This paper considers the issue of operating aircraft through the
North Atlantic's Minimum
Navigation Performance Specification (MNPS) airspace. Noting that aircraft
constantly
strive for reduced fuel burn and uplift, it describes how flight operators
and pilots conduct
safe, efficient flights through the region. Reference is made to mechanisms
of the North
Atlantic MNPS airspace in terms of its Organized Track Structure and other
routes that
exist. These different structures emphasize the level of flexibility available.
Flight planning
procedures and requirements necessary to obtain oceanic Air Traffic Control
(ATC)
clearances are mentioned, as is an account of how communication and position
reporting
procedures operate to apply the Mach Number technique. Other aspects of
MNPS
operations such as ETOPS operational restrictions, meteorological effects,
the employment
of Reduced Vertical Separation Minima and planned regional changes aim
to provide an
overview of the MNPS system's current and future air traffic management.