Description

The process of sector definition comprises virtual division of airspace. Thus, the provision of air traffic services is decomposed, in the different sectors, into tasks with manageable workload.

The opening of new sector does not guarantee the arithmetic sum of the capacities of the elementary sectors – the combined capacity is a complex combination of factors such as traffic flow direction, coordination procedures, in-sector flight times, etc. Therefore, a capacity figure is calculated for every sector configuration.

Introduction

As recently as the mid 1990's, changes to the airspace structure and route network were handled purely as a national responsibility, with international coordination carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)). National ATS planning was paramount, and the coordination of airspace and route network developments was limited to the cross-border connections of nationally planned routes.