This is NAT Doc 007, the 2011 edition of ICAO’s guidance on air navigation in and above the North Atlantic Minimum Navigation Performance Specifications (MNPS) Airspace, published on behalf of the North Atlantic Systems Planning Group. It consolidates and replaces two earlier publications: the 2009 MNPS Airspace Operations Manual and the older NAT Doc 001. The document is aimed at pilots, operators, and State aviation authorities responsible for approving and monitoring aircraft flying the North Atlantic oceanic corridor between Europe and North America.
The opening chapters explain the regulatory foundation: aircraft may only operate in MNPS airspace with valid MNPS and RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) approvals from their State of Registry or State of the Operator, since the entire airspace has required RVSM compliance since 2002. These approvals cover navigation equipment, installation, maintenance, and crew training, and pilots in command bear ultimate responsibility for confirming their flight is properly approved. The guidance also describes the Organised Track System (OTS), the daily set of oceanic tracks built around the dominant westbound morning and eastbound evening traffic flows, while noting that use of the OTS is optional and roughly half of NAT flights fly random routes instead.
Later chapters cover the practical mechanics of oceanic flying in detail: flight planning, oceanic ATC clearances, communication and position-reporting procedures, the Mach Number Technique used to maintain in-trail spacing, MNPS-specific navigation procedures, and RVSM height-keeping requirements. The document also addresses safety-critical topics such as monitoring aircraft systems and crew performance, handling navigation system degradation, in-flight contingency procedures, avoiding waypoint-insertion track errors, and guidance specifically for flight dispatchers, closing with pilot checklists and advice on guarding against complacency during long oceanic sectors.
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