New more liberal rules governing lower airspace use for business and general aviation aircraft came into force in Russia on 1 November, in a historic relaxation of the country's airspace regulations.
Pilots can now send details of their intended flights to the website of the Federal Air Transport Agency and fly an hour later, rather than filing a flightplan 24h in advance.
The new regime introduces three classes of airspace, the lower of which, so-called Class G airspace, will be open to users of private light aircraft and helicopters under the notification system.
The agency says it will also cut the number of closed no-fly areas in the country, although flights over Moscow will remain off-limits. At the same time, the government has promised to get tougher on infringements of the airspace rules by private pilots, following a string of accidents this year by negligent flyers.
Source: Flight International
