International Collaboration
International Relations
Isavia ANS also coordinates with various ministries, government agencies and customers along with daily interactions with our parent company and the other subsidiaries. Included in this is a diverse technological collaboration, both domestic and foreign regarding the development, sale and purchase of machine and software solutions for the provision of air navigation services.
ICAO

Established in 1947, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is one of the United Nations agencies and the main international organization in the field of civil aviation. The goal of ICAO is to oversee the implementation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which is a founding document of the organization. Iceland was one of the 52 states that signed the convention on the 7th of December in 1944. Today ICAO has 193 member states and it works closely with their representatives to implement best practices and international standards regarding air safety and efficient air travel and to ensure that regulations and best practices are in alignment. ICAO HQ are located in Montreal in Canada, but it also has 7 regional headquarters around the world. Iceland belongs to the HQ in Paris, France.
Iceland has a seat in the Air Navigation Commission and the ICAO Council every 5 years. This seat is shared by the Nordic nations.
NAT SPG

The NAT SPG (North Atlantic Systems Planning Group) was established in 1965 by ICAO. The role of the NAT SPG is to monitor and evaluate current air traffic control systems in light of current best practices, technological innovations and changes in traffic. In addition to this the NAT SPG ensures flight safety over the North Atlantic in accordance with regional and international guidelines along with those guidelines found in the international air safety plan and the international air navigation plan.
The NAT SPG is composed of representatives from Iceland, Denmark, Canada, France, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago. Observers from Eurocontrol, IAOPA, IATA, IBAC, IFAIMA, IFALDA, IFALPA, IFATCA, Iridium and Inmarsat are invited to participate in the work of the NAT SPG.
There are numerous sub-groups of the NAT SPG, Isavia ANS has a number of representatives in these groups.
EUROCONTROL

Eurocontrol is first and foremost an international organization focused on air navigation, but it also acts as Network Manager within Europe on behalf of the European Union. Eurocontrol also oversees the collection of ANS fees on behalf of many of its member states through the CRCO and acts as an air navigation service provider over the upper airspaces of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxemborg in an area called the Maastrict UAC. In addition to this Eurocontrol supports technological innovation and developments in civil aviation through SESAR, the Single European Sky ATM Research program.
Iceland is set to become the latest Eurocontrol member state without voting rights in the fall of 2022 with full membership planned for 2025.
CANSO

CANSO is an international organization of 90 air navigation service providers (ANSP's). Founded in 1996 the role of CANSO is to increase collaboration between ANSP's, develop policies and best practices regarding civil aviation and to facilitate collaboration with regulators, customers, airports and other stakeholders.
Isavia ANS has been an active participant in CANSO since 2013.
BOREALIS ALLIANCE

The Borealis Alliance is composed of 9 air navigation service providers (ANSP's) in northern Europe, these are Avinor (Norway), ANS Finland (Finland), the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Isavia ANS (Iceland), EANS (Estonia), LGS (Latvia), LFV (Sweden), UK Nats (United Kingdom) and Naviair (Denmark). Founded in 2012, Borealis is a business focused collaboration between ANSP's intended to increase the level of service provision with regard to costs and performance. In addition to this Borealis serves as an information platform for its members regarding developments in civil aviation and relevant laws and regulations within Europe. Isavia ANS is an active participant in all Borealis Alliance projects, including the free route airspace project.
The biggest Borealis Alliance project to date has been the implementation of so called "free route airspace" (FRA) by all member states. FRA marks a great leap forwards in terms of service provision where ANSP's can offer direct unrestricted routing, whereas before they may have been restricted to certain predetermined routes. Developments in surveillance technologies now allowed ANSP's to offer shorter and more direct routing. Implementation of FRA by Borealis Alliance members has resulted in shorter flight times for customers, thereby, reducing emissions and saving travellers and airlines time.