Historically, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) divided Doc 8168 (Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Aircraft Operations, or PANS-OPS) into two volumes. However, to provide flight crews with a dedicated, streamlined operational reference, ICAO created Volume III.
The First Edition of Volume III was approved in August 2018 and became applicable on .
It is critical to note that Doc 8168 is (Procedures for Air Navigation Services). Under the Chicago Convention, PANS are not as legally binding as SARPS (Standards and Recommended Practices), but they are approved by the ICAO Council and member states are expected to implement them uniformly. In practice, Volume 3 is treated as mandatory for any state that wants its instrument procedures to be legal for international flight.