Changes to the submission of flight plans have now come into effect, and from today onward, it is expected that flight plans will be submitted electronically. An exemption granted by the Transport Authority regarding the acceptance of abbreviated flight plans has also been rescinded, and flight plans will not be accepted via email or phone at the towers and AFIS.
This transition was initiated for various reasons, but it is essential that flight plans are available within a centralized system, both to ensure information security and to reduce the burden of phone calls, especially in the towers.
The Icelandic Transport Authority, the oversight authority for Isavia, issued a deviation from the company in 2013 because Isavia was unable to handle full flight plans. Isavia had this deviation rescinded and was granted permission to accept abbreviated flight plans at Reykjavik and Keflavik Airports while working on implementing a system to accept flight plans in accordance with regulations. Work had already begun on searching for digital solutions for their reception and distribution.
The reason Cronos was selected as the system is that, in addition to handling digital flight plans, the system also provides flight planning and pre-flight information, as well as handling NOTAM and SNOWTAM messages. Additionally, Cronos is the system used in our neighboring countries.
Electronic flight plans can be submitted through the Isavia ANS website, where instructions and instructional videos for submitting flight plans can also be found.
To accommodate everyone, flight plans can still be submitted via a centralized phone number -+ 354 424 4242.
Pilots can submit electronic flight plans through various applications that use AFTN, and there are various options available for that purpose. The Cronos web portal, on the other hand, is free for pilots to use.