Our Company
Isavia ANS
Isavia ANS is a subsidiary of Isavia Ltd and it provides air navigation services to both domestic and international flights within one of the largest control areas in the North-Atlantic region known as the Reykjavik Control Area.
The Reykjavik Control Area is approximately 5,4 million square kilometers and is one of the largest control areas in the world. The area stretches from the west of Greenland to the prime meridian, and from the north pole all the way south of the Faroe Islands.
On average approximately 400 aircraft pass through the Reykjavik Control Area every day.
Area Control Center
In addition to our air traffic controllers and data specialists there are also engineers, data and software-engineers, electricians and electrical engineers working at our company.
Many of our air traffic control center staff also work as ATCO trainers and assist in the development of ATM systems, procedures and testing as well as air incident investigations, NOTAM publishing and other duties in our offices.
ATC Communications
Iceland Radio provides short and longwave communications in close collaboration with the Irish Aviation Authority North Atlantic Communications division located in Ballygirreen, Ireland. Communications are in English and consist of receiving and transmitting messages pertaining to aircraft safety such as aircraft location, flight altitude, aircraft speed, route changes, weather reports and airport landing conditions. Aircraft messages are distributed to area control centres, meteorlogical stations and airline operators.
Operations at Iceland Radio can be split into two main areas, these are:
- Voice communications with active aircraft (aeronautical fixed service - AFS)
- AFTN messaging system.
Voice communications make up the majority of Iceland Radio's operations and require more staff. Oceanic en-route services are provided with voice communications by Iceland Radio unless they are within radar range of the area control center. Radio operators act as the middleman between pilots and air traffic controllers, receiving and sending messages from both parties.
The following are the most common type of services provided by Iceland Radio:
- Aircraft location reports
- Altitude and/or route change requests from pilots
- Providing clearance to pilots given by the area control center
- Providing and receiving weather reports to/from pilots
- Information provision to airline operation centers
Iceland Radio provides its services 24/7 on both HF and VHF frequencies. In total there are 8 COM desks.
The VHF service is continuous over the North Atlantic Ocean, with COM equipment located in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. Working frequencies are 126.550 and 127.850.
Training
Isavia ANS provides air navigation services in Iceland and is the largest employer of air traffic controllers in the country. Air traffic controllers operate in Reykjavik, Keflavik and Akureyri airports in Iceland and they also service domestic enroute traffic and international traffic within the Reykjavik Control Area. Isavia ANS has decades of air traffic control training expertise.
Flight Calibration Service
Isavia ANS also provides regular calibration flights for the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management in volcanic surveillance in Öræfaglacier, Bárðarbunga and in Katla volcano. Our aircraft is especially fitted and equipped to performa such tasks.
The Flight Calibration division of Isavia ANS services the company aircraft which bears the callsign TF-FMS which is a twin-propellor Beechcraft King Air 200 built in 1985. The aircraft is first and foremost for testing traditional air navigation equipment and for testing new air route designs.
Subsidiaries
Suluk APS
Suluk is a Greenlandic private limited company owned by Isavia ANS. The air traffic controllers employed by Suluk provide, together with air traffic controllers from Isavia ANS, approach and tower services at Kangerlussuaq Airport. Isavia ANS and the Greenlandic airport company Mittarfeqarfiit have effective agreement for this service.
Tern Systems
Tern System ehf. develops and produces ATM software systems. These systems are used in area control centres, airport towers and in air traffic controller training.
Systems from Tern are used in Iceland, Ireland, South-Korea, Spain, Marocco and Indonesia. Tern Systems has around 50 staff and the company HQ is located in Iceland.
Air Navigation Fees
Isavia ANS provides air navigation services for domestic and oceanic en-route flights over the North Atlantic as well as approach services to Keflavik and Reykjavik international airports.