Scope and purpose

The Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM) are complementary to the Standards and Recommended Practices contained in Annex 2 — Rules of the Air and in Annex 11 — Air Traffic Services. They are supplemented when necessary by regional procedures contained in the Regional Supplementary Procedures (Doc 7030).

Note 1.— Although these procedures are mainly directed to air traffic services personnel, flight crews should be familiar with the procedures contained in the following chapters of the document:

Chapters 3 through 9, 12 through 15, Chapter 16, Sections 16.3, 16.5 and 16.6 and Appendices 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Note 2.— The objectives of the air traffic control service as prescribed in Annex 11 do not include prevention of collision with terrain. The procedures prescribed in this document do not relieve pilots of their responsibility to ensure that any clearances issued by air traffic control units are safe in this respect. When an IFR flight is vectored or is given a direct routing which takes the aircraft off an ATS route, the procedures in Chapter 8, 8.6.5.2 apply.

The Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM) specify, in greater detail than in the Standards and Recommended Practices, the actual procedures to be applied by air traffic services units in providing the various air traffic services to air traffic.