Area control center

In air traffic control, an area control center (ACC), also known as a center or en-route center, is a facility responsible for controlling aircraft flying in the airspace of a given flight information region (FIR) at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures. In the US, such a center is referred to as an air route traffic control center (ARTCC).

This temporary flight restriction map from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the boundaries of the regions controlled by the area control centers within and adjoining the contiguous United States, as well as the FAA location identifier of each such center operated by the United States

A center typically accepts traffic from — and ultimately passes traffic to — the control of a terminal control center or another center. Most centers are operated by the national governments of the countries in which they are located. The general operations of centers worldwide, and the boundaries of the airspace each center controls, are governed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In some cases, the function of an area control center and a terminal control center are combined in a single facility. For example, NATS combines the London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC) and London Area Control Centre (LACC) in Swanwick, Hampshire.

FAA definition

Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center, United States

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines an ARTCC as:

[a] facility established to provide air traffic control service to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace, principally during the en-route phase of flight. When equipment capabilities and controller workload permit, certain advisory/assistance services may be provided to VFR aircraft.^[1]

An ARTCC is the U.S. equivalent of an area control center (ACC). There are 22 ARTCCs located in nineteen states.^[2]

Subdivision of airspace into sectors

The flight information region controlled by a center may be further administratively subdivided into areas comprising two to nine sectors. Each area is staffed by a set of controllers trained on all the sectors in that area.

Sectors use distinct radio frequencies for communication with aircraft. Each sector also has secure landline communications with adjacent sectors, approach controls, areas, ARTCCs, flight service centers, and military aviation control facilities. These landline communications are shared among all sectors that need them and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Aircraft passing from one sector to another are handed off and requested to change frequencies to contact the next sector controller. Sector boundaries are specified by an aeronautical chart.

Center operations

Controllers at work at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, United States

Air traffic controllers working within a center communicate via radio with pilots of instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft passing through the center's airspace. A center's communication frequencies (typically in the very high frequency aviation bands, using amplitude modulation (AM) 118 MHz to 137 MHz, for overland control) are published in aeronautical charts and manuals, and are also announced to a pilot by the previous controller during a hand-off. Most VHF radio assignments also have a UHF (225 to 380 MHz) paired frequency used for military flights.

In addition to radios to communicate with aircraft, center controllers have access to communication links with other centers and TRACONs. In the United States, centers are electronically linked through the National Airspace System, which allows nationwide coordination of traffic flow to manage congestion. Centers in the United States also have electronic access to nationwide radar data.

Controllers use radar to monitor the progress of flights and instruct aircraft to perform course adjustments as needed to maintain separation from other aircraft. Aircraft with center contact can be readily distinguished by their transponders. Pilots may request altitude adjustments or course changes for reasons including avoidance of turbulence or adverse weather conditions.

Controllers can assign routing relative to location fixes derived from latitude and longitude, or from radionavigation beacons such as VORs.

Typically, centers have advance notice of a plane's arrival and intentions from its pre-filed flight plan.

Oceanic air traffic control

The FAA provides air traffic control services over U.S. territory and over international waters where it has been delegated such authority by the International Civil Aviation Organization. This map depicts overflight fee regions. The yellow regions are where the U.S. provides enroute ATC services (mostly over land territory). The blue regions are where the U.S. provides oceanic ATC services over international waters.

Some centers have ICAO-designated responsibility for airspace located over an ocean such as ZNY and ZOA, the majority of which is international airspace. Because substantial volumes of oceanic airspace lie beyond the range of ground-based radars, oceanic airspace controllers have to estimate the position of an airplane from pilot reports and computer models (procedural control), rather than observing the position directly (radar control, also known as positive control). Pilots flying over an ocean can determine their own positions accurately using the Global Positioning System or other means, and can supply periodic updates to a center.

A center's control service for an oceanic flight information region may be operationally distinct from its service for one over land, employing different communications frequencies, controllers, and a different ICAO code.

Pilots typically use high frequency radio instead of very high frequency radio to communicate with a center when flying over the ocean, because of HF's relatively greater propagation over long distances. Military aircraft, however, are typically equipped with ARC-231 SATCOMs that allow over-the-horizon communication.^[3]

List of area control centers

Area control centers under Fukuoka Flight Information Region (FIR) of Japan

Area control centers (ACCs) control IFR air traffic in their flight information region (FIR).

The current list of FIRs and ACCs is maintained by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).^[4] Note that the cited ICAO source gives the shapefile coordinates for each FIR, and also its page source gives a list of current ACCs in text form. The following is the alphabetic list of all ACCs and their FIRs as of October 2011^[update]:

ICAO code	Type	FIR or ACC	Oceanic or other subtype	Country or territory
AGGG	FIR	Honiara ACC		Solomon Islands
ANAU	FIR	Nauru ACC		Nauru
AYPM	FIR	Port Moresby ACC		Papua New Guinea
BGGL	FIR	Nuuk ACC		Greenland ( Denmark)
BIRD	FIR	Reykjavík ACC		Iceland
CZEG	FIR	Edmonton ACC		Canada
CZQM	FIR	Moncton Southern ACC		Canada
CZQX	FIR	Gander Domestic ACC		Canada
CZUL	FIR	Montreal ACC		Canada
CZVR	FIR	Vancouver ACC		Canada
CZWG	FIR	Winnipeg ACC		Canada
CZYZ	FIR	Toronto ACC		Canada
DAAA	FIR	Alger ACC		Algeria
DGAC	FIR	Accra ACC		Ghana
DIII	FIR	Abidjan ACC		Ivory Coast
DNKK	FIR	Kano ACC		Nigeria
DRRR	FIR	Niamey ACC		Niger
DTTC	FIR	Tunis ACC		Tunisia
EZZZ	FIR	Eurocontrol	Eurocontrol	Belgium
EBBU	FIR	Brussels ACC		Belgium/ Luxembourg
EDGG	FIR	Langen ACC		Germany
EDMM	FIR	Munich ACC		Germany
EDUU	UIR	Rhein ACC		Germany
EDVV	UIR	Hannover ACC		Germany
EDWW	FIR	Bremen ACC		Germany
EDYY	UIR	Maastricht ACC		Belgium/ Germany/ Netherlands
EETT	FIR	Tallinn ACC		Estonia
EFIN	FIR	Helsinki ACC		Finland
EGGX	FIR	Shanwick Oceanic OCA	Oceanic	United Kingdom
EGPX	FIR	Scottish ACC		United Kingdom
EGQQ	FIR	Scottish ACC (Mil)	Military	United Kingdom
EGTT	FIR	London ACC		United Kingdom
EHAA	FIR	Amsterdam ACC		Netherlands
EISN	FIR	Shannon ACC		Ireland
EKDK	FIR	Copenhagen ACC		Denmark
ENOB	FIR	Bodo Oceanic OCA	Oceanic	Norway
ENOR	FIR	Polaris ACC		Norway
EPWW	FIR	Warszawa ACC		Poland
ESAA	FIR	Sweden ACC		Sweden
ESMM	FIR	Malmo ACC		Sweden
ESOS	FIR	Stockholm ACC		Sweden
EVRR	FIR	Riga ACC		Latvia
EYVL	FIR	Vilnius ACC		Lithuania
FABL	FIR	Bloemfontein ACC		South Africa
FACA	FIR	Cape Town ACC		South Africa
FACT	FIR	Cape Town ACC		South Africa
FADN	FIR	Durban ACC		South Africa
FAJO	FIR	Johannesburg Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	South Africa
FAJX	FIR	Johannesburg ACC		South Africa
FAPX	FIR	Port Elizabeth ACC		South Africa
FBGR	FIR	Gaborone ACC		Botswana
FCCC	FIR	Brazzaville ACC		Congo, Republic of the
FIMM	FIR	Mauritius ACC		Mauritius
FKKK	FIR	Douala ACC		Cameroon
FLFI	FIR	Lusaka ACC		Zambia
FMCX	FIR	Comoros ACC		Comoros
FMMM	FIR	Antananarivo ACC		Madagascar
FNAN	FIR	Luanda ACC		Angola
FOOO	FIR	Libreville ACC		Gabon
FQBE	FIR	Beira ACC		Mozambique
FSSS	FIR	Seychelles ACC		Seychelles
FTTT	FIR	N'Djamena ACC		Chad
FVHF	FIR	Harare ACC		Zimbabwe
FWLL	FIR	Lilongwe ACC		Malawi
FYWF	FIR	Windhoek ACC		Namibia
FZZA	FIR	Kinshasa ACC		Congo, Democratic Republic of the
GCCC	FIR	Canarias ACC		Canary Islands ( Spain)
GLRB	FIR	Roberts ACC		Liberia
GMMM	FIR	Casablanca ACC		Morocco
GOOO	FIR	Dakar Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	Senegal
GVSC	FIR	Sal Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	Cape Verde
HAAA	FIR	Addis Ababa ACC		Ethiopia
HBBA	FIR	Bujumbura ACC		Burundi
HCSM	FIR	Mogadishu ACC		Somalia
HECC	FIR	Cairo ACC		Egypt
HHAA	FIR	Asmara ACC		Egypt
HKNA	FIR	Nairobi ACC		Kenya
HLLL	FIR	Tripoli ACC		Libya
HRYR	FIR	Kigali ACC		Rwanda
HSSX	FIR	Khartoum ACC		Sudan
HTDC	FIR	Dar es Salaam ACC		Tanzania
HUEC	FIR	Entebbe ACC		Uganda
KZAB	FIR	Albuquerque ARTCC		United States
KZAK	FIR	Oakland Oceanic ARTCC	Oceanic	United States
KZAU	FIR	Chicago ARTCC		United States
KZBW	FIR	Boston ARTCC		United States
KZDC	FIR	Washington ARTCC		United States
KZDV	FIR	Denver ARTCC		United States
KZFW	FIR	Ft Worth ARTCC		United States
KZHU	FIR	Houston ARTCC		United States
KZID	FIR	Indianapolis ARTCC		United States
KZJX	FIR	Jacksonville ARTCC		United States
KZKC	FIR	Kansas City ARTCC		United States
KZLA	FIR	Los Angeles ARTCC		United States
KZLC	FIR	Salt Lake ARTCC		United States
KZMA	FIR	Miami ARTCC		United States
KZME	FIR	Memphis ARTCC		United States
KZMP	FIR	Minneapolis ARTCC		United States
KZNY	FIR	New York ARTCC		United States
KZOA	FIR	Oakland ARTCC		United States
KZOB	FIR	Cleveland ARTCC		United States
KZSE	FIR	Seattle ARTCC		United States
KZTL	FIR	Atlanta ARTCC		United States
KZWY	FIR	New York Oceanic ARTCC	Oceanic	United States
LAAA	FIR	Tirana ACC		Albania
LBSR	FIR	Sofia ACC		Bulgaria
LBWR	FIR	Varna ACC		Bulgaria
LCCC	FIR	Nicosia ACC		Cyprus
LDZO	FIR	Zagreb ACC		Croatia
LECB	FIR	Barcelona ACC		Spain
LECM	FIR	Madrid ACC		Spain
LECS	FIR	Sevilla ACC		Spain
LFBB	FIR	Bordeaux ACC		France
LFEE	FIR	Reims ACC		France
LFFF	FIR	Paris ACC		France
LFMM	FIR	Marseille ACC		France
LFRR	FIR	Brest ACC		France
LGGG	FIR	Athens ACC		Greece
LHCC	FIR	Budapest ACC		Hungary
LIBB	FIR	Brindisi ACC		Italy
LIMM	FIR	Milano ACC		Italy
LIRR	FIR	Roma ACC		Italy
LJLA	FIR	Ljubljana ACC		Slovenia
LKAA	FIR	Praha ACC		Czech Republic
LLLL	FIR	Tel-Aviv ACC		Israel
LMMM	FIR	Malta ACC		Malta
LOVV	FIR	Wien ACC		Austria
LPPC	FIR	Lisboa ACC		Portugal
LPPO	FIR	Santa Maria Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	Azores ( Portugal)
LQSB	FIR	Sarajevo ACC		Bosnia and Herzegovina
LRBB	FIR	Bucuresti ACC		Romania
LSAG	FIR	Geneve ACC		Switzerland
LSAS	FIR	Switzerland ACC		Switzerland
LSAZ	FIR	Zurich ACC		Switzerland
LTAA	FIR	Ankara ACC		Turkey
LTBB	FIR	Istanbul ACC		Turkey
LUUU	FIR	Chisinau ACC		Moldova
LWSS	FIR	Skopje ACC		North Macedonia
LYBA	FIR	Beograd ACC		Serbia
LZBB	FIR	Bratislava ACC		Slovakia
MDCS	FIR	Santo Domingo ACC		Dominican Republic
MHTG	FIR	Central American ACC		Honduras
MKJK	FIR	Kingston ACC		Jamaica
MMFO	FIR	Mazatlan Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	Mexico
MMFR	FIR	Mexico ACC		Mexico
MPZL	FIR	Panama ACC		Panama
MTEG	FIR	Port-au-Prince ACC		Haiti
MUFH	FIR	Habana ACC		Cuba
MYNA	FIR	Nassau ACC		Bahamas
NFFF	FIR	Nadi ACC		Fiji
NTTT	FIR	Tahiti ACC		French Polynesia ( France)
NWWX	FIR	Nouméa ACC		New Caledonia ( France)
NZZC	FIR	New Zealand ACC		New Zealand
NZZO	FIR	Auckland Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	New Zealand
OAKX	FIR	Kabul ACC		Afghanistan
OBBB	FIR	Bahrain ACC		Bahrain
OEJD	FIR	Jeddah ACC		Saudi Arabia
OIIX	FIR	Tehran ACC		Iran
OJAC	FIR	Amman ACC		Jordan
OKAC	FIR	Kuwait ACC		Kuwait
OLBB	FIR	Beirut ACC		Lebanon
OMAE	FIR	Emirates ACC		United Arab Emirates
OOMM	FIR	Muscat ACC		Oman
OPKR	FIR	Karachi ACC		Pakistan
OPLR	FIR	Lahore ACC		Pakistan
ORBB	FIR	Baghdad ACC		Iraq
ORMM	FIR	ORMM FIR		Iraq
OSTT	FIR	Damascus ACC		Syria
OYSC	FIR	Sanaa ACC		Yemen
PAZA	FIR	Anchorage ACC		United States
PAZN	FIR	Anchorage Oceanic ACC	Oceanic	United States
PHZH	FIR	Honolulu ACC		United States
RCAA	FIR	Taipei ACC		Taiwan
RJJJ	FIR	Fukuoka ACC		Japan
RKRR	FIR	Incheon ACC		South Korea
RPHI	FIR	Manila ACC		Philippines
SACF	FIR	Cordoba ACC		Argentina
SACU	UIR	Cordoba UIR		Argentina
SAEF	FIR	Ezeiza ACC		Argentina
SAEU	UIR	Ezeiza UIR		Argentina
SAMF	FIR	Mendoza ACC		Argentina
SAMV	UIR	Mendoza UIR		Argentina
SARR	FIR	Resistencia ACC		Argentina
SAVF	FIR	Comodoro Rivadavia ACC		Argentina
SAVU	UIR	Comodoro Rivadavia UIR		Argentina
SBAO	FIR	Atlantico ACC		Brazil
SBAZ	FIR	Amazonica ACC		Brazil
SBBS	FIR	Brasilia ACC		Brazil
SBCW	FIR	Curitiba ACC		Brazil
SBRE	FIR	Recife ACC		Brazil
SCCZ	FIR	Punta Arenas ACC		Chile
SCEZ	FIR	Santiago ACC		Chile
SCFZ	FIR	Antofagasta ACC		Chile
SCIZ	FIR	Easter Island ACC		Easter Island ( Chile)
SCTZ	FIR	Puerto Montt ACC		Chile
SEFG	FIR	Guayaquil ACC		Ecuador
SGFA	FIR	Asuncion ACC		Paraguay
SKEC	FIR	Barranquilla ACC		Colombia
SKED	FIR	Bogota ACC		Colombia
SLLF	FIR	La Paz ACC		Bolivia
SMPM	FIR	Paramaribo ACC		Suriname
SOOO	FIR	Rochambeau ACC		French Guiana ( France)
SPIM	FIR	Lima ACC		Peru
SUEO	FIR	Montevideo ACC		Uruguay
SVZM	FIR	Maiquetia ACC		Venezuela
SYGC	FIR	Georgetown ACC		Guyana
TJZS	FIR	San Juan ACC		Puerto Rico ( United States)
TNCF	FIR	Curaçao ACC		Curaçao ( Netherlands)
TTZP	FIR	Piarco ACC		Trinidad and Tobago
UAAX	FIR	Almaty ACC		Kazakhstan
UACX	FIR	Astana ACC		Kazakhstan
UAFX	FIR	Bishkek ACC		Kyrgyzstan
UASS	FIR	Semipalatinsk ACC		Kazakhstan
UDDD	FIR	Yerevan ACC		Armenia
UEMH	FIR	Tyoply Klyuch ACC		Russia
UENN	FIR	Nyurba ACC		Russia
UESS	FIR	Chersky ACC		Russia
UESU	FIR	Zyryanka ACC		Russia
UEVV	FIR	Gigansk ACC		Russia
UGEE	FIR	Yerevan/Zvartnots ACC		Russia
UGGG	FIR	Tbilisi ACC		Georgia
UHBI	FIR	Magdagachi ACC		Russia
UHBI	FIR	Magdagachi ACC		Russia
UHHH	FIR	Khabarovsk/Novy		Russia
UHMI	FIR	Mys Shmidta ACC		Russia
UHMM	FIR	Magadan Oceanic	Oceanic	Russia
UHMP	FIR	Pevek ACC		Russia
UHNN	FIR	Nikolayevsk-na-Amure ACC		Russia
UHPT	FIR	Tilichiki ACC		Russia
UHPU	FIR	Ust-Khairyozovo ACC		Russia
UHSH	FIR	Okha ACC		Russia
UIKB	FIR	Bodaybo ACC		Russia
UIKK	FIR	Kirensk ACC		Russia
UKBV	FIR	Kyiv ACC		Ukraine
UKCV	FIR	Donetsk ACC		Ukraine
UKDV	FIR	Dnepropetrovsk ACC		Ukraine
UKFV	FIR	Simferopol ACC		Ukraine
UKHV	FIR	Kharkiv ACC		Ukraine
UKLV	FIR	Lviv ACC		Ukraine
UKOV	FIR	Odesa ACC		Ukraine
ULLL	FIR	Sankt Peterburg ACC		Russia
ULOL	FIR	Velikiye Luki ACC		Russia
UMKD	FIR	Kazan ACC		Russia
UMMV	FIR	Minsk ACC		Belarus
UNLL	FIR	Kolpashevo ACC		Russia
UOTT	FIR	Turukhansk ACC		Russia
URRV	FIR	Rostov-Na-Donu ACC		Russia
USDK	FIR	Mys Kamenny ACC		Russia
USHB	FIR	Beryozovo ACC		Russia
USHH	FIR	Khanty-Mansiysk ACC		Russia
UTAK	FIR	Turkmenbashi ACC		Turkmenistan
UTNR	FIR	Nukus ACC		Uzbekistan
UTSD	FIR	Samarkand ACC		Uzbekistan
UTTR	FIR	Tashkent ACC		Uzbekistan
UUWV	FIR	Moscow ACC		Russia
UUYW	FIR	Vorkuta ACC		Russia
UUYY	FIR	Syktyvkar ACC		Russia
UWOO	FIR	Orenburg/Tsentralny ACC		Russia
VABF	FIR	Mumbai ACC		India
VCCC	FIR	Colombo ACC		Sri Lanka
VDPF	FIR	Phnom Penh ACC		Cambodia
VECF	FIR	Kolkata ACC		India
VGFR	FIR	Dhaka ACC		Bangladesh
VHHK	FIR	Hong Kong ACC		Hong Kong
VIDF	FIR	Delhi ACC		India
VLIV	FIR	Vientiane ACC		Laos
VLVT	FIR	Vientiane ACC		Laos
VNSM	FIR	Kathmandu ACC		Nepal
VOMF	FIR	Chennai ACC		India
VRMF	FIR	Male ACC		Maldives
VTBB	FIR	Bangkok ACC		Thailand
VVHM	FIR	Ho Chi Minh ACC		Vietnam
VVHN	FIR	Hanoi ACC		Vietnam
VYMD	FIR			Myanmar
VYYF	FIR	Yangon ACC		Myanmar
WAAF	FIR	Ujung Pandang		Indonesia
WAAZ	FIR	Ujung Pandang ACC		Indonesia
WABZ	FIR	Biak Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WADZ	FIR	Bali Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WAJZ	FIR			Indonesia
WAKZ	FIR	Merauke Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WALZ	FIR	Balikpapan Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WAMZ	FIR	Manado Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WAOZ	FIR	Banjarmasin Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WAPZ	FIR	Ambon Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WATZ	FIR	Kupang Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WBFC	FIR	Kota Kinabalu ACC		Brunei/ Malaysia
WIIF	FIR	Jakarta		Indonesia
WIIZ	FIR	Jakarta ACC		Indonesia
WIMZ	FIR	Medan Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WIOZ	FIR	Pontianak Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WIPZ	FIR	Palembang Sector	Sector	Indonesia
WMFC	FIR	Kuala Lumpur ACC		Malaysia
WSJC	FIR	Singapore ACC		Singapore
YBBB	FIR	Brisbane ACC		Australia
YMMM	FIR	Melbourne ACC		Australia
ZBPE	FIR	Beijing ACC		China
ZGJD	FIR	Zhuhai ACC		China
ZGZU	FIR	Guangzhou ACC		China
ZHWH	FIR	Wuhan ACC		China
ZJSA	FIR	Sanya ACC		China
ZKKP	FIR	Pyongyang ACC		North Korea
ZLHW	FIR	Lanzhou ACC		China
ZMUB	FIR	Ulan Bator ACC		Mongolia
ZPKM	FIR	Kunming ACC		China
ZSHA	FIR	Shanghai ACC		China
ZWUQ	FIR	Ürümqi ACC		China
ZYSH	FIR	Shenyang ACC		China