Aeronautical Information Publication
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Aeronautical Information Publication (or AIP) is defined by ICAO as a publication issued by or with the authority of a state and containing aeronautical information of a lasting character essential to air navigation. It is designed to be a manual containing thorough details of regulations, procedures and other information pertinent to flying aircraft in the particular country to which it relates. It is usually issued by or on behalf of the respective civil aviation administration.
The structure and contents of the document are standardised by international agreement through ICAO. AIPs normally have three parts - GEN (general), ENR (en route) and AD (aerodromes). The document contains many charts; most of these are in the AD section where details and charts of all public aerodromes are published.
AIPs are kept up-to-date by regular revision on a fixed cycle. For operational significant change in information, the cycle known as the AIRAC (Aeronautoical Information And Control) cycle is used : revisions (normally 1 per 28 days) are produced every 56 days (double AIRAC cycle) or every 28 days (single AIRAC cycle). These changes are received well in advance so that users of the aeronautal data can update their flight management systems (FMS). For non-significant changes, the published dates calendar is used.
In some countries the AIP is informally known as the Airman's Manual or the Air Pilot.