Flight plans

3.3.1 Submission of a flight plan
3.3.1.1 Information relative to an intended flight or portion of a flight, to be provided to air traffic services units, shall be in the form of a flight plan.
3.3.1.2 A flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating:
a) any flight or portion thereof to be provided with air traffic control service;
b) any IFR flight within advisory airspace;
c) any flight within or into designated areas, or along designated routes, when so required by the appropriate ATS authority to facilitate the provision of flight information, alerting and search and rescue services;
d) any flight within or into designated areas, or along designated routes, when so required by the appropriate ATS authority to facilitate coordination with appropriate military units or with air traffic services units in adjacent States in order to avoid the possible need for interception for the purpose of identification;
e) any flight across international borders.
Note.- The term "flight plan" is used to mean variously, full information on all items comprised in the flight plan description, covering the whole route of a flight, or limited information required when the purpose is to obtain a clearance for a minor portion of a flight such as to cross an airway, to take off from, or to land at a controlled aerodrome.
3.3.1.3 A flight plan shall be submitted, before departure, to an air traffic services reporting office or, during flight, transmitted to the appropriate air traffic services unit or airground control radio station, unless arrangements have been made for submission of repetitive flight plans.
3.3.1.4 Unless otherwise prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority, a flight plan for a flight to be provided with air
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traffic control service or air traffic advisory service shall be submitted at least sixty minutes before departure, or, if submitted during flight, at a time which will ensure its receipt by the appropriate air traffic services unit at least ten minutes before the aircraft is estimated to reach:
a) the intended point of entry into a control area or advisory area; or
b) the point of crossing an airway or advisory route.
3.3.2 Contents of a flight plan
A flight plan shall comprise information regarding such of the following items as are considered relevant by the appropriate ATS authority:
- Aircraft identification
- Flight rules and type of flight
- Number and type(s) of aircraft and wake turbulence category
- Equipment
- Departure aerodrome (see Note 1)
- Estimated off-block time (see Note 2)
- Cruising speed(s)
- Cruising level(s)
- Route to be followed
- Destination aerodrome and total estimated elapsed time
- Alternate aerodrome(s)
- Fuel endurance
- Total number of persons on board
- Emergency and survival equipment
- Other information.
Note 1.- For flight plans submitted during flight, the information provided in respect of this item will be an indication of the location from which supplementary information concerning the flight may be obtained, if required.
Note 2.- For flight plans submitted during flight, the information to be provided in respect of this item will be the time over the first point of the route to which the flight plan relates.
Note 3.- The term "aerodrome" where used in the flight plan is intended to cover also sites other than aerodromes which may be used by certain types of aircraft, e.g. helicopters or balloons.
3.3.3 Completion of a flight plan
3.3.3.1 Whatever the purpose for which it is submitted, a flight plan shall contain information, as applicable, on relevant items up to and including "Alternate aerodrome(s)" regarding the whole route or the portion thereof for which the flight plan is submitted.
3.3.3.2 It shall, in addition, contain information, as applicable, on all other items when so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority or when otherwise deemed necessary by the person submitting the flight plan.
3.3.4 Changes to a flight plan
Subject to the provisions of 3.6.2.2, all changes to a flight plan submitted for an IFR flight, or a VFR flight operated as a controlled flight, shall be reported as soon as practicable to the appropriate air traffic services unit. For other VFR flights, significant changes to a flight plan shall be reported as soon as practicable to the appropriate air traffic services unit.
Note 1.- Information submitted prior to departure regarding fuel endurance or total number of persons carried on board, if incorrect at time of departure, constitutes a significant change to the flight plan and as such must be reported.
Note 2.- Procedures for submission of changes to repetitive flight plans are contained in the PANS-ATM (Doc 4444).
3.3.5 Closing a flight plan
3.3.5.1 Unless otherwise prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority, a report of arrival shall be made in person, by radiotelephony or via data link at the earliest possible moment after landing, to the appropriate air traffic services unit at the arrival aerodrome, by any flight for which a flight plan has been submitted covering the entire flight or the remaining portion of a flight to the destination aerodrome.
3.3.5.2 When a flight plan has been submitted only in respect of a portion of a flight, other than the remaining portion of a flight to destination, it shall, when required, be closed by an appropriate report to the relevant air traffic services unit.
3.3.5.3 When no air traffic services unit exists at the arrival aerodrome, the arrival report, when required, shall be made as soon as practicable after landing and by the quickest means available to the nearest air traffic services unit.
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3.3.5.4 When communication facilities at the arrival aerodrome are known to be inadequate and alternate arrangements for the handling of arrival reports on the ground are not available, the following action shall be taken. Immediately prior to landing the aircraft shall, if practicable, transmit to the appropriate air traffic services unit, a message comparable to an arrival report, where such a report is required. Normally, this transmission shall be made to the aeronautical station serving the air traffic services unit in charge of the flight information region in which the aircraft is operated.
3.3.5.5 Arrival reports made by aircraft shall contain the following elements of information:
a) aircraft identification;
b) departure aerodrome;
c) destination aerodrome (only in the case of a diversionary landing);
d) arrival aerodrome;
e) time of arrival.
Note.- Whenever an arrival report is required, failure to comply with these provisions may cause serious disruption in the air traffic services and incur great expense in carrying out unnecessary search and rescue operations.