Data in aviation is exchanged through two

main domains;
 The Aeronautical Fixed
Telecommunications Network –AFTN and
 The Societe Internationale des
Telecommunicationes Aeronautiques -
SITA
 The AFTN is a worldwide network of
fixed circuits provided as part of
Aeronautical Fixed Service for the
exchange of messages and digital data
between aeronautical fixed stations
having the same or compatible
communications characteristics.
 AFTN comprises aviation entities
including ANSPs, aviation service
providers, airport authorities and
government agencies exchanging
vital information for aircraft
operations
 The AFTN is operated by CAAs of
each state based on ICAO Annex 10
standards
 Each state is required to be
connected to its neighbor and
internally to all controlled
aerodromes
 Thesystem is operated through
Automatic Message Switching System
computers – AMSS.
 The system uses a predetermined
address system based on ICAO AFTN
routing areas (AFSRA)
 Each aeronautical fixed station is
allocated a location indicator
 The world is divided into 22 routing
areas based on the English alphabet
except letters I, J,Q and X
 Every station is assigned a unique four
letter code called a location indicator.
 The first letter represents the routing
area, for example Tanzania is in routing
area H, so the first letter of all countries
within routing area H starts with the
letter H
 The second letter is country name – all
Tanzanian stations will start with HT
 The third and fourth letters will
represent any two letters of the fixed
station eg. Dar es Salaam DA
 So the location indicator for Dar es
Salaam is therefore HTDA
 Three additional letters are added to
identify the division or department within
the organization addressed eg. ZTZ for
control tower the letter X or other letter
designating office function is added to
complete the address line which must
comprise 8 characters eg. HTDAZTZX,
HTDAPRFO
The AFTN handles the following types
of messages;
 Distress Messages
 Urgency Messages
 Flight Safety Messages
 Meteorological Messages
 Flight
Regularity Messages
 Aeronautical Information Service
Messages
 Aeronautical Administrative Messages
 Many messages are received by the
Aeronautical Fixed Service therefore
there is a priority system established to
facilitate the transmission of messages
on a priority basis;
 Messages having the same priority
indicator shall be transmitted in the
order in which they are received.
 Theorder of priority for the transmission
of AFS messages shall be as follows;
Transmission Priority Indicator
Priority
1 SS

2 DD/FF

3 GG/KK
1.Distress Messages (priority indicator SS)
 Comprise messages sent by mobile
stations reporting that they are
threatened by grave and imminent
danger and all other messages relative to
the immediate assistance required by the
mobile station in distress.
2.Urgency Messages(priority indicator DD)
 Comprise messages concerning the
safety of a ship, aircraft or other vehicle
or of some person on board or within
sight.
 3. Flight Safety Messages(priority indicator
FF) comprise;
 a) Movement and control messages DEP, FPL,
EST, TNR, CHG, ARR, DLA, CNL
 b) Messages originated by aircraft operating
agencies of immediate concern to aircraft in
flight or preparing to depart
 c) Meteorological Messages (priority
indicator FF)
 Restricted to SIGMET, Special Air
Reports, AIRMET, Volcanic Ash and
Tropical Cyclone advisory information
and Amended Forecasts.
 4. Meteorological Messages (priority
indicator GG)
 Comprise;
 a) Aerodrome Forecasts, Area and Route
Forecasts (TAF ROFORs)
 b)Observations and reports METARs and
SPECIs
 5. Flight Regularity Messages (priority
indicator GG)
 Comprise;
 a)Aircraft load messages
 b)Change in aircraft operating schedules
 c)Aircraft Servicing
 d)Non routine landings
 e)Changes in collective requirements for
passengers, crew and cargo covered by
deviation from normal operating
schedule
 Pre-flight arrangements for air
f)
navigation services and operational
servicing for non-scheduled flights
 Eg. Over-flight clearance
 g) Arrival or departure messages
originated by operators.
 h)Messages concerning parts and
materials urgently required for the
operation of aircraft.
 6. Aeronautical Information Service
Messages (priority indicator GG)
comprise;
 a) NOTAMs
 b) SNOWTAMs
 7. Aeronautical Administrative Messages
(priority indicator KK)
 Comprise messages;
 a) Regarding the operation or
maintenance of facilities for safety or
regularity of aircraft operations,
 b)Concerning functioning of aeronautical
telecommunications service;
 c)Messages exchanged between civil
aviation authorities relating to
aeronautical services.
 8. Service Messages (priority indicator as
appropriate) comprise messages;
 a)Originated by AFS to obtain information
or verification concerning other
messages which appear to have been
transmitted incorrectly eg. confirming
channel sequence numbers.
Priority Indicator Addressees

Date/Time Originator

TEXT

ENDING
FF HTDAZTZX HTDAZAZX HTDCZQZX
HTMWZTZX HTKJZTZX HTKJZAZX
HTMWZAZX
12 O630 HTDAZPZX

DEP PRF 412 0625

Signature
 SITA – Societe Internationale de
Telecommuniation Aeronautiques
 It is a non-profit cooperative organization
serving major world airlines who are
members of IATA.
 Itwas launched to facilitate rapid
communication between airline offices
due to the slow technological
development of the AFTN
 Today SITA serves more than 250 airlines
worldwide.
A SITA message is made up of 8 parts;
 Priority indicator
 Address
 Originator
 Date Time Group
 Text
 Ending
 a)Priority Indicators;
 There are four main levels of priority;
 QU – Urgent Messages
 QN – Normal or routine messages
 QD – Deferred Messages
 QS – Messages relating to aircraft
accidents
 b) Address (7 characters)
 The address group comprises three
parts;
 The first three letters (3 letter IATA
location indicator)
 The fourth and fifth letters
 (2 letter IATA airline office function
designator)
 The sixth and seventh letters
 (2 letter IATA airline code)
 c) Originator (7 characters)
SAME AS THE ADDRESS FORMAT
 d) Ending
 Comprises the name and signature of the
originator of the message
PRIORITY ADDRESSEES
INDICATOR

ORIGINATOR
DATE/TIME
TEXT

ENDING
 OO – Flight Operations Department
 KK – Traffic Department
 CM – Commercial Department
 FF – Cargo/Freight Department
 GH – Ground Handling Operations
QN NBOOOKQ NBOKKKQ
MBAOOKQ

DAROOKQ 120625

MVT
KQ485/12 5YABC DAR
AD0620/0625 EA0750 NBO PX260
Salma
The SITA Network handles the following
types of messages;
 Movement Messages,
 Load Messages,
 Passenger Assistance List.
 a)Movement Messages abbreviated
(MVT) comprise;
 Departure Message
 Arrival Message
 Flight Return
 Delay Message
 Movement messages serve the purpose
of controlling punctual and regular
operation of all flights, they are also the
basis of aircraft and crew rotation.
 b)Load Messages comprise;
 Load Distribution Message (LDM)
 Load Plan Message (LPM)
 Compartment Plan Message (CPM)
 c)Passenger Assistance List
 abbreviated (PAL)
 The purpose of PAL is to notify the
destination and transit stops of a
passenger who requires special handling
assistance.
 Movement Message (Departure)
 FN415/12 5HFST DAR AD0700/0716
EA0830 JRO PX200
TOW 325,000
TOF 100,000
 FN415 - Fast Jet Flight no. 145
 Registration marks 5H-FST
 Date of operation 12th
 Departing from Dar es Salaam
 Chocks off at 0700
 Airborne time 0716
 Estimated time of arrival Kilimanjaro
0830
 Passengers on board 200
 Movement Message (Arrival)
MVT
PW745/12 5H-PAA NBO
AA1340/1354
 PW745 – Precision Air flight no. 745
Date of operation 12th
Registration marks 5H-PAA
Arriving at Nairobi
Touchdown at 1340
Chocks on at 1354
Arriving at Nairobi
 MVT
 KL456/20 PHDEF AMS
 FR0915/0925
 SI- BIRD STRIKE ENG 2
 KL456/20 – KLM flight no. 456 departing
Amsterdam, Date of operation 20th.
 Registration - PH-DEF.
 FR0915/0925 – Flight returned, touched down
at 0915, chocks on at 0925.
 SI – Supplementary Information - The aircraft
returned due to bird strike on engine no.2
 MVT
 KL456/20 PH-DEF AMS
 FR
 EA0945
 SI
– Supplementary Information, aircraft
dumping fuel to reduce landing weight.
 KL456/20 - KLM flight number 456 operating
on the 20th
 AMS - Departing Amsterdam
 PH-DEF- Registration Marks
 FR EA0945– Flight returning, expected to
land at 0945
 SI- Supplementary Information, bird strike on
engine no. 2 aircraft dumping fuel to reduce
landing weight
 MVT
 LH404/10DABYD FRA
 ED101300
 DL 75
 LH404/10 – Lufthansa flight no. 404
operating on the 10th
 FRA -Departing from Frankfurt
 ED121300- Now expected to depart on
10th at 1300 UTC
 DL75 - Delay due to de-icing
 PAL
 CX700/11FEB BKK
 1 SMITH/JOHNSON
 R/WCHR HKG
 CX700 – Cathay Pacific flight no.700
 11 FEB BKK– Operating on 11 February
from Bangkok.
 1 SMITH/JOHNSON – 1 passenger named
Johnson Smith.
 RWCHR HKG – Requires a wheelchair at
Hong Kong.
 The purpose of load messages is to
inform stations en-route about the
planning made by the load planning
centre for the flight concerned. It is
intended that the message be sent
before aircraft departure from the station
of origin.
 Itspurpose is to permit transit stations
to make a realistic assessment of the
joining load.
 LDM
 FN415/15 5H-MRK JRO Y250 3/8 DAR
 120/80/15/5 T.9335 2/2105 4/5330 5/900
PX220
 B/8775 C/1450
 FN415/15 – Fast Jet flight no. 415 operating
on the 15th.
 Registration - 5H-MRK
 Departing from Kilimanjaro (JRO)
 Seating configuration – 250 seats Economy
Class only
 Crew configuration - 3 pilots, 8 cabin crew
(3/8)
 Destination Dar es Salaam (DAR)
 Passenger demography – 120 males, 80
females, 15 children and 5 infants.
(120/80/15/5)
 T. 9335 – Total load 9335Kg.
 Distributed as follows;
 Hold 2 – 2105 kg
 Hold 4 – 5330 kg,
 Hold 5 – 1900 kg.
 PX 220 – Passengers on board 220
 B/8775 – Total baggage weight 8775 kg.
 C/1450 – Total Cargo weight 1450 kg.
 MS829/30 SU-CBZ CAI F16 Y250 2/10 LHR
 87/20/4 T.5901 1/2185 3/1458 4/944 5/414
0/900 PX16/94 AVI/5 HUM/1/102
 SI-DOW 4402
 DOI 103.7
 MS829/30- Egyptair flight no. 829 operating
on the 30th
 SU-CBZ – Registration marks
 CAI- Departing from Cairo
 Seating configuration- First Class16 seats
 Economy Class 250 seats
 Crew configuration-2 pilots 10 cabin crew
 Destination London Heathrow
 Passenger Demography- 87 adults 20
children and 4 infants
 Total weight 5901kg (T.5901)
 Load distribution, hold1 2185kg, hold3
1458kg,hold4 944kg,
 Hold5 414kg, hold0 (in the cabin) 900kg.
 Passengers on board 110 (16 first class
94 economy class)
 AVI/5 – There are 5 live animals on board
 HUM/1/102 – There is a coffin of human
remains weighing 102 kg.
 SI – Supplementary information
 DOW – Dry Operating Weight 4402kg
 DOI – Dry Operating Index 103.7 inches
 CPM
 SA188/12 ZS-AFG JNB F20 Y220 3/12
NBO
 11L/PKC/NBO/630/C
 12L/AKH/NBO/600/C
 41L/AKH/NBO/620/C
 42R/AKH/NBO/583/BC/BYO
 43R/DZH/NBO/96/E/BY
 5/NBO/50/BY
 SI- TWO BABY STROLLERS IN CPT 5
 SA188/12 – South African Airways flight
no.188 operating on the 12th
 ZS-AFG Registration marks
 JNB – Departing Johannesburg
 Seating configuration – F20 – First Class
20 passengers, Economy Class 220
passengers.
 Crew configuration–3 pilots12 cabin crew
 NBO – Destination Nairobi
 11L/PKC/NBO/630/C- Compartment 11Left
there is a ULD container type PKC
destination Nairobi weighing 630 kg. of
cargo.
 12L/AKH/NBO/600/C – Compartment 12
Left there is a ULD container type AKH
destination Nairobi containing 600kg. of
cargo
 41L/AKH/NBO/630/C–Compartment 41left
there is ULD container type AKH
destination Nairobi weighing 630kg. of
cargo.
 42R/AKH/NBO/583/BC/BYO – Compartment 42
right there is a ULD container type AKH
destination Nairobi weighing 583kg of
baggage for Business/Club Class, no
baggage for Economy Class
 43R/DZH/NBO/96/E/BY – Compartment 43
right there is a ULD container type DZH
weighing 96kg. of equipment and baggage
for Economy Class.
 5/NBO/50/BY – In hold 5 there is 50kg of
baggage for Economy Class destination
Nairobi.
 SI- Supplementary information, there two
baby strollers in compartment 5