Pre-flight information services

Pre-flight information services include the Air Traffic Services Reporting Office (ARO), the aeronautical meteorological service MET (subcontracted to the Finnish Meteorological institute), the Aviation Information Service (AIS, NOTAM), the aviation messaging service (COM), and the operator tasks of Helsinki Air Traffic Control and the Area Control Centre (and at times of the AMC).

The Air Traffic Services Reporting Office (ARO)was established to receive messages relating to air traffic services and flight plans, which are submitted before all flights.

The task of the aeronautical meteorological service MET is to provide briefing on weather and to forward weather information to both operators and crews for flight planning. In Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute is responsible for MET, but the service is subcontracted from Finavia for provision to customers.

Flight control operator tasks include the operator tasks of Helsinki Air Traffic Control and the Area Control Centre (ACC). The Flight Data Assistant (FDA) and the Radar Assistant (RASS) operatively maintain the flight control systems and serve as coordinators between different fight control bodies, and the Airspace Management Cell’s (AMC) task is to coordinate the management of airspace reservations.

Aviation messaging service (COM); the pre-flight information services unit controls and supervises the operative use of the COM system and creates solution models for messaging problems. These functions are called the AFTN centre.

The international NOTAM office (NOF) is part of the pre-flight information services unit, and the office is responsible for drafting and publishing national and international NOTAMs on the territory of Finland.

Every year, the pre-flight information services process around 60,000 ATS messages and draft around 36,000 bulletins to customers.