Route Availability Document (RAD)

Welcome to the RAD website.
The purpose of this site is to assist the Aviation Community in understanding the RAD.

The RAD is created based on:

1. COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 255/2010 of 25 March 2010 laying down common rules on air traffic flow management, Article 4 - General obligations of Member States, paragraph 4; and
2. COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/123 of 24 January 2019 lays down detailed rules for the implementation of air traffic management (ATM) network functions and repealing Commission Regulation (EU) No 677/2011, Annex I - The European Route Network Design (ERND) Function, Part A - Planning principle 4(d)

The RAD is part of the European Route Network Improvement Plan (ERNIP).

The RAD is a common reference document containing the policies, procedures and description for route and traffic orientation.  It also includes route network and free route airspace utilisation rules and availability.

The RAD is also an Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Management (ATFCM) tool that is designed as a sole-source flight-planning document, which integrates both structural and ATFCM requirements, geographically and vertically.

The content of the RAD shall be agreed between the Network Manager and the Operational Stakeholders through an appropriate cooperative decision making (CDM) process.

The RAD is only applicable to the IFR part of the Flight Plan.

Each State shall ensure that the RAD is compatible with their AIP with regard to the airspace organisation inside the relevant FIR/UIR.

EUROCONTROL is responsible for preparing of a common RAD reference document, collating, coordinating, validating and publishing it, following the CDM process as described above.

“Last minute” changes can be found in the Increment File page.