### ENR 1.3 Instrument flight rules

#### 1. Rules applicable to all IFR flights (SERA.5015)

##### 1.1 Aircraft equipment

1.1.1 Aircraft shall be equipped with suitable instruments and with navigation equipment appropriate to the route to be flown and in accordance with the applicable air operations legislation.

##### 1.2 Minimum levels

1.2.1 Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or except when specifically authorized by the competent authority, an IFR flight shall be flown at a level which is not below the minimum flight altitude established by the State whose territory is overflown, or, where no such minimum flight altitude has been established:

1. over high terrain or in mountainous areas, at a level which is at least 600 m (2 000 ft) above the highest obstacle located within 8 km of the estimated position of the aircraft; and
2. elsewhere than as specified in paragraph 1.2.1, a), at a level which is at least 300 m (1 000 ft) above the highest obstacle located within 8 km of the estimated position of the aircraft.

1.2.1.1 The competent authority may authorise specific flights to fly below the minimum altitudes specified in a) and b), as prescribed in SERA.3105 Minimum heights.

##### 1.3 Change from IFR flight to VFR flight

1.3.1 An aircraft electing to change the conduct of its flight from compliance with the instrument flight rules to compliance with the visual flight rules shall, if a flight plan was submitted, notify the appropriate ATS unit specifically that the IFR flight is cancelled and communicate thereto the changes to be made to its current flight plan.
1.3.2 When an aircraft operating under the instrument flight rules is flown in or encounters visual meteorological conditions it shall not cancel its IFR flight unless it is anticipated, and intended, that the flight will be continued for a reasonable period of time in uninterrupted visual meteorological conditions.
1.3.3 Change from IFR flight to VFR flight shall only be acceptable when a message initiated by the pilot-in-command containing the specific expression ‘CANCELLING MY IFR FLIGHT’, together with the changes, if any, to be made to the current flight plan, is received by an ATS unit. No invitation to change from IFR flight to VFR flight shall be made by ATS either directly or by inference.

#### 2. Rules applicable to IFR flights within controlled airspace (SERA.5020)

##### 2.1 General

2.1.1 IFR flights shall comply with the provisions of SERA Section 8 when operated in controlled airspace.
2.1.2 As specified in the ICAO Regional Supplementary Procedures (DOC 7030/5-EUR), flights shall be conducted in accordance with Instrument Flight Rules when operated within or above the EUR RVSM airspace. Therefore, flights operating as General Air Traffic (GAT) within the Tirana FIR at or above FL 290, as described in ENR 2.1, shall be conducted in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules.

##### 2.2 Cruising levels

2.2.1 An IFR flight operating in cruising flight in controlled airspace shall be flown at a cruising level, or, if authorised by ATS unit to employ cruise climb techniques, between two levels or above a level, selected from the table of cruising levels in ENR 1.7, paragraph 5.1, except that the correlation of levels to track prescribed therein shall not apply whenever otherwise indicated in air traffic control clearances or specified by the competent authority in aeronautical information publications.

#### 3. Rules applicable to IFR flights outside controlled airspace (SERA.5025)

##### 3.1 Cruising levels

3.1.1 An IFR flight operating in level cruising flight outside of controlled airspace shall be flown at a cruising level appropriate to its track as specified in the table of cruising levels at ENR 1.7, paragraph 5.1, except when otherwise specified by the appropriate ATS authority for flight at or below 900 m (3 000 ft) above mean sea level.

##### 3.2 Communications

3.2.1 An IFR flight operating outside controlled airspace but within or into areas, or along routes, designated by the competent authority in accordance with SERA.4001 (b)(3) or (4) shall maintain an air-ground voice communication watch on the appropriate communication channel and establish two-way communication, as necessary, with the air traffic services unit providing flight information service.

##### 3.3 Position reports

3.3.1 An IFR flight operating outside controlled airspace and required by the competent authority to maintain an air-ground voice communication watch on the appropriate communication channel and establish two-way communication, as necessary, with the air traffic services unit providing flight information service, shall report position, as specified in SERA.8025 for controlled flights.

#### 4. Free Route Airspace - General procedures

##### 4.1 Applicability

4.1.1 Area of applicability

For lateral and vertical limits of SECSI FRA see ENR 2.2 and ENR 6 of AIP Albania, AIP Austria, AIP Bosnia and Herzegovina, AIP Croatia, AIP North Macedonia, AIP Serbia and Montenegro and AIP Slovenia.

4.1.2 Time of applicability

H24

##### 4.2 Definitions

Free Route Airspace (FRA). A specified airspace within which users may freely plan a route between a defined entry point and a defined exit point, with the possibility to route via intermediate (published or unpublished) waypoints, without reference to the ATS route network, subject to airspace availability. Within this airspace, flights remain subject to air traffic control.

South East Common Sky Initiative (SECSI). Initiative of several States/ANSPs on European Southeast Axis traffic flow to implement cross-border FRA.

South East Common Sky Initiative Free Route Airspace (SECSI FRA). The airspace volume consisting of airspace volumes defined in ENR 2.1 and/or ENR 2.2 of the corresponding AIP-s where cross-border application of FRA is implemented.

Cross-border application of FRA (in SECSI FRA). Application of FRA operations in a manner to allow crossing of inter and intra ATC units boundaries regardless of State or FIR boundaries, at any position, if not otherwise regulated via the RAD.

FRA Arrival Connecting Point (A). A published significant point to which FRA operations are allowed for arriving traffic to specific aerodromes. The FRA relevance of such points shall be included in ENR 4.1/ ENR 4.4, columns as (A). Indications on their use for arrivals to specific aerodromes shall be notified via the RAD.

FRA Departure Connecting Point (D). A published significant point from which FRA operations are allowed for departing traffic from specific aerodromes. The FRA relevance of such points shall be included in ENR 4.1/ENR 4.4, columns as (D). Indications on their use for departures from specific aerodromes shall be notified via the RAD.

FRA Horizontal Entry Point (E). A published significant point on the horizontal boundary of the Free Route Airspace from which FRA operations are allowed. The FRA relevance of such points shall be included in ENR 4.1/ ENR 4.4, columns as (E). If this point has specific conditions of utilization, this shall be described in the RAD.

FRA Horizontal Exit Point (X). A published significant point on the horizontal boundary of the Free Route Airspace to which FRA operations are allowed. The FRA relevance of such points shall be included in ENR 4.1/ ENR 4.4, columns as (X). If this point has specific conditions of utilization, this shall be described in the RAD.

FRA Intermediate Point (I). A published significant point or unpublished point, defined by geographical coordinates or by bearing and distance via which FRA operations are allowed. If published, the FRA relevance of such points shall be included in ENR 4.1/ ENR 4.4, columns as (I). If this point has specific conditions of utilization, this shall be described in the RAD.

DCT or Direct. DCT or Direct should be used only for flight planning purposes when submitting FPL, and when executing specified type of approach.

##### 4.3 SECSI FRA flight procedures and flight planning procedures

4.3.1 SECSI FRA flight procedures and planning procedures are published in ENR 1.10 of the corresponding AIPs.
4.3.2 SECSI FRA constraints, exceptions and restrictions, if any, will be published via RAD and promulgated in accordance with ENR 1.10.