FRTOL01What London Information Is
London Information is a flight information service (FIS) for aircraft flying outside controlled airspace. It's run by NATS from its centre at Swanwick, and the people on the other end are flight information service officers (FISOs), not air traffic controllers.
Its northern counterpart, Scottish Information, does the same job from the NATS centre at Prestwick. Everything on this page applies to both. The callsign suffix "Information" always tells you you're talking to a FISO, whether it's an en-route service like these or an aerodrome FIS.
The most important fact to remember: a FISO gives a Basic Service and nothing more. CAP 774, the CAA's rulebook for UK flight information services, says FISOs aren't licensed to provide a Traffic, Deconfliction or Procedural Service, so pilots shouldn't ask a FISO unit for any of them. If you want to know how those services differ, read our guide to Basic Service vs Traffic Service and the other UK services.
London Information uses more than one frequency, depending on which part of the country you're over. The right one is printed on your 1:500,000 chart and listed in the UK AIP. The examples on this page don't give real frequencies.
02What a FISO Can and Can't Do
Under a Basic Service, avoiding other aircraft is entirely your job. The FISO isn't required to watch your flight.
What You'll Get
- Weather, including the regional pressure setting
- Airspace activity, such as active danger areas
- Traffic information in general terms, like gliding at a named site
- A warning if they believe there's a definite risk of collision
- An alerting service: someone knows you're airborne
What You Won't Get
- A radar service. Any squawk they give you is for conspicuity, not identification
- Specific traffic information or separation from other aircraft
- Clearances, or instructions to climb, descend or turn
- Any service inside controlled airspace
- An agreement to hold a level or route, which only a controller can make
Because a FISO doesn't give clearances, you'll never hear "cleared" from "Information".
03When to Call, and the Initial Call
Calling London Information is optional in class G airspace, but it's good airmanship on any cross-country, and once you're clear of your departure aerodrome's frequency it's often the obvious next station.
Typical moments to call: after leaving your departure aerodrome's frequency, or when a radar unit's service ends. Keep the first call short: who you're calling, who you are and what you want. When you hear "pass your message", give your details in the order CAP 413 sets out, whenever possible:
- Callsign and aircraft type
- Departure point and destination
- Present position
- LevelAltitude, with the pressure setting you're on if it helps.
- Additional details or intentionsNext route point, flight rules if useful.
In this example, G-JJER is flying from the fictional aerodrome Newbridge towards Wrayton. The pressure setting is made up.
London Information, Golf Juliett Juliett Echo Romeo, request Basic Service.
Golf Juliett Juliett Echo Romeo, London Information, pass your message.
Golf Juliett Juliett Echo Romeo, Cessna 152, from Newbridge to Wrayton, overhead Hillford, altitude two thousand fife hundred feet, VFR, routeing to Ashby.
Golf Echo Romeo, Basic Service, Cotswold one zero zero six, report at Ashby.
Basic Service, Cotswold one zero zero six, wilco, Golf Echo Romeo.
Two items must be read back: the type of service and the pressure setting. The pressure here is a regional pressure setting, a forecast of the lowest QNH in a named altimeter setting region, issued every hour for the period one to two hours ahead, so it's always read back with the region's name. If it's below 1000, add "hectopascals", as in "Cotswold niner niner eight hectopascals". "Report at Ashby" is a request, so "wilco" covers it.
You may also be given a squawk. London and Scottish Information use conspicuity codes that tell nearby radar units you're on their frequency. Read the code back and set it. It doesn't mean you're identified or receiving a radar service. For more on call structure, see our CAP 413 phraseology guide.
04Position Reports and Changing Frequency
A position report has five parts, in this order: callsign, position, time, level, and next position with an estimate.
Golf Echo Romeo, Ashby, time one fife, altitude two thousand fife hundred feet, estimating Wrayton zone boundary time two eight.
Golf Echo Romeo, roger.
If your plan changes, such as a new destination, tell the FISO so the alerting service stays accurate.
Leaving the Frequency
Don't just disappear. Tell London Information you're leaving, and where you're going. Before a zone, a MATZ or an ATZ, change to that unit's frequency in good time. Our guide to MATZ and ATZ radio calls covers what to say when you get there. The frequency below is made up.
Golf Echo Romeo, request change to Wrayton Radar, one two six decimal fife fife zero.
Golf Echo Romeo, Basic Service terminated, squawk seven thousand, freecall Wrayton Radar one two six decimal fife fife zero.
Squawk seven thousand, freecall Wrayton Radar one two six decimal fife fife zero, Golf Echo Romeo.
"Freecall" means Wrayton doesn't have your details yet, so start again with your full callsign. Frequency changes are on the read-back list.
05Frequency Monitoring Codes vs a FIS
Near busy controlled airspace, many radar units publish a frequency monitoring code (FMC), sometimes called a listening squawk. It's a different tool from a Basic Service.
- An FMC isn't a service. You set the unit's code and listen on its frequency, without calling. If you look like you're about to infringe their airspace, the controller can call you, workload permitting. There's no guarantee they will.
- A Basic Service from London Information means two-way contact, a regional pressure setting and an alerting service, but nobody watching the edge of a zone for you.
- You can only squawk one code, so pick what suits the leg: London Information in open country, or a monitoring code while skirting a busy zone. Whichever you choose, check the code and the frequency match.
06Emergencies: London Information or 121.5?
CAP 413 says that if you're already receiving a service, you ask for help on the frequency you're on. So if London Information is giving you a Basic Service, they're a perfectly good first call, and they'll coordinate help.
If you aren't receiving a service, go to 121.5 MHz and call "London Centre", the callsign CAP 413 uses for emergency calls in the UK. Those calls are handled by the Distress and Diversion cell, which can help to fix your position. Set 7700, with altitude reporting if you have it, ideally before the call. Remember that a FISO has no radar of their own, so if you're lost and need a fix, 121.5 is often the better choice anyway.
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, London Centre, Golf Juliett Juliett Echo Romeo, Cessna 152, engine failure, making forced landing, fower miles north of Ashby, passing two thousand feet, heading tree four zero, PPL, no instrument qualification, two persons on board.
Learn the call order in our Mayday and Pan guide. If the problem is a dead radio rather than a dead engine, our radio failure procedure guide covers 7600 and what to do next.
07Common Mistakes
- Asking London Information for a Traffic Service. They can only give a Basic Service. Ask a radar unit instead.
- Treating a Basic Service like radar cover. Nobody is watching for traffic on your behalf. Your lookout is the only protection.
- Missing the region name in the pressure read-back, or not setting the new value.
- A rambling "pass your message" reply, with details out of order or missing your destination.
- Shortening the callsign before London Information does.
- Leaving without saying so, which leaves the alerting service tracking an aircraft that's gone.
08How It Comes Up in the Practical Test
Many simulated routes in the FRTOL practical test include an en-route call to a flight information service, with the examiner playing the FISO.
The examiner is listening for a short first call, a well-ordered "pass your message" reply, read-backs of the service and pressure setting, and correct callsign use. If the emergency comes while you're with "Information", make it on that frequency, in full.
The theory behind the services also turns up in the FRTOL written exam, and our main guide summarises the four UK flight information services. When you arrive at your destination, our overhead join radio calls guide picks up where this one ends.
09London Information Questions
Can London Information give me a Traffic Service?
No. London Information is staffed by flight information service officers, and CAP 774 says FISOs only provide a Basic Service. For a Traffic Service you need a radar-equipped air traffic control unit, such as a LARS unit.
Do I have to talk to London Information?
No. In class G airspace you don't have to receive any air traffic service. Calling London Information is optional, but it means someone knows roughly where you are, and it gives you an alerting service if things go wrong.
What is the difference between London Information and London Centre?
London Information is the flight information service on its own frequencies, giving a Basic Service. London Centre is the callsign CAP 413 tells you to use for emergency calls on 121.5 MHz, which are answered by the Distress and Diversion cell.
What is a regional pressure setting?
It is a forecast of the lowest QNH in a named altimeter setting region, issued every hour for the period one to two hours ahead, such as Cotswold or Chatham. Setting it gives you a safe, conservative altitude reading when you are away from an aerodrome. Read it back with the region name.
Can London Information clear me into controlled airspace?
No. A FISO can't give clearances and can't provide a service inside controlled airspace. Change to the controlling unit's frequency in good time and get your clearance from them before you reach the boundary.
10Official Sources
This guide is a summary. For real flying, always use the current official documents, your chart and the UK AIP for frequencies and codes.
This guide and the FRTOL app aren't approved by or affiliated with the UK CAA or NATS, and they don't replace your instructor, your examiner or the official documents. Checked against CAP 774 (edition 4) and CAP 413 (edition 24) in November 2026.