Air navigation service provider

An air navigation service provider (ANSP) is a public or a private legal entity providing Air Navigation Services. It manages air traffic on behalf of a company, region or country. Depending on the specific mandate, an ANSP provides one or more of the following services to airspace users:

• Air traffic management (ATM)
• Communication navigation and surveillance systems (CNS)
• Meteorological service for air navigation (MET)
• Search and rescue (SAR)
• Aeronautical information services/aeronautical information management (AIS/AIM). These services are provided to air traffic during all phases of operations (approach, aerodrome and en-route).

Air navigation service providers are either government departments, state-owned companies, or privatised organisations. The majority of the world's Air Navigation Service Providers are members of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation located at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

In addition to providing air traffic control and communication services, many ANSPs have expanded their role to include the development and validation of instrument flight procedures, especially in the context of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN). Modern ANSPs also support noise abatement strategies, environmental assessments, and collaborative decision-making tools that involve airports and airlines in traffic flow management. For example, Hughes Aerospace, a U.S.-based ANSP certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, has partnered with airports in Florida to design noise-reduction flight paths.