Providers of air navigation services and functions
Other activities related to air navigation service providers and functions
In addition to the certification and regulatory control processes, DNA carries out other activities necessary for the safe and efficient provision of air navigation services and functions:
Revision of changes in functional systems
- MONITORING FUNCTIONAL CHANGES AIR NAVIGATION
- NOTIFICATION OF ROUTINE FUNCTIONAL CHANGES R2
- APPROVAL OF PROCEDURES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FUNCTIONAL CHANGES, SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATION OR DEVIATION THEREOF BY N.A. SERVICE PROVIDERS.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 of 1 March 2017 laying down common requirements for air traffic management/air navigation service providers and other air traffic management network functions and their supervision, repealing Regulation (EC) No 482/2008 and Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1034/2011, (EU) No 1035/2011 and (EU) 2016/1377 and amending Regulation (EU) No 677/2011.
- Royal Decree 515/2020 of 12 May 2020 regulating the procedure for the certification of civil service providers and functions of air traffic management and air navigation and their regulatory control.
Prior to the introduction of changes to its functional system or changes that may affect that functional system, the service provider must send the corresponding notification to EASA, in accordance with the applicable regulations.
In order to provide guidance to facilitate the application and understanding of the Regulation to new air navigation service providers, as regards notification, DNA has developed guidance material that makes available to the user:
Based on the information received in the notification, EASA decides in each case whether or not to review the safety argument associated with the implementation of the change. If you decide to review it, you submit the change to an approval process that will require a favorable resolution necessary for the effective introduction of the change.
For the realisation of the safety arguments and the management of functional changes, service providers must have functional change management procedures expressly approved by EASA.
Service providers will notify changes to their functional systems or that affect their functional systems through the administrative procedures available at EASA’s website. They also have here the administrative procedure for the application for approval of procedures for the management of functional changes.
The rules determining the procedure are as follows:
In the FAQs section, you can find answers to frequently asked questions regarding functional changes.
Notification and management of non-functional changes
- Changes that require approval by EASA.
- Changes that do NOT require approval by AESA.
- Request for approval, according to the established format, for the notification of changes subject to approval.
- Documentation for which approval is requested.
- Application for approval of non-functional change in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373.
- List of non-functional changes that, according to Regulation (EU) 2017/373, require express approval from EASA
- The certification bases and their evidence, will be notified with ANUAL CHARACTER
- Changes in the incumbents of the following posts shall be notified with IMMEDIATE CHARACTER:
- Responsible Director (accountable manager ATM/ANS.OR.B.020),
- Managers of safety, quality, protection and financial and human resources (ATM/ANS.OR.B.020),
- Safety manager (ATS.OR.200 and AMC1 ATS.OR.200(1) (ii)(iii), and,
- Compliance monitoting manager (ATM/ANS.OR.B.005c).
- The policy changes identified below will be notified with IMMEDIATE CHARACTER:
- Management system policy (ATM/ANS.OR.B.005),
- Physical security management policy (protection) (ATM/ANS.OR.B.005 and ATM/ANS.OR.D.010),
- Training policy (ATM/ANS.OR.B.005a.6),
- Operational safety policy (ATS.OR.200(1)(i)),
- Policy on the problematic use of psychoactive substances (ATS.OR.305),
- Stress management policy (ATS.OR.310),y,
- Fatigue management policy (ATS.OR.315).
Changes in the service provider’s provision of service, management system or security management system that do not affect the functional system are classified into changes requiring pre-implementation approval and changes that do not require prior approval and are subject to the ongoing monitoring process.
CHANGES IN SERVICE DELIVERY, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND/OR SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT DO NOT AFFECT THE FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM.
From AESA, as a Competent Authority, changes in the provision of the service, management system or safety management system that do not affect the functional system of air traffic management/air navigation service providers and other network functions (hereinafter service providers) are treated and managed:
The notification and management of changes in the provision of the service, management system or security management system of the service provider that do not affect the functional system shall be made in accordance with the requirement ATM/ANS.OR.A.040 Changes – Generalities paragraphs (a)(2) and (b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/373.
Within the non-functional changes, two groups have been identified:
1.- CHANGES THAT REQUIRE APPROVAL BY EASA
When the supplier intends to make any of the changes for which approval is required by EASA prior to its implementation, listed in the table attached below, it must submit by electronic registration the following documentation:
AESA will acknowledge receipt of this request within a maximum period of 10 working days from receipt of the request.
The administrative procedure associated with the process is available at the EASA e-Office:
Notification of non-functional changes requiring approval shall be made at least 30 working days before the entry into force of such change, unless a different additional period is established by national law.
The notification of the change will require the submission by official registration of the documentation subject to approval together with a form that includes at least the following fields (See associated administrative procedure form) (For the change of certificate, see the Certification section), once the application has been completed and the required documents attached, the corresponding registration will be made and a supporting document with the number and date of registration will be returned.
2.- CHANGES THAT DO NOT REQUIRE APPROVAL BY EASA:
The administrative procedure associated with the process is available at the EASA e-Office:
Below is the list of non-functional changes that should be notified to EASA but do not require the approval of the Authority. Such changes will be subject to continuous supervision (regulatory control)
Notification of the changes identified in the list does not require the submission of attached documentation, however, the notification form of non-functional changes not subject to approval must be completed.
Notifications of non-functional changes will be made by official registration, the notification format established in the electronic office must be submitted, attaching additionally the notified changes in Word or Excel format, and with a bimonthly periodicity, with the following exceptions:
In addition, in the event that air navigation service providers want to implement non-functional changes that, without being subject to approval, consider that they have sufficient entity to involve EASA in the implementation process, they must notify such non-functional changes in order to obtain technical advice in this regard, so that a safe implementation of them is guaranteed.
Safety and interoperability of ATM/ANS equipment
Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 establishes common essential requirements to provide a high and uniform level of civil aviation safety in the Union and to ensure that the safety integrity and performance of systems and components are adequate for the intended purpose. The interoperability of air traffic management systems and components and air navigation services (TAG/ANS equipment) should ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the European Air Traffic Management Network (EATMN).
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1768 sets out three accreditation methods for assessing compliance with requirements and specifications based on ATM/ANS equipment:
i. a certification by EASA (Article 4)
ii. a design conformity declaration of an approved organisation involved in the design or production of ATM/ANS equipment (Article 5)
iii. a declaration of conformity of the ATM/ANS supplier integrating ATM/ANS equipment into its functional system (Article 6)
EASA should monitor the ATM/ANS supplier’s declarations of conformity sent to EASA’s Directorate for Air Navigation (DNA), as the national supervisory authority within the framework of its competences.
In addition, during the transitional period established in accordance with Article 7 Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1768, for any new ATM/ANS equipment put into operation, a declaration of conformity issued by the ATM/ANS supplier integrating it into its functional system or, upon request, by the design and production organisation designing and manufacturing it shall be submitted to EASA.
The administrative procedure that regulates the process is accessible through the following link:
