Airways and Routes

Airways define the route structure connecting waypoints for aircraft navigation. They specify altitude constraints, routing, and operational parameters.

📍 Looking for cruise tables? See Cruise Tables for global airway RVSM information.

Format Structure

AWY ROUTE  AA#SSSSSSEEEEEED±LLLLLLLLL±LLLLLLLLLL±LLLLLLLLL±LLLLLLLLLLAAAAAUUUUUR

Example Record

AWY A461  FA30980180980530+22543333+114133333+22896389+113951667NESTBUNLTD1

Field Breakdown

Basic Information

Field	Meaning	Notes / Examples
AWY	Airway identifier	Fixed value indicating this record is an airway
A461	Airway designation	Route designation
FA	Cruise identifier	See Cruise Tables
3	Airway type	1=High, 2=Low, 3=Both
098018	Start waypoint database ID
098053	End waypoint database ID
0	Direction flag	1=Bidirectional, 0=Unidirectional
+22543333	Start point latitude
+114133333	Start point longitude
+22896389	End point latitude
+113951667	End point longitude
NESTB	Lower altitude	Lower limit or "NESTB" for no lower limit
UNLTD	Upper altitude	Upper limit or "UNLTD" for unlimited
1	Navigation type	1=RNAV, 0=Conventional

Altitude Encoding

Special Values

• NESTB - No established lower limit
• UNLTD - Unlimited upper altitude
• Numeric - Specific altitude in feet or flight level

Format Examples

04500  → 4,500 feet MSL
FL290  → Flight Level 290 (29,000 feet)
NESTB  → No lower limit established
UNLTD  → No upper limit

Route Types

Code	Description	Usage
1	High Altitude	FL180 and above
2	Low Altitude	Below FL180
3	High/Low	Both altitude ranges

Direction Codes

Code	Description	Restrictions
0	Unidirectional	One-way routing
1	Bidirectional	Two-way routing

Data Integration

Airways connect to other navdata sections:

• Waypoints: Start/end points of route segments
• SID Procedures: Connect to airway system
• STAR Procedures: Connect from airway system

Next Steps

• Learn about SID procedures - How departures connect to airways
• Explore STAR procedures - How arrivals use airways
• Use analysis tools - Extract and analyze airway data