Understand AIP, eAIP and AIRAC
Learn the purpose of GEN, ENR and AD, and why a source-check date is not an effective date.
Educational review draft · 27 October 2026. Owner and subject review pending. This is not a qualification, admission decision or operational publication.
An AIP explains enduring aeronautical information published under the responsible State’s authority. Reading about its structure does not qualify you to use it operationally.
AIP and eAIP
AIP means Aeronautical Information Publication. An eAIP is an electronic presentation of that publication; the format alone does not establish that a copy is official, current or suitable for an operational purpose.
GEN — General
General information provides context such as the responsible service, national rules and explanations of the publication. The relevant publisher’s structure and current text take precedence.
ENR — En-route
En-route material concerns the airspace and en-route environment. It is not a substitute for approved training or for the complete current operational information required for a flight.
AD — Aerodromes
Aerodrome material organizes information about airports or other published facilities. A directory link does not verify an airport’s operating status or permission to use it.
AIRAC — planned information changes
AIRAC is a coordinated system for distributing certain aeronautical information changes in advance of common effective dates. A publication date, a URL containing “Current” and an effective date mean different things. A future issue must not be assumed to apply already.
Read labels without assuming currentness
Look for the issuing authority, publication scope, edition or amendment, effective date and any publisher instructions. This is source-literacy practice, not an operational checklist. Notices, supplements and other required information may sit outside the AIP entry.
Try a non-operational source-reading exercise
- Choose a country in the directory and identify the publisher.
- Read the access and rights notes without treating “free” as a licence to copy.
- Compare the observed issue label with the check-date caveat. If applicability is unclear, record that uncertainty rather than guess.
Official source context
- ENAIRE AIP España — GEN 0.1 Preface — Preface describes permanent and long-duration information, amendment/supplement updating, and the three parts General (GEN), En-Route (ENR), Aerodrome (AD).
- ICAO — Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC) — Explains the need for a shared information base, a predetermined schedule for important changes, and the distinction among publication, reception and effective dates.
- NAV CANADA — AIP Canada — Lists General, Enroute and Aerodromes parts; defines Current Issue as in effect and Next Issue as a future effective publication.
These sources explain publication structure and date labels. They do not verify an operationally current edition. Source concepts checked 2026-10-27.