Airspace classes in Germany

Germany does not use all of the ICAO airspace classes. In general aviation practice you meet four: C, D, E and G. Know those four and you know German airspace.

Applicability: Germany (airspace of the Federal Republic of Germany)
Rulemaking authority: Aeronautical Information Publication Germany – AIP VFR (DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH), effective 20 AUG 2026, ENR 1-1 and ENR 1-3
Reviewed by NorthTrack on: 2026-09-13

The airspace abbreviations

The class letters tell you which rules apply. These abbreviations tell you which area is meant.

CTR — Control zone
In Germany, class D airspace from the surface around aerodromes with an air traffic control unit.
CTA — Control area
Controlled airspace from a defined height above the ground upwards.
TMA — Terminal Control Area
Concentrates arrival and departure routes; designated class C or D in Germany.
RMZ — Radio Mandatory Zone
An initial call before entry, a continuous listening watch, and a call on leaving.
TMZ — Transponder Mandatory Zone
The code and the monitoring frequency are given on the ICAO 1:500,000 aeronautical chart.
ATZ — Aerodrome Traffic Zone
To be avoided when no landing is intended; entry and exit only with permission.
FIR — Flight Information Region
The reference volume for SIGMET and for the flight information service.
TRA — Temporary Reserved Airspace
Active for limited periods; the current state comes from NOTAM.
R … — Restricted area (followed by identification)
Designated ED-R in Germany.
D … — Danger area (followed by identification)
Marked as such on the chart.
HX — Not permanently active, no specific working hours
The current state can only be established from a NOTAM or by asking.

The vertical structure

The AIP presents the structure in a single diagram (ENR 1-1). In words:

FL 100 up to FL 660
Class: C · Note: In the Alpine area Class C already begins at FL 130.
below FL 100 in the area of terminal control areas
Class: C/D · Note: stepped above conurbations and major airports
between the upper limit of G and FL 100
Class: E · Note: the "standard airspace" over much of Germany
from the surface to 2,500 ft AGL
Class: G · Note: in certain areas only up to 1,000 ft AGL
control zones around aerodromes with an ATC unit
Class: D (CTR) · Note: from the surface upwards

Per AIP VFR ENR 1-1, airspace structure in Germany. The actual upper and lower limits are given on the ICAO chart 1:500,000 and in the AIP.

What Germany does not use
Classes A, B and F do not occur in the German airspace structure. If you are reading training material that describes all seven classes as equally relevant, it is worth knowing which of them you will actually meet in your own country.

The classes in detail

Class C

Separation — VFR from IFR
Service — Air traffic control; traffic information on IFR flights; VFR/VFR traffic information with avoiding advice on request
VMC minima — 8 km flight visibility above FL 100, 5 km below FL 100; 1,500 m horizontal and 1,000 ft vertical clearance from cloud
Speed limit — 250 kt IAS below FL 100
Radio communication — continuous listening watch
ATC clearance — required

Class D (other than CTR)

Separation — not provided
Service — Traffic information on IFR flights with avoiding advice on request; VFR/VFR traffic information
VMC minima — 8 km above FL 100, 5 km below FL 100; 1,500 m and 1,000 ft
Speed limit — 250 kt IAS below FL 100
Radio communication — continuous listening watch
ATC clearance — required

The difference between C and D
In C, VFR is separated from IFR – air traffic control actively keeps them apart. In D there is no separation; you get traffic information and, on request, avoiding advice. A clearance is required in both cases – but the protection behind it is not the same.

Class D (CTR) – the control zone

Separation — not provided
Service — Traffic information on IFR flights with avoiding advice on request; VFR/VFR traffic information
VMC minima — 5 km flight visibility; 1,500 m horizontal and 1,000 ft vertical from cloud; additionally ground visibility 5 km and ceiling 1,500 ft
Speed limit — 250 kt IAS below FL 100
Radio communication — continuous listening watch
ATC clearance — required

The CTR adds two further conditions
Ground visibility and ceiling appear in this form only in the control zone. They are the reason a flight can be perfectly viable en route on a hazy day and still not be permitted to depart the CTR. Where those values are not met, a special VFR clearance from the ATC unit may be a possibility – that is the unit's decision, not an entitlement.

Class E

Separation — not provided
Service — Traffic information as far as practicable
VMC minima — 8 km above FL 100, 5 km below FL 100; 1,500 m and 1,000 ft
Speed limit — 250 kt IAS below FL 100
Radio communication — not required
ATC clearance — not required

Class E is controlled airspace
VFR flights in E need neither radio nor a clearance – and yet E is controlled airspace, in which IFR traffic flies under control and separation from VFR is not provided. An IFR approach can be flown here in visual conditions with nobody keeping the two apart. Traffic information is given "as far as practicable" – which is not an assurance.

Class G

Separation — not provided
Service — Flight information service
VMC minima above 3,000 ft AMSL or 1,000 ft AGL – the higher value applies — 5 km flight visibility; 1,500 m horizontal and 1,000 ft vertical from cloud
VMC minima below that altitude — 1.5 km flight visibility provided IAS is 140 kt or less; clear of cloud and with the surface in sight. For helicopters 800 m, clear of cloud and with the surface in sight
Speed limit — 250 kt IAS below FL 100
Radio communication — not required
ATC clearance — not required

All values per AIP VFR ENR 1-3, airspace classification, air traffic services, flight conditions.

The 1.5 km rule is tied to a speed
The reduced visibility requirement of 1.5 km applies only if indicated airspeed is 140 kt or less – slow enough to still see an obstacle and avoid it. Fly faster and you do not have it.

One sentence per class

C – clearance, radio, and ATC separates me from IFR.
D – clearance and radio, but no separation; I get information.
D (CTR) – as D, plus ground visibility and ceiling.
E – controlled, but for me without radio or clearance; I have to see and avoid for myself.
G – uncontrolled, flight information service, markedly lower visibility minima at low altitude.

Airspace is national
ICAO defines classes A to G, but no State is obliged to use all of them, and the way they are applied differs considerably. The figures on this page refer to Germany. For a flight abroad, the Aeronautical Information Publication of the State concerned applies — even where the class letters are the same.

NorthTrack lets you view the airspace structure along your planned route. Open the NorthTrack App

Official sources

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH: Aeronautical Information Publication Germany – AIP VFR – Effective 20 AUG 2026. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH: Aeronautical Information Publication Germany – AIP VFR, GEN 2-1 to GEN 2-7 "Abkürzungen / Abbreviations" (bilingual German/English) – Effective 20 AUG 2026. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)