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China, Mongolia, Russia and many CIS countries have used flight levels specified in metres for years. Aircraft entering these areas normally make a slight climb or descent to adjust for this, although Russia and some CIS countries started using feet above transition altitude and introduced RVSM at the same time on 17 November 2011.
China through the work of the ICAO Asia/Pacific RVSM Implementation Task Force, which included IFALPA representatives, will implement RVSM in their FIRs. Effective 21 November 2007 at 1600 UTC, RVSM will be implemented in the Shenyang, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Wuhan, Lanzhou, Urumqi FIRs and Sector AR01 (island airspace) of the Sanya CTA between 8,900m (FL291) and 12,500m (FL411) inclusive, such as below:
| Track between 360° and 179° | Track between 180° and 359° | |
|
900 m (3,000 ft) |
600 m (2,000 ft) |
|
|
1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
|
|
2,100 m (6,900 ft) |
1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
|
|
2,700 m (8,900 ft) |
2,400 m (7,900 ft) |
|
|
3,300 m (10,800 ft) |
3,000 m (9,800 ft) |
|
|
3,900 m (12,800 ft) |
3,600 m (11,800 ft) |
|
|
4,500 m (14,800 ft) |
4,200 m (13,800 ft) |
|
|
5,100 m (16,700 ft) |
4,800 m (15,700 ft) |
|
|
5,700 m (18,700 ft) |
5,400 m (17,700 ft) |
|
|
6,300 m (20,700 ft) |
6,000 m (19,700 ft) |
|
|
6,900 m (22,600 ft) |
6,600 m (21,700 ft) |
|
|
7,500 m (24,600 ft) |
7,200 m (23,600 ft) |
|
|
8,100 m (26,600 ft) |
7,800 m (25,600 ft) |
|
|
8,900 m (29,100 ft) |
8,400 m (27,600 ft) |
|
|
9,500 m (31,100 ft) |
9,200 m (30,100 ft) |
|
|
10,100 m (33,100 ft) |
9,800 m (32,100 ft) |
|
|
10,700 m (35,100 ft) |
10,400 m (34,100 ft) |
|
|
11,300 m (37,100 ft) |
11,000 m (36,100 ft) |
|
|
11,900 m (39,100 ft) |
11,600 m (38,100 ft) |
|
|
12,500 m (41,100 ft) |
12,200 m (40,100 ft) |
|
|
13,700 m (44,900 ft) |
(note that new RVSM Flight Levels are shown in red)
The flight levels below apply to Mongolia, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and 6,000 m or below in Turkmenistan (where feet is used for FL210 and above). Flight levels are read as e.g. "flight level 7,500 metres":
| Track between 360° and 179° | Track between 180° and 359° | |
|
900 m (3,000 ft) |
600 m (2,000 ft) |
|
|
1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
|
|
2,100 m (6,900 ft) |
1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
|
|
2,700 m (8,900 ft) |
2,400 m (7,900 ft) |
|
|
3,300 m (10,800 ft) |
3,000 m (9,800 ft) |
|
|
3,900 m (12,800 ft) |
3,600 m (11,800 ft) |
|
|
4,500 m (14,800 ft) |
4,200 m (13,800 ft) |
|
|
5,100 m (16,700 ft) |
4,800 m (15,700 ft) |
|
|
5,700 m (18,700 ft) |
5,400 m (17,700 ft) |
|
|
6,300 m (20,700 ft) |
6,000 m (19,700 ft) |
|
|
6,900 m (22,600 ft) |
6,600 m (21,700 ft) |
|
|
7,500 m (24,600 ft) |
7,200 m (23,600 ft) |
|
|
8,100 m (26,600 ft) |
7,800 m (25,600 ft) |
|
|
9,100 m (29,900 ft) |
8,600 m (28,200 ft) |
|
|
10,100 m (33,100 ft) |
9,600 m (31,500 ft) |
|
|
11,100 m (36,400 ft) |
10,600 m (34,800 ft) |
|
|
12,100 m (39,700 ft) |
11,600 m (38,100 ft) |
|
|
14,100 m (46,300 ft) |
13,100 m (43,000 ft) |
|
|
15,100 m (49,500 ft) |
||
|
and every 2,000 metres thereafter |
and every 2,000 metres thereafter |
Flight Plan Requirements
The letter “W” shall be inserted in item 10 (Equipment) of the ICAO standard flight plan to indicate that both the aircraft and operator are RVSM approved.
The request metric flight level within metric airspace in Flight Plan shall be expressed as "S" followed by 4 figures (such as S1250, S1220, S1190 representing 12,500m, 12,200m, 11,900m, respectively).