Madrid ACC (LECM) and Shanwick OCC (EGGX)

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Letter of Agreement (LoA) is to define the coordination procedures to be applied between the Madrid ACC and the Shanwick OCC 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 members providing ATS within an active ATC position concerned by this LOA.

2. General Procedures

This separation between traffics in sequence at the same flight level 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 5 minutes 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.

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 (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 ATS unit in charge of the North-Western part of Madrid FIR and UIR airspaces is Madrid Control and includes one primary sector: LECM_R1_CTR.

The ATC unit in charge of FIR and OCA (Oceanic Control Area) under the responsibility of Shanwick OCC is Shanwick Radio and includes one primary sector (EGGX_SG_CTR) and three secondary (EGGX_S_CTR, EGGX_N_CTR and EGGX_OC_CTR).

EGGX_S_CTR, EGGX_N_CTR can be consolidated in one main sector (EGGX_SG_CTR).

The lateral and vertical boundaries of the airspace under the responsibility of the ACC are indicated in the images and tables below.

3.1. Madrid ACC

ATC Position	Callsign	Frequency	Remarks
Primary sectors
Madrid Control	LECM_R1_CTR	135.700	SFC-FL660

3.2. Shanwick OCC

ATC Position	Callsign	Frequency	Remarks
Primary sectors
Shanwick Radio (general position)	EGGX_SG_CTR	127.900	SFC-UNL
Secondary Sectors
Shanwick Radio (southern tracks)	EGGX_S_CTR	124.175	SFC-UNL
Shanwick Radio (northern tracks)	EGGX_N_CTR	120.350	SFC-UNL
Shanwick Oceanic Clearance	EGGX_OC_CTR	127.650	SFC-UNL

4. Coordination Procedures

Coordination procedures between the ATC under the responsibility of the Shanwick FIR/OCA and those under the responsibility of the Madrid FIR 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.

4.1. From Madrid to Shanwick (LECM → EGGX)

Oceanic clearance must be obtained by the latest 30 min prior to the OCA entry point. Madrid ACC is recommended to temporarily handoff traffic to Shanwick OCC to get their clearance 30 minutes before reaching the transfer point. Aircraft requesting Oceanic clearance via ORCA are not required to contact Shanwick on RTF.

Madrid ACC is responsible to assign the FL requested by the aircraft by the latest 5 minutes before the transfer point.

Transfer Point	Route	Receiving Sector	Restrictions
ADVAT	HispaFRA X (eXit) FL>245	EGGX_SG_CTR	ODD FL
DIXIS			EVEN FL
BERUX
PITAX			EVEN AND ODD FL
PASAS

4.2. From Shanwick to Madrid (EGGX → LECM)

A coordination message should be sent to Madrid ACC around 5 min prior to reaching the entry point. Traffic coming from OCA may not have a FL compatible to guarantee separation in the Domestic Airspace, so Madrid ACC will be responsible to assign a new flight level once the aircraft is handed-off to him.

Transfer Point	Route	Receiving Sector	Restrictions
BEGAS	T9	LECM_R1_CTR	EVEN FL
DIXIS			ODD FL
BERUX	T213		EVEN FL
PITAX			EVEN AND ODD FL
PASAS			EVEN AND ODD FL

5. Contributions

This document has been drafted in coordination between the ATC Operations Department of Spain and XU, Madrid FIR staff.

6. Changelog

Version	Date	Changes
1.0	11/5/2022	Initial version.