Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) design covers the planning of routes used by pilots and air traffic control from take-off to landing, and is a complex and highly regulated process. It is a published procedure used by aircraft flying in accordance with the instrument flight rules which is designed to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of safety in operations and includes an instrument approach procedure, a standard instrument departure, a planned departure route and a standard instrument arrival. All IFP design must be undertaken by an approved Procedure Designer that is authorized by the relevant State.
The flight procedure development process involves input from a variety of personnel. Stakeholders include but not limited to State aviation authorities, air navigation or air traffic service providers, air operators, airport authorities, aviation associations, municipal/civil/military authorities and environmental committees. To ensure quality it is essential to provide competency-based training and assessment to all contributors to the flight procedure development process as indicated in the Procedures for Air Navigation Services – Aircraft Operations (PANS-OPS, Doc 8168).