Three days after updating, your airspace was already outdated
How we track AIP Supplements most apps ignore, and why that gap is growing
Hi fellow aviator,
Last month we showed you the coordinate-only NOTAM problem:
54% of airspaces published only via NOTAM don’t appear correctly on most aviation maps because their coordinates are buried in free-text formats - leaving it up to you to extract and plot them manually.
We received great feedback and some questions. To clarify: the coordinate issue we described is a general limitation of many NOTAM tools; but not of EasyVFR. We solved this years ago. EasyVFR uses multiple techniques to draw the actual NOTAM area instead of relying on fallback circles or not showing them at all.
But that’s not the only visibility gap. Today we’re addressing something more structural.
Not airspace that comes and goes in hours. But airspace published via AIP Supplements, often in force for weeks or months.
And widely ignored by most aviation maps.
What Our Team Does Every Morning
NOTAMs are designed for short-duration changes.
But when a military exercise runs for six weeks, or a new restricted area is established for the summer season, that change is too complex for a simple NOTAM — and too time-sensitive to wait for the next 28-day AIRAC update.
Authorities publish these changes as AIP Supplements (AIP SUPs).
These are official, legally binding publications containing:
- Detailed lateral boundaries
- Vertical limits
- Charts
- Activation conditions
In many regions, no separate NOTAM is issued to alert you that a new AIP Supplement has taken effect. If your app only processes AIRAC updates and NOTAMs, you simply will not see them.
AIP Supplements are often complex, multi-page regulatory documents; sometimes spanning 10 or 30 pages; and they cannot simply be auto-imported into a map.
Our team continuously monitors AIP Supplements across 42 European countries and manually reviews each publication as it is released.
Interpreting these documents correctly requires pilot experience and operational understanding. We translate them into clear, structured airspace that fits real-world flight planning and navigation.
EasyVFR is one of the very few flight planning apps that processes AIP Supplements at all.
The Scale of What You’d Otherwise Miss
In 2025 alone, authorities published 1,861 airspace changes via AIP Supplements.
That’s an average of 6 new or modified airspaces every single day.
These include:
- New restricted areas
- Extended military zones
- Adjusted boundaries
- Long-duration temporary airspace
All legally in force between standard 28-day AIRAC updates.
And the trend is accelerating.
The last three AIRAC cycles of 2025 contained 51% more Supplement-originated airspaces than the first three.
This is not a niche issue.
It is a growing structural gap.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Miss a NOTAM, and you might miss a restriction active for a few hours.
Miss an AIP Supplement, and you could unknowingly fly through restricted airspace on every flight for weeks or months - because it does not expire after a day. It remains in force until the authority withdraws it.
Here is what that gap looks like if your app only loads the standard 28-day AIRAC update:
- Day 1: Your data is current
- Day 3: 18 airspaces have already changed
- Day 14: Over 80 changes you cannot see
- Day 27: 169 airspace modifications — invisible to you
Most apps load the 28-day update and consider the data complete.
But airspace does not stand still for 28 days.
The Complete Picture
EasyVFR Dynamic Airspace Mapping combines:
- Standard AIRAC navigation data
- AIP Supplements
- Amendments and corrections
- NOTAMs
- Military activation schedules (AUP/UUP)
Without AIP Supplement processing, you are not seeing the full picture.
With EasyVFR, you are.
Airspace management across Europe is becoming more dynamic, more temporary, and more exercise-driven every year. Static 28-day updates are no longer enough on their own.
Your flight planning tools need to reflect that reality.
See It for Yourself — And See What’s Active Today
All EasyVFR users, including Essential, receive processed AIP Supplements and NOTAMs.
That already gives you a broader airspace picture than most aviation apps.
But knowing that an airspace exists is only part of the story.
What matters operationally is:
- Is it active right now?
- Does this NOTAM actually affect my route?
- Is that military area activated today?
With EasyVFR Live you get:
- DYNAM: Dynamic Airspace Mapping
- Airspace Activations integrated into the map
- NOTAM filtering (see what is relevant to your flight)
- Military Airspace Use Plan (AUP/UUP)
Instead of seeing all possible airspace, you see what actually applies to your flight.
If you are using Essential, consider upgrading to Live to experience the complete operational picture.
If you’re new to EasyVFR, start with Live and see the difference from day one.
Plan a familiar route. Compare static data with dynamic reality.
The difference is not theoretical; it becomes visible immediately.
Airspace does not stand still between AIRAC cycles.
Neither should your situational awareness.
Get Live Today → 30-days free trial
Fly safe, fly current,
The EasyVFR Team
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