Barcelona ACC (LECB) and Marseille ACC (LFMM)
1. Purpose
The purpose of this Letter of Agreement (LoA) is to define the coordination procedures to be applied between the Barcelona ACC, the Palma ACC and the Marseille ACC when providing Air Traffic Services (ATS) operating under IFR or VFR flight rules.
The content of the agreement is approved by the concerned ATC Operation Department and FIR Chiefs and its application is mandatory for all IVAO member providing ATS within an active ATC position concerned by this LoA.
2. General Procedures
Traffic in sequence at the same flight level shall be handed over with minimum spacing of 10 NM.
This separation must be constant (aircrafts restrained to the same speed) or increasing (succeeding aircraft is not faster).
Coordination of speed control should be granted via entries in radar labels and does not need neither approval nor acknowledgement by receiving sector.
Traffic shall be handed over as soon as practical and, whenever possible, at latest 3000 ft before reaching the cleared flight level and in case the transfer point is not defined within this LoA, at latest ten (10) miles before the airspace limits.
Traffic in sequence shall be handed over properly separated and clear of any conflict. The receiving ATC unit cannot issue a clearance modifying the traffic’s route, altitude, or speed (unless by direct coordination between ATC units) until it enters his sector and therefore leaves the area of responsibility from the transferring ATC unit, which remains responsible for separation.
Regarding flight levels for transfers between ATC positions:
| From | To | Flight Level |
| Barcelona | Marseille | EVEN |
| Marseille | Barcelona | ODD |
Free Route Airspace Operations within Spanish airspace (HispaFRA) is defined from FL245 to FL660. However, the use of the traditional ATS route network is available too. Free Route Airspace Operations within some French airspace including Bordeaux UIR (LFFRAASW) are defined from FL195 to FL660.
Free Route Airspace (FRA) is a specified airspace within which users may freely plan a route between a defined entry point and a defined exit point, with the possibility of routing via published intermediate significant points, without reference to the ATS route network.
3. ATS Unit Description
The ATC unit in charge of FIR and UIR airspaces under the responsibility of Barcelona ACC is Barcelona Control and includes two primary sectors (LECB_W_CTR and LECB_E_CTR). Three additional secondary sectors (opened only via NOTAM) lie directly underneath their primary sectors. LECB_XAR_CTR underneath north part of LECB_E_CTR, responsible up to FL305; LECB_DDX_CTR underneath north part of both LECB_E_CTR and LECB_W_CTR, up to FL305; and LECP_MXX_CTR (Palma Radar) overhead Menorca Island, up to FL245. Those three subsectors are not shown on the following chart as they are considered as inactive positions.
Moreover, LECB_W_CTR is responsible for the Barcelona TMAs when LEBL_T1_APP is offline.
The ATS unit in charge of FIR and UIR airspaces under the responsibility of Marseille ACC is Marseille Control and consists in two primary sectors (LFMM_NW_CTR and LFMM_S_CTR) that can never be grouped into one. These ATC units may be split into three subsectors (LFMM_NW_CTR, LFMM_S_CTR and LFMM_U_CTR).
The lateral and vertical boundaries of the airspaces under the responsibility of the two CTR are indicated in the figure and table below.
3.1. Barcelona ACC
| ATC Position | Callsign | Frequency | Remarks |
| Primary Sectors | |||
| Barcelona Control |
LECB_E_CTR | 135.355 | SFC-FL660 ; FL305-FL660 if LECB_XAR_CTR is active |
| LECB_W_CTR | 134.680 | SFC-FL660 ; FL305-FL660 if LECB_DDI_CTR is active | |
| Secondary Sectors | |||
| Barcelona Radar | LECB_DDX_CTR | 132.580 | SFC/FL195-FL305 |
| LECB_XAR_CTR | 133.030 | ||
| LECP_MXX_CTR | 120.700 | SFC-FL245 | |
3.2. Marseille ACC
| ATC Position | Callsign | Frequency | Remarks |
| Primary Sectors | |||
| Marseille Control (North-West) |
LFMM_NW_CTR | 123.805 | SFC-UNL |
| Marseille Control (South) | LFMM_S_CTR | 126.155 | |
| Secondary Sectors | |||
| Marseille Control (Upper) | LFMM_U_CTR | 128.850 | FL295-UNL |
4. Coordination Procedures
Coordination procedures between the ATC under the responsibility of the Barcelona FIR/UIR or Palma TACC, and those under the responsibility of the Marseille FIR/UIR are defined as follows. They represent a general framework that does not replace the coordination between ATC. Any coordination procedure not mentioned in this LOA must be established on a case-by-case basis.
FRA Horizontal Entry Point (E) is a published Significant Point on the horizontal boundary of the Free Route Airspace from which FRA operations are permitted while an Exit Point (X) is a Point to which FRA operations are permitted.
Entry and Exit points are shown here from the perspective of Spanish FRA Cell (HispaFRA).
4.1. From Barcelona to Marseille (LECB → LFMM)
Any directs beyond the FIR limit may be coordinated.
Upper airspaces routes start at FL195 in Marseille’s airspace. Therefore, Barcelona should make sure every traffic is cleared at FL200 or above before a transfer is made to Marseille.
| Transfer Point | Route | Receiving Sector | Restrictions | |
| Airways LECB | HispaFRA | |||
| KANIG | A27 UN855 |
- |
LFMM_NW_CTR | EVEN (for LFMP arrivals) |
| DIBER | H110 H870 UL110 UN870 |
X (eXit) FL > 245 |
LFMM_S_CTR | EVEN |
| LUMAS | G25 B16 UM985 UN853 | |||
| OSPOK | UN725 | |||
| ISTER | UN851 | |||
| MORSS | A33 UM603 | |||
| SOTAX | T100 UT100 | |||
4.2. From Marseille to Barcelona (LFMM → LECB)
| Transfer Point | Route | Receiving Sector | Restrictions | ||
| Airways LFMM | LFFRASW | HispaFRA | |||
| ALBER | B384 | X (eXit) FL>195 |
E (Entry) |
LECB_E_CTR | ODD FL |
| KANIG | A27 | ||||
| NILDU | UN975 | - | |||
| MAMES | UN852 UY38 | ||||
| MUREN | M601 UM601 | ||||
| SORAS | UN850 | ||||
| SOTAX | UM871 | ||||
| MORSS | Z924 M603 | ||||
| RIXOT | UT250 |
- |
ODD FL DEST LEPA ≤FL230 exact RIXOT UT250 - FL to be coordinated |
||
5. Departures and Arrivals
5.1. Arrivals to Perpignan AD (LFMP)
| ATC | STAR | Procedure | Remarks |
| LEBL_T1_APP | KANIG | LEBL_T1_APP → LFMP_APP (or LFMT_APP) |
Descending FL110 (LFMT_APP has responsibility of LFMP_APP when LFMP_APP is closed) |
5.2. Derpartures from Perpignan AD (LFMP)
| ATC | SID | Procedure | Remarks |
| LFMP_APP (or LFMT_APP) |
BGR | LFMP_APP (or LFMT_APP) → LEBL_T1_APP (or LECB_W_CTR) |
Climbing FL150 |
5.3. Arrivals to Barcelona AD (LEBL)
| ATC | STAR | Procedure | Remarks |
| LFMM_NW_CTR | ALBER | LFMM_NW_CTR → LEBL_T1_APP (or LECB_W_CTR) |
Descending FL210 Cross ALBER FL250 or below |
5.4. Arrivals to Girona AD (LEGE)
| ATC | STAR | Procedure | Remarks |
| LFMM_S_CTR | KANIG | LFMM_S_CTR → LEBL_T1_APP (or LECB_W_CTR) |
Descending FL120 |
5.5. Arrivals to Perpignan AD (LFMP)
| ATC | STAR | Procedure | Remarks |
| LFMM_S_CTR | RIXOT MORSS | LFMM_S_CTR → LECB_E_CTR |
Exact FL to be coordinated Cross RIXOT/MORSS at FL230 or below |
6. CONTRIBUTIONS
This document has been drafted in coordination between the ATC Operations Department of Spain and France and Marseille FIR staff and Barcelona FIR staff.
7. CHANGELOG
| Version | Date | Changes |
| 6.0 | 21/4/2022 |
New format Implementation of Free Route Airspace in Spain (HISPAFRA)Arrivals to Barcelona (FL210). Arrivals to Girona (FL120). Arrivals to Palma TACC. |