As I wrote a while back, ICAO is introducing new flight plan content effective November 2012. Announced in June 2008 in ICAO State Letter (AN 13/2.1.1-08/50), the purpose of the change as stated by ICAO is the following:
“The nature and scope of the amendment is to update the ICAO model flight plan form in order to meet the needs of aircraft with advanced capabilities and the evolving requirements of automated air traffic management (ATM) systems, while taking into account compatibility with existing systems, human factors, training, cost and transition aspects.”
The contents and syntax of the ICAO flight plan and associated messages had remained substantially unaltered for many years while the environment in which they were being used evolved in many ways. Things were coming to a point where it was no longer possible to convey all the required information using the old formats. Bringing the ICAO provisions up to date was inevitable. You may want to note that these changes represent the absolute minimum that was required at the present time. A completely new flight plan specification is also in the works but that is for the longer term and a lot of work still remains to be done before its introduction can be placed on the agenda.
For the time being, it is essential that all concerned be fully informed of the nature of the changes, how they affect their particular operations and how they can best prepare for the day when the changes go live.
Significant changes to data structures, in particular in the syntax of flight planning messages, the use of new indications in Europe and the update of Air Traffic Services Data EXchange Presentation (ADEXP) specification as well as the On-Line Data Interchange (OLDI) Specification will affect all systems and some operational procedures.
The example above shows some of the new and modified FPL elements, in particular the addition of number and letter combinations in fields10a & 10b, the inclusion of Performance Based Navigation indicators in PBN/ within field18 and the ability to file up to 5 days in advance of the Estimated Off-Block Time (EOBT) using DOF/ (Date Of Flight).
You can find important additional information on the subject at EUROCONTROL’s site here. It is well worth a visit as part of your preparations for the new ICAO flight plan of 2012.