aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

, an Aeronautical Information Publication (or AIP) is defined by the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

as a publication issued by or with the authority of a state and containing

aeronautical Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

information of a lasting character essential to air navigation. It is designed to be a manual containing thorough details of regulations, procedures and other information pertinent to flying aircraft in the particular country to which it relates. It is usually issued by or on behalf of the respective civil aviation administration.

Overview

The structure and contents of AIPs are standardized by international agreement through ICAO. AIPs normally have three parts – GEN (general), ENR (en route) and AD (aerodromes). The document contains many charts; most of these are in the AD section where details and charts of all public

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publi ...

s are published. AIPs are kept up-to-date by regular revision on a fixed cycle. For operationally significant changes in information, the cycle known as the ''AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control) cycle'' is used: revisions are produced every 56 days (double AIRAC cycle) or every 28 days (single AIRAC cycle). These changes are received well in advance so that users of the aeronautical data can update their

flight management system A flight management system (FMS) is a fundamental component of a modern airliner's avionics. An FMS is a specialized computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew to the point that mode ...

s ( FMS). For insignificant changes, the published calendar dates are used. In some countries the AIP is informally known as the ''Airman's Manual'' or the ''Air Pilot''.

Electronic AIP

EUROCONTROL has published a specification for an electronic AIP (eAIP). The eAIP Specification aims to harmonise the structure and presentation of AIPs for digital media.EUROCONTROL – Electronic Aeronautical Information Publications (eAIP)
/ref> In this respect, a digital AIP is a digital version of the paper AIP, usually available in PDF format, while an electronic AIP is available in PDF as well as other formats, more suitable for reading on the screen and for electronic data exchange. Many countries around the world provide digital AIPs either on CD-ROM subscription or on a Web site. The external links section below lists AIPs which aim to follow the EUROCONTROL eAIP Specification.

AIRAC effective dates (28-day cycle)

The current AIRAC cycle is (effective ). Note: * =

leap year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or ...

containing 29 Feb (2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, etc.)

References

* *
Eurocontrol AIRAC calendar until 2022
*

Notes

External links

Online AIPs by country
(curated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
Online AIPs by country
(curated by the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...