Restricted Area
Restricted Area
Definition
Restricted area. An airspace of defined dimensions above the land areas or territorial waters of a State, within which the flight of aircraft is restricted in accordance with specific conditions.
Source: ICAO Annex 2: Rules of the Air
Description
Restricted areas are those where the conduct of flights, while not prohibited, is subject to certain restrictions. These can be defined in various ways, e.g what types of flights are permitted or what types of flights are not permitted. Examples include: "only SAR/HEMS flights are permitted", or "only flights with aircraft with MTOM of less than 5700 kg are permitted", or "recreational and sightseeing flights are not permitted", etc. The restrictions can be permanent or temporary.
Restricted areas are generally established when the risk level involved in the activities conducted within the area is such that it can no longer be left to the discretion of individual pilots whether or not they want to expose themselves to such risk. In many cases the activities within a restricted area are not permanently present, it is therefore of particular importance that the times when these areas are actually required be closely surveyed and monitored.
The vertical and lateral dimensions of restricted areas are publicised in national Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs) together with the hours of operation where applicable. Restricted areas can only be established over sovereign territory (i.e. the land area of a State and itsterritorial waters) and not over high seas (where only danger areas can be established).
Historically, many Danger Areas and restricted areas have been inactive for much of the time for which they have been notified as being active. This has led to the development of the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) Concept to optimise the use of airspace within Europe.
With the application of the FUA Concept, airspace is no longer designated as "civil" or "military" airspace, but considered as one continuum and allocated according to user requirements.
The FUA Concept allows the maximum shared use of airspace through enhanced civil/military co-ordination. The application of the FUA Concept ensures that any airspace segregation is temporary and based on real use for a specified time period.
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