sustainability and efficiency in air traffic management. They also demonstrate the UAE’s commitment to supporting ICAO’s global environmental and operational performance goals.

In the very first month, 34% of total overflights utilised FRA levels. Within two months, this rose sharply to over 58–60%, and has since stabilised around 52–55%, showing continued reliance and confidence in FRA operations by airspace users.
This rapid uptake despite vertical limitations demonstrates the high operational demand for flexible routing and the success of the implementation strategy. It also highlights the significant potential for further benefits as additional airspace volumes are made available in future phases.

The FRA initiative is part of a wider modernisation programme that enhances airspace safety and efficiency. Supporting systems include:
• Performance-Based Navigation (PBN)
• Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM)
• Advanced surveillance and decision-support tools

Together, these capabilities provide real-time visibility, optimise airspace use, and support safer, more dynamic traffic management.

The UAE’s FRA is already informing future plans across the region. It shows how flexible, data-driven airspace design can improve capacity, reduce environmental impact, and raise service standards all while maintaining operational safety and resilience.

As the aviation sector embraces smarter skies and greener strategies, the UAE continues to lead by example. The Free Route Airspace project is not just an operational milestone, it’s a glimpse into the future of integrated, sustainable, and collaborative airspace management.

As part of its commitment to transparency and providing in-depth analytical insights into the developments within the civil aviation sector, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority is launching a new series of analytical reports titled “A Closer Look: Civil Aviation in the UAE.”

This series aims to highlight key milestones, challenges, and future opportunities based on official data and accumulated operational experience. It also sheds light on the strategic approach adopted by the UAE to establish itself as a pivotal global hub influencing the current reality and shaping the future of civil aviation.