Area control center

In air traffic control, an area control center (ACC), also known as a center or en-route center, is a facility responsible for controlling aircraft flying in the airspace of a given flight information region (FIR) at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures. In the US, such a center is referred to as an air route traffic control center (ARTCC).

Not to be confused with controlled airspace.

This temporary flight restriction map from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the boundaries of the regions controlled by the area control centers within and adjoining the contiguous United States, as well as the FAA location identifier of each such center operated by the United States

A center typically accepts traffic from — and ultimately passes traffic to — the control of a terminal control center or another center. Most centers are operated by the national governments of the countries in which they are located. The general operations of centers worldwide, and the boundaries of the airspace each center controls, are governed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

In some cases, the function of an area control center and a terminal control center are combined in a single facility. For example, NATS combines the London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC) and London Area Control Centre (LACC) in Swanwick, Hampshire.

FAA definition
Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center, United States

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines an ARTCC as:

[a] facility established to provide air traffic control service to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace, principally during the en-route phase of flight. When equipment capabilities and controller workload permit, certain advisory/assistance services may be provided to VFR aircraft.[1]

An ARTCC is the U.S. equivalent of an area control center (ACC). There are 22 ARTCCs located in nineteen states.[2]

Subdivision of airspace into sectors

The flight information region controlled by a center may be further administratively subdivided into areas comprising two to nine sectors. Each area is staffed by a set of controllers trained on all the sectors in that area.

Sectors use distinct radio frequencies for communication with aircraft. Each sector also has secure landline communications with adjacent sectors, approach controls, areas, ARTCCs, flight service centers, and military aviation control facilities. These landline communications are shared among all sectors that need them and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Aircraft passing from one sector to another are handed off and requested to change frequencies to contact the next sector controller. Sector boundaries are specified by an aeronautical chart.

Center operations
Controllers at work at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, United States

Air traffic controllers working within a center communicate via radio with pilots of instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft passing through the center's airspace. A center's communication frequencies (typically in the very high frequency aviation bands, using amplitude modulation (AM) 118 MHz to 137 MHz, for overland control) are published in aeronautical charts and manuals, and are also announced to a pilot by the previous controller during a hand-off. Most VHF radio assignments also have a UHF (225 to 380 MHz) paired frequency used for military flights.

In addition to radios to communicate with aircraft, center controllers have access to communication links with other centers and TRACONs. In the United States, centers are electronically linked through the National Airspace System, which allows nationwide coordination of traffic flow to manage congestion. Centers in the United States also have electronic access to nationwide radar data.

Controllers use radar to monitor the progress of flights and instruct aircraft to perform course adjustments as needed to maintain separation from other aircraft. Aircraft with center contact can be readily distinguished by their transponders. Pilots may request altitude adjustments or course changes for reasons including avoidance of turbulence or adverse weather conditions.

Controllers can assign routing relative to location fixes derived from latitude and longitude, or from radionavigation beacons such as VORs.

Typically, centers have advance notice of a plane's arrival and intentions from its pre-filed flight plan.

Oceanic air traffic control
Map of approximately the Northern Hemisphere from Japan & New Guinea (left edge) to the middle of North Atlantic Ocean. The map shows yellow over the continental U.S. and Bahamas, Alaska (and much of the Bering Sea), and a yellow circle around Bermuda. Most of the Northern Pacific is colored blue along with a small section in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, and the western half of the North Atlantic from roughly the latitude of Maine to the northern edge of the Leeward Islands (or Puerto Rico).
The FAA provides air traffic control services over U.S. territory and over international waters where it has been delegated such authority by the International Civil Aviation Organization. This map depicts overflight fee regions. The yellow regions are where the U.S. provides enroute ATC services (mostly over land territory). The blue regions are where the U.S. provides oceanic ATC services over international waters.

Some centers have ICAO-designated responsibility for airspace located over an ocean such as ZNY and ZOA, the majority of which is international airspace. Because substantial volumes of oceanic airspace lie beyond the range of ground-based radars, oceanic airspace controllers have to estimate the position of an airplane from pilot reports and computer models (procedural control), rather than observing the position directly (radar control, also known as positive control). Pilots flying over an ocean can determine their own positions accurately using the Global Positioning System or other means, and can supply periodic updates to a center.

A center's control service for an oceanic flight information region may be operationally distinct from its service for one over land, employing different communications frequencies, controllers, and a different ICAO code.

Pilots typically use high frequency radio instead of very high frequency radio to communicate with a center when flying over the ocean, because of HF's relatively greater propagation over long distances. Military aircraft, however, are typically equipped with ARC-231 SATCOMs that allow over-the-horizon communication.[3]

List of area control centers
Area control centers under Fukuoka Flight Information Region (FIR) of Japan

Area control centers (ACCs) control IFR air traffic in their flight information region (FIR).

The current list of FIRs and ACCs is maintained by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).[4] Note that the cited ICAO source gives the shapefile coordinates for each FIR, and also its page source gives a list of current ACCs in text form. The following is the alphabetic list of all ACCs and their FIRs as of October 2011:

ICAO code Type FIR or ACC Oceanic or other subtype Country or territory
AGGG FIR Honiara ACC  Solomon Islands
ANAU FIR Nauru ACC  Nauru
AYPM FIR Port Moresby ACC  Papua New Guinea
BGGL FIR Nuuk ACC  Greenland ( Denmark)
BIRD FIR Reykjavík ACC  Iceland
CZEG FIR Edmonton ACC  Canada
CZQM FIR Moncton Southern ACC  Canada
CZQX FIR Gander Domestic ACC  Canada
CZUL FIR Montreal ACC  Canada
CZVR FIR Vancouver ACC  Canada
CZWG FIR Winnipeg ACC  Canada
CZYZ FIR Toronto ACC  Canada
DAAA FIR Alger ACC  Algeria
DGAC FIR Accra ACC  Ghana
DIII FIR Abidjan ACC  Ivory Coast
DNKK FIR Kano ACC  Nigeria
DRRR FIR Niamey ACC  Niger
DTTC FIR Tunis ACC  Tunisia
EZZZ FIR Eurocontrol Eurocontrol  Belgium
EBBU FIR Brussels ACC  Belgium/ Luxembourg
EDGG FIR Langen ACC  Germany
EDMM FIR Munich ACC  Germany
EDUU UIR Rhein ACC  Germany
EDVV UIR Hannover ACC  Germany
EDWW FIR Bremen ACC  Germany
EDYY UIR Maastricht ACC  Belgium/ Germany/ Netherlands
EETT FIR Tallinn ACC  Estonia
EFIN FIR Helsinki ACC  Finland
EGGX FIR Shanwick Oceanic OCA Oceanic  United Kingdom
EGPX FIR Scottish ACC  United Kingdom
EGQQ FIR Scottish ACC (Mil) Military  United Kingdom
EGTT FIR London ACC  United Kingdom
EHAA FIR Amsterdam ACC  Netherlands
EISN FIR Shannon ACC  Ireland
EKDK FIR Copenhagen ACC  Denmark
ENOB FIR Bodo Oceanic OCA Oceanic  Norway
ENOR FIR Polaris ACC  Norway
EPWW FIR Warszawa ACC  Poland
ESAA FIR Sweden ACC  Sweden
ESMM FIR Malmo ACC  Sweden
ESOS FIR Stockholm ACC  Sweden
EVRR FIR Riga ACC  Latvia
EYVL FIR Vilnius ACC  Lithuania
FABL FIR Bloemfontein ACC  South Africa
FACA FIR Cape Town ACC  South Africa
FACT FIR Cape Town ACC  South Africa
FADN FIR Durban ACC  South Africa
FAJO FIR Johannesburg Oceanic ACC Oceanic  South Africa
FAJX FIR Johannesburg ACC  South Africa
FAPX FIR Port Elizabeth ACC  South Africa
FBGR FIR Gaborone ACC  Botswana
FCCC FIR Brazzaville ACC  Congo, Republic of the
FIMM FIR Mauritius ACC  Mauritius
FKKK FIR Douala ACC  Cameroon
FLFI FIR Lusaka ACC  Zambia
FMCX FIR Comoros ACC  Comoros
FMMM FIR Antananarivo ACC  Madagascar
FNAN FIR Luanda ACC  Angola
FOOO FIR Libreville ACC  Gabon
FQBE FIR Beira ACC  Mozambique
FSSS FIR Seychelles ACC  Seychelles
FTTT FIR N'Djamena ACC  Chad
FVHF FIR Harare ACC  Zimbabwe
FWLL FIR Lilongwe ACC  Malawi
FYWF FIR Windhoek ACC  Namibia
FZZA FIR Kinshasa ACC  Congo, Democratic Republic of the
GCCC FIR Canarias ACC  Canary Islands ( Spain)
GLRB FIR Roberts ACC  Liberia
GMMM FIR Casablanca ACC  Morocco
GOOO FIR Dakar Oceanic ACC Oceanic  Senegal
GVSC FIR Sal Oceanic ACC Oceanic  Cape Verde
HAAA FIR Addis Ababa ACC  Ethiopia
HBBA FIR Bujumbura ACC  Burundi
HCSM FIR Mogadishu ACC  Somalia
HECC FIR Cairo ACC  Egypt
HHAA FIR Asmara ACC  Egypt
HKNA FIR Nairobi ACC  Kenya
HLLL FIR Tripoli ACC  Libya
HRYR FIR Kigali ACC  Rwanda
HSSX FIR Khartoum ACC  Sudan
HTDC FIR Dar es Salaam ACC  Tanzania
HUEC FIR Entebbe ACC  Uganda
KZAB FIR Albuquerque ARTCC  United States
KZAK FIR Oakland Oceanic ARTCC Oceanic  United States
KZAU FIR Chicago ARTCC  United States
KZBW FIR Boston ARTCC  United States
KZDC FIR Washington ARTCC  United States
KZDV FIR Denver ARTCC  United States
KZFW FIR Ft Worth ARTCC  United States
KZHU FIR Houston ARTCC  United States
KZID FIR Indianapolis ARTCC  United States
KZJX FIR Jacksonville ARTCC  United States
KZKC FIR Kansas City ARTCC  United States
KZLA FIR Los Angeles ARTCC  United States
KZLC FIR Salt Lake ARTCC  United States
KZMA FIR Miami ARTCC  United States
KZME FIR Memphis ARTCC  United States
KZMP FIR Minneapolis ARTCC  United States
KZNY FIR New York ARTCC  United States
KZOA FIR Oakland ARTCC  United States
KZOB FIR Cleveland ARTCC  United States
KZSE FIR Seattle ARTCC  United States
KZTL FIR Atlanta ARTCC  United States
KZWY FIR New York Oceanic ARTCC Oceanic  United States
LAAA FIR Tirana ACC  Albania
LBSR FIR Sofia ACC  Bulgaria
LBWR FIR Varna ACC  Bulgaria
LCCC FIR Nicosia ACC  Cyprus
LDZO FIR Zagreb ACC  Croatia
LECB FIR Barcelona ACC  Spain
LECM FIR Madrid ACC  Spain
LECS FIR Sevilla ACC  Spain
LFBB FIR Bordeaux ACC  France
LFEE FIR Reims ACC  France
LFFF FIR Paris ACC  France
LFMM FIR Marseille ACC  France
LFRR FIR Brest ACC  France
LGGG FIR Athens ACC  Greece
LHCC FIR Budapest ACC  Hungary
LIBB FIR Brindisi ACC  Italy
LIMM FIR Milano ACC  Italy
LIRR FIR Roma ACC  Italy
LJLA FIR Ljubljana ACC  Slovenia
LKAA FIR Praha ACC  Czech Republic
LLLL FIR Tel-Aviv ACC  Israel
LMMM FIR Malta ACC  Malta
LOVV FIR Wien ACC  Austria
LPPC FIR Lisboa ACC  Portugal
LPPO FIR Santa Maria Oceanic ACC Oceanic  Azores ( Portugal)
LQSB FIR Sarajevo ACC  Bosnia and Herzegovina
LRBB FIR Bucuresti ACC  Romania
LSAG FIR Geneve ACC   Switzerland
LSAS FIR Switzerland ACC   Switzerland
LSAZ FIR Zurich ACC   Switzerland
LTAA FIR Ankara ACC  Turkey
LTBB FIR Istanbul ACC  Turkey
LUUU FIR Chisinau ACC  Moldova
LWSS FIR Skopje ACC  North Macedonia
LYBA FIR Beograd ACC  Serbia
LZBB FIR Bratislava ACC  Slovakia
MDCS FIR Santo Domingo ACC  Dominican Republic
MHTG FIR Central American ACC  Honduras
MKJK FIR Kingston ACC  Jamaica
MMFO FIR Mazatlan Oceanic ACC Oceanic  Mexico
MMFR FIR Mexico ACC  Mexico
MPZL FIR Panama ACC  Panama
MTEG FIR Port-au-Prince ACC  Haiti
MUFH FIR Habana ACC  Cuba
MYNA FIR Nassau ACC  Bahamas
NFFF FIR Nadi ACC  Fiji
NTTT FIR Tahiti ACC  French Polynesia ( France)
NWWX FIR Nouméa ACC  New Caledonia ( France)
NZZC FIR New Zealand ACC  New Zealand
NZZO FIR Auckland Oceanic ACC Oceanic  New Zealand
OAKX FIR Kabul ACC  Afghanistan
OBBB FIR Bahrain ACC  Bahrain
OEJD FIR Jeddah ACC  Saudi Arabia
OIIX FIR Tehran ACC  Iran
OJAC FIR Amman ACC  Jordan
OKAC FIR Kuwait ACC  Kuwait
OLBB FIR Beirut ACC  Lebanon
OMAE FIR Emirates ACC  United Arab Emirates
OOMM FIR Muscat ACC  Oman
OPKR FIR Karachi ACC  Pakistan
OPLR FIR Lahore ACC  Pakistan
ORBB FIR Baghdad ACC  Iraq
ORMM FIR ORMM FIR  Iraq
OSTT FIR Damascus ACC  Syria
OYSC FIR Sanaa ACC  Yemen
PAZA FIR Anchorage ACC  United States
PAZN FIR Anchorage Oceanic ACC Oceanic  United States
PHZH FIR Honolulu ACC  United States
RCAA FIR Taipei ACC  Taiwan
RJJJ FIR Fukuoka ACC  Japan
RKRR FIR Incheon ACC  South Korea
RPHI FIR Manila ACC  Philippines
SACF FIR Cordoba ACC  Argentina
SACU UIR Cordoba UIR  Argentina
SAEF FIR Ezeiza ACC  Argentina
SAEU UIR Ezeiza UIR  Argentina
SAMF FIR Mendoza ACC  Argentina
SAMV UIR Mendoza UIR  Argentina
SARR FIR Resistencia ACC  Argentina
SAVF FIR Comodoro Rivadavia ACC  Argentina
SAVU UIR Comodoro Rivadavia UIR  Argentina
SBAO FIR Atlantico ACC  Brazil
SBAZ FIR Amazonica ACC  Brazil
SBBS FIR Brasilia ACC  Brazil
SBCW FIR Curitiba ACC  Brazil
SBRE FIR Recife ACC  Brazil
SCCZ FIR Punta Arenas ACC  Chile
SCEZ FIR Santiago ACC  Chile
SCFZ FIR Antofagasta ACC  Chile
SCIZ FIR Easter Island ACC  Easter Island ( Chile)
SCTZ FIR Puerto Montt ACC  Chile
SEFG FIR Guayaquil ACC  Ecuador
SGFA FIR Asuncion ACC  Paraguay
SKEC FIR Barranquilla ACC  Colombia
SKED FIR Bogota ACC  Colombia
SLLF FIR La Paz ACC  Bolivia
SMPM FIR Paramaribo ACC  Suriname
SOOO FIR Rochambeau ACC  French Guiana ( France)
SPIM FIR Lima ACC  Peru
SUEO FIR Montevideo ACC  Uruguay
SVZM FIR Maiquetia ACC  Venezuela
SYGC FIR Georgetown ACC  Guyana
TJZS FIR San Juan ACC  Puerto Rico ( United States)
TNCF FIR Curaçao ACC  Curaçao ( Netherlands)
TTZP FIR Piarco ACC  Trinidad and Tobago
UAAX FIR Almaty ACC  Kazakhstan
UACX FIR Astana ACC  Kazakhstan
UAFX FIR Bishkek ACC  Kyrgyzstan
UASS FIR Semipalatinsk ACC  Kazakhstan
UDDD FIR Yerevan ACC  Armenia
UEMH FIR Tyoply Klyuch ACC  Russia
UENN FIR Nyurba ACC  Russia
UESS FIR Chersky ACC  Russia
UESU FIR Zyryanka ACC  Russia
UEVV FIR Gigansk ACC  Russia
UGEE FIR Yerevan/Zvartnots ACC  Russia
UGGG FIR Tbilisi ACC  Georgia
UHBI FIR Magdagachi ACC  Russia
UHBI FIR Magdagachi ACC  Russia
UHHH FIR Khabarovsk/Novy  Russia
UHMI FIR Mys Shmidta ACC  Russia
UHMM FIR Magadan Oceanic Oceanic  Russia
UHMP FIR Pevek ACC  Russia
UHNN FIR Nikolayevsk-na-Amure ACC  Russia
UHPT FIR Tilichiki ACC  Russia
UHPU FIR Ust-Khairyozovo ACC  Russia
UHSH FIR Okha ACC  Russia
UIKB FIR Bodaybo ACC  Russia
UIKK FIR Kirensk ACC  Russia
UKBV FIR Kyiv ACC  Ukraine
UKCV FIR Donetsk ACC  Ukraine
UKDV FIR Dnepropetrovsk ACC  Ukraine
UKFV FIR Simferopol ACC  Ukraine
UKHV FIR Kharkiv ACC  Ukraine
UKLV FIR Lviv ACC  Ukraine
UKOV FIR Odesa ACC  Ukraine
ULLL FIR Sankt Peterburg ACC  Russia
ULOL FIR Velikiye Luki ACC  Russia
UMKD FIR Kazan ACC  Russia
UMMV FIR Minsk ACC  Belarus
UNLL FIR Kolpashevo ACC  Russia
UOTT FIR Turukhansk ACC  Russia
URRV FIR Rostov-Na-Donu ACC  Russia
USDK FIR Mys Kamenny ACC  Russia
USHB FIR Beryozovo ACC  Russia
USHH FIR Khanty-Mansiysk ACC  Russia
UTAK FIR Turkmenbashi ACC  Turkmenistan
UTNR FIR Nukus ACC  Uzbekistan
UTSD FIR Samarkand ACC  Uzbekistan
UTTR FIR Tashkent ACC  Uzbekistan
UUWV FIR Moscow ACC  Russia
UUYW FIR Vorkuta ACC  Russia
UUYY FIR Syktyvkar ACC  Russia
UWOO FIR Orenburg/Tsentralny ACC  Russia
VABF FIR Mumbai ACC  India
VCCC FIR Colombo ACC  Sri Lanka
VDPF FIR Phnom Penh ACC  Cambodia
VECF FIR Kolkata ACC  India
VGFR FIR Dhaka ACC  Bangladesh
VHHK FIR Hong Kong ACC  Hong Kong
VIDF FIR Delhi ACC  India
VLIV FIR Vientiane ACC  Laos
VLVT FIR Vientiane ACC  Laos
VNSM FIR Kathmandu ACC    Nepal
VOMF FIR Chennai ACC  India
VRMF FIR Male ACC  Maldives
VTBB FIR Bangkok ACC  Thailand
VVHM FIR Ho Chi Minh ACC  Vietnam
VVHN FIR Hanoi ACC  Vietnam
VYMD FIR  Myanmar
VYYF FIR Yangon ACC  Myanmar
WAAF FIR Ujung Pandang  Indonesia
WAAZ FIR Ujung Pandang ACC  Indonesia
WABZ FIR Biak Sector Sector  Indonesia
WADZ FIR Bali Sector Sector  Indonesia
WAJZ FIR  Indonesia
WAKZ FIR Merauke Sector Sector  Indonesia
WALZ FIR Balikpapan Sector Sector  Indonesia
WAMZ FIR Manado Sector Sector  Indonesia
WAOZ FIR Banjarmasin Sector Sector  Indonesia
WAPZ FIR Ambon Sector Sector  Indonesia
WATZ FIR Kupang Sector Sector  Indonesia
WBFC FIR Kota Kinabalu ACC  Brunei/ Malaysia
WIIF FIR Jakarta  Indonesia
WIIZ FIR Jakarta ACC  Indonesia
WIMZ FIR Medan Sector Sector  Indonesia
WIOZ FIR Pontianak Sector Sector  Indonesia
WIPZ FIR Palembang Sector Sector  Indonesia
WMFC FIR Kuala Lumpur ACC  Malaysia
WSJC FIR Singapore ACC  Singapore
YBBB FIR Brisbane ACC  Australia
YMMM FIR Melbourne ACC  Australia
ZBPE FIR Beijing ACC  China
ZGJD FIR Zhuhai ACC  China
ZGZU FIR Guangzhou ACC  China
ZHWH FIR Wuhan ACC  China
ZJSA FIR Sanya ACC  China
ZKKP FIR Pyongyang ACC  North Korea
ZLHW FIR Lanzhou ACC  China
ZMUB FIR Ulan Bator ACC  Mongolia
ZPKM FIR Kunming ACC  China
ZSHA FIR Shanghai ACC  China
ZWUQ FIR Ürümqi ACC  China
ZYSH FIR Shenyang ACC  China

See also

References
  1. "Glossary of Terms". US Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  2. "Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC)". US Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  3. "Home | Raytheon Intelligence & Space".
  4. List of current FIRs from the ICAO. Note that the map gives the shapefile coordinates for each FIR, and the page source gives a list of current ACCs in text form Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
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