Santa Maria Oceanic Control is an
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...
area over the Atlantic Ocean.
Santa Maria Flight information region
In aviation, a flight information region (FIR) is a specified region of airspace in which a flight information service, an alerting service (ALRS), and an area control centre are provided. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) dele ...
, also known as FIR, is Europe's largest and one of the largest in the world. Covering the southeastern part of the
North Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
, Santa Maria FIR is on the key routes of most of the flights from Europe to Central and South America.
In the middle of the FIR, the nine
Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
islands attract thousands of tourists and further increase the traffic in Santa Maria FIR. The airports are also known for saving a considerable amount of money and lives by serving as an en-route alternate airport for many transatlantic flights.
References
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External links
Santa Maria Oceanic FIR
Air traffic control systems
Aviation in Portugal
Air traffic control centers
Air traffic control in Europe
Transatlantic flight