For those who do not want to leave airways, tomorrow is the last chance to visit Hungary. Effective next AIRAC cycle, Hungary will withdraw all airways and implement free routing. AIP sections 3.1 to 3.5 will all be empty.
The rest of us will enjoy much simplified flight planning in Hungary, it will essentially just be (FIR entry point or SID connection point) DCT (FIR exit point or STAR connection point). TRA can be disregarded during planning. You are requested to carry additional fuel for 10NM for vectors around active TRA.
To my knowledge, this is the first unrestricted (i.e. not night time only, or restricted to certain week days, altitude ranges or phases of the moon) free route airspace in the Eurocontrol region. Kudos to Hungarocontrol!
Beautiful ! Must be some good understanding with their military counterpart.
Well done Hungary! This is the new Hungarian IFR Route Chart, must be seen to believe: http://ais-en.hungarocontrol.hu/aip/2015-02-05/2015-02-05-AIRAC/graphics/eAIP/LH_ENR_6_LHCC_ERC_en.pdf
For those who do not want to leave airways,…
Well, if they feel lost inside all this empty void, they can always make their own airway by filing a routing along waypoints or/and VORs… just as quite a lot of people still pointlessly plan their VFR flights along such points.
Very nice, just need the same over the Southern part of the UK and life will be great!
A white spot on the map of Europe 
Bloody track-up…
Was really confused about the new shape of Hungary…
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark
Hungary
Bulgaria..are the current FRA ECAC states
Bloody track-up
The only way to fly – stops me getting lost when I look outside
[…]
Sweden
Denmark
[…]
are the current FRA ECAC states
Only above FL285, unfortunately.
However, the upper airways tend to run pretty straight anyway so I don’t think the routing overhead is much of an issue for airliners.
Lower airways
Upper airways
(no idea what the thick horizontal line is for)
For typical routes, say Gatwick to Corfu the routes are almost straight. Clearly the industry looks after itself pretty well. It is us low level pilots who are stuck with a system which has no political clout to improve.
