Direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC)

Service technique de l'aviation civile

Within the STAC, the Air Navigation division of the Air Navigation and Information Systems department (STAC/ANS) was set up specifically in 2005 to constitute an ATM/ANS expertise wing independent of air navigation service providers.

In general terms, the Air Navigation division, based in Toulouse, maintains and develops expertise in the fields of safety analysis, interoperability and technical security (ISS) of air navigation equipment and systems. Its positioning, different from an air navigation service provider, means it can make this expertise available to the supervisory authorities and regulators, but more broadly any entity seeking independent advice.

The division’s activities form a very wide range:

  • Case expertise to justify the regulatory conformity of ATM/ANS technical systems in safety, interoperability and technical security matters;
  • Assistance to supervisory authorities in the organization of their supervision of air navigation services providers;
  • Contribution to the design of standards and regulations, drafting of the associated explanatory or interpretative materials;
  • Conducting of considerations on issues related to the assessment of the safety, interoperability or security  of ATM / ANS systems and equipment;
  • Didactic activities.

Building on the experience developed at national level for the DSAC (the French civil aviation supervisory authority), the STAC is also involved at the European level, within the framework of projects of European scope such as EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System) and FABEC (Functional Airspace Block Europe Central), and is in contact with bodies such as the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency)

picture representing an aircraft navigating and communicating with the various systems used by air navigation

Updated on November 25 2022