Story ID: 
Nav Canada prepares to implement RVSM
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: Six additional flight levels will be introduced later this month in northern Canada airspace when Nav Canada implements reduced vertical separation minimum
Word Count: 135
Six additional flight levels will be introduced later this month in northern Canada airspace when Nav Canada implements reduced vertical separation minimum airspace (RVSM) from 57 deg north latitude to the North Pole from FL 290 through FL 410 inclusive (see also page 82). A transition area to and from the 1,000-ft vertical separation routes of RVSM airspace will extend to 52 deg north latitude. Nav Canada estimates that 90 percent of the aircraft operating in the affected airspace will be RVSM approved this month and that the remaining 10 percent of the traffic can be “safely accommodated” in non-RVSM airspace. It’s also estimated that RVSM efficiency gains will provide operators with $14.3 million annually through fuel and operational savings. Operational information on RVSM in Canadian airspace is available from Nav Canada at (613) 562-5678 or at www.navcanada.ca under “Service Projects.”