[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36035-36036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15271]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Policy for Discontinuance of World Aeronautical Chart Series

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of policy to discontinue the World Aeronautical Chart.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the FAA's decision to discontinue 
providing the World Aeronautical Chart series. Technological advances 
in aviation navigation capabilities and charting products have made the 
World Aeronautical Chart series largely obsolete. Charting customers 
have shifted towards digital chart products. The World Aeronautical 
Charts are a derivative product from our more detailed Sectional 
Aeronautical Chart series. With aviators using the more detailed large 
scale Sectional Aeronautical Charts and often the digital versions in 
the moving map technology found in modern electronic flight bag system, 
the World Aeronautical Charts are no longer needed. The discontinuance 
of this low-demand product allows the FAA to apply those resources to 
continue to modernize charting for safe and efficient navigation.

DATES: June 23, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions or comments concerning 
this action, contact Mr. Eric Freed, Aeronautical Information Services, 
Enroute and Visual Charting Group, Manager, Air Traffic Organization, 
AJV-5200, Federal Aviation Administration, 1305 East-West HWY, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910; telephone (301) 427-5080, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority

    Title 49 of the United States Code, section 44721, authorizes the 
FAA to arrange for the publication of aeronautical maps and charts 
necessary for the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in air 
navigation. Specifically, paragraphs (d)(2)and (3) of this section 
provide that that the Administrator may `` . . . (2) compile, print, 
and disseminate aeronautical charts and related products and services 
of the United States and its territories and possessions; (3) compile, 
print, and disseminate aeronautical charts and related products and 
services covering international airspace as required primarily by 
United Stated civil aviation . . . '' (See 49 U.S.C. 44721(d)(2) and 
(3).)

Background

    The FAA is continuing to expand the availability and capability of 
modern aeronautical navigation products. At the same time, we must 
rigorously analyze our suite of products and determine the feasibility 
and practicability of providing products that are no longer in demand 
from the public or have become obsolete due to technological advances. 
Since 2007, unit sales of the World Aeronautical Charts are down 73 
percent. (Sales are down 10% year over year 2013/2014.) The cost to 
develop

[[Page 36036]]

this product is independent of the sales. The cost of resources drives 
a steady and consistent rise in costs associated with the production of 
the World Aeronautical Chart to the FAA.
    The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has stopped purchasing 
the World Aeronautical Chart products for distribution to the military 
and has advised that electronic flight bag moving map technology and 
reliance on the larger scale Sectional Aeronautical Chart series have 
made the World Aeronautical Chart products obsolete for its purposes. 
General aviation similarly has embraced the readily available and 
affordable electronic flight bag technology and flight planning 
applications.
    The FAA has obligations to meet International Civil Aviation 
Organization requirements for the availability of visual air navigation 
charts. (See Annex 4 to the Convention on International Civil 
Aviation.) This availability can be met when operational or chart 
production considerations indicate that operational requirements can be 
effectively satisfied by Aeronautical Charts at the 1:500,000 scale.
    The FAA concludes that maintenance of both VFR series charts (the 
World Aeronautical Charts at a scale of 1:1,000,000 and the Sectional 
Aeronautical Charts at a scale of 1:500,000) is unsustainable. As a 
derivative product, the World Aeronautical Chart does not contain the 
full aeronautical and base information available to users of the 
Sectional Aeronautical Charts.
    The FAA presented, Discontinuation of World Aeronautical Charts 
(WAC) an Initial Discussion, to attendees of the Aeronautical Charting 
Forum meeting on May 1, 2014 and to the Air Traffic Procedures Advisory 
Committee meeting on May 7, 2014. Both of these public forums are 
attended by a broad segment of the industry and flying public (the 
military, airlines, airline pilots, air traffic control personnel, 
general aviation pilots and business pilots, and their representatives) 
interested in charting specifications, the overall organizational 
structure, and the management approach of the FAA with respect to 
charting issues. Initial industry reactions naturally reflected a 
defense of their niche segments utilization of the WAC product. No 
substantive support was found to sustain production.
    Therefore, the FAA has determined to discontinue the World 
Aeronautical Chart series.
    While no explicit obligation exists for the United States to chart 
international areas encompassing sovereign nations in the Caribbean, we 
recognize that limited independent charting may be available. As a 
courtesy to those sovereign nations in the Caribbean, the three U.S. 
WAC charts with Caribbean coverage (CH-25, CJ-26, and CJ-27) will be 
maintained, marginally longer than other U.S. WAC charts, until the 
last scheduled edition printing per the Dates of Latest Editions. All 
other U.S. WAC charts will end upon their last printing previously 
scheduled in FY 15.

Policy

    Based on the foregoing, the FAA will discontinue the compilation, 
printing, and dissemination of the World Aeronautical Chart series and 
we will continue to maintain the compliment of other comprehensive 
visual aeronautical charts. Charts: CC-8, CC-9; CD-10, CD-11, CD-12; 
CE-12, CE-13, CE-15; CF-16, CF-17, CF-18, CF-19; CG-18, CG-19, CG-20, 
CG-21; CH-22, CH-23, and CH-24 will cease to be printed beyond 
September 17, 2015. Charts: CH-25; CJ-26, and CJ-27 production will end 
upon their next scheduled printing dates of December 10, 2015; February 
04, 2016, and March 31, 2016 respectively. (See the Dates of Latest 
Edition).

Abigail Smith,
Director, Aeronautical Navigation Products.
[FR Doc. 2015-15271 Filed 6-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P