NPCX/Clipperton Oceanic OPSGROUP finally has its own airspace. We’re delighted to make public, after 18 months of negotiation with the local Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), that control of the Clipperton FIR has been assigned to FSB. Operations commenced last night at 2359Z. Read our article, or the official Press Release on the DCA website.

FMCZ/Mayotte Civil unrest and an indefinite general strike continues in Mayotte, with protests and roadblocks on major roads including those around the airport, as well as the capital, Mamoudzou.

SCZZ/Chile ADS-C and CPDLC are now available for FANS-1/A capable aircraft across all of Chile’s oceanic FIR’s (SCIZ/Isla de Pascua, SCFZ/Antofagasta, SCEZ/Santiago, SCTZ/Puerto Montt, and SCCZ/Punta Arenas), except on airways UL302, L302, UL780, and L780. There’s a single CPDLC logon code for all these areas: SCEZ.

LFZZ/France Another ATC strike has been announced, this time just for the LFMM/Marseille ACC, from 04z on Apr 7 to 04z on April 9. If the strike goes ahead, overflight traffic should route around the LFMM sector during this period.

LEZZ/Spain CPDLC is now available above FL285 across Spanish airspace for CPDLC ATN VDL Mode 2 equipped aircraft. The logon code for the Madrid FIR is LECM, and for the Barcelona FIR is LECB.

TTZZ/Piarco CPDLC is out of service until the end of March. All voice comms must be made via New York Radio. Aircraft are requested to log on to TTZP for ADS-C position reporting. Also, include the AFTN address KNYCZZZX when filing your flight plans.

VEPT/Patna From Mar 25 onwards, the airport will now be open 24/7.

OEZZ/Saudi Arabia The Saudi government have confirmed that on Mar 25, seven ballistic missiles were fired toward Saudi Arabia from within Yemen. The rebels said they were targeting OERK/Riyadh Airport and other sites in the capital. All seven missiles were intercepted and destroyed, although one person died and two more were injured by falling fragments of one missile over a residential neighbourhood in Riyadh.

DNZZ/Nigeria Workers’ unions in the aviation industry have threatened to shut the airspace and ground all flight activities in protest against the Federal Government’s refusal to pay pension money owed to Nigeria Airways ex-workers. This “indefinite industrial action” is due to start on Apr 2, unless an agreement is reached.

OPRN/Islamabad Ongoing fuel supply issues. There’s a Notam out that says all aircraft must currently tanker in sufficient fuel for their outbound flight.

ZZZZ/Worldwide ICAO will raise the weight threshold requirement for hardened cockpit doors for aircraft with 19 or fewer seats from 100,310 pounds (45.5 metric tons) MTOW to 120,152 pounds (54.5 metric tons). This means that current and future ultra-long-range business jets, including the G650ER and Global 7000 will no longer need to meet this requirement. The new standard will become effective Jul 16, 2018, and applicable to member states in Nov 2018.

DTZZ/Tunisia The strike by ATC Technicians originally planned for Mar 23-25 has now been rescheduled for Apr 6-8. They postponed it to facilitate further talks between participating unions and employers over a range of grievances. If the strike goes ahead, it is not yet clear whether specific airports will be affected.

ORZZ/Iraq Turkey have only partially followed the lead of the Iraqi government’s decision to re-open the Kurdish airports ORER/Erbil and ORSU/Sulaymaniyah to international flights. Turkey will now start allowing flights to ORER/Erbil to use its airspace, but not flights to ORSU/Sulaymaniyah – citing their ongoing concerns about terrorism in Sulaymaniyah.

OEZZ/Saudi Arabia On Mar 22, Air India made history by becoming the first commercial flight to be allowed to use Saudi airspace, on a route between VIDP/Delhi and LLBG/Tel Aviv. However, Israeli flag carrier El Al has not been given similar permission, and must still take a more circuitous path to avoid Saudi Arabia, adding hours to the flight time.

KZZZ/USA With the roll-out of PBCS coming on Mar 29, the FAA requires N-reg operators to update their A056 LOA authorization, but they are delaying the renewal deadline to Sep 30 for private (Part 91) operators only. Notice N 8900.445 has now been updated, and is available here: http://fsims.faa.gov/wdocs/notices/n8900_455.pdf

VICG/Chandigarh Following a similar closure in Feb, the airport will be completely closed for more runway extension work from May 12-31.

KORD/Chicago RWY 15/33, one of the airport’s longest runways since O’Hare opened, will close permanently on Mar 29. After that, most traffic requiring extra-long runways will then be shifted to east-west runways 10L/28R and 10C/28C. Some of the pavement lane of runway 15/33 will survive as a taxiway (“Sierra-Sierra”).

EKZZ/Denmark A strike threat from the meteorological service and ATC could end up paralysing air traffic in Denmark, if an agreement is not reached before Apr 4. If this were to happen, internal flights in Greenland would also be suspended – as airspace here is also run by the same authority.

HUEN/Entebbe Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority has announced that it has launched an investigation into extortion activities by airport staff following a reported incident on Mar 18, where ground handling staff are alleged to have prevented a passenger from boarding a flight to China because he had a one-way ticket and lacked proper documentation, unless the passenger paid a fine of 200 U.S. dollars.

VRZZ/Maldives A state of emergency that had been in place for 45 days amidst political unrest was lifted on Mar 22. There are still some travel advisories in place for the capital Male and Addu City (Addu atoll), but disruption is not expected anywhere else – even throughout the duration of the state of emergency there were no reports that any of the outlying islands, resorts or VRMM/Malé International Airport were affected.

VNKT/Kathmandu The airport re-opened on Mar 13, following the tragic crash of the US-Bangla aircraft on Mar 12. The airport has confirmed that all runways, taxiways and navaids are operational, there are no new restrictions, and the airport operating hours remain the same: 0015z to 1845z daily.

WADD/Bali The airport will be closed all day on Mar 17, for Bali’s day of silence to mark the Hindu New Year. From 6am on Mar 17 until 6am on Mar 18, Bali literally comes to a standstill with almost complete silence throughout the island. Mobile internet gets turned off, and all work and entertainment is forbidden. Non-Hindu residents and tourists must abide by the restrictions too, and no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets.

VHHH/Hong Kong The runway resurfacing project continues. Every night between 1730-2345z, one of the airport’s two runways will be closed, meaning it is even harder than usual to get a slot during these times. The work is scheduled to continue until the end of April 2019.

EPWA/Warsaw A new night curfew is in place: no ops allowed from 2130-0330z between now and Apr 26, except for emergency diverts. After that, the curfew times change to 2130-0330z for the summer time period.

FMCZ/Mayotte Weeks of street protests and roadblocks on major roads including those around the airport, as well as the capital, Mamoudzou. The French government are now in negotiations with local groups, to try to bring an end to weeks of disruption across the island linked to an anti-crime and anti-immigration protest movement.

EIDW/Dublin Night-time runway maintenance work continues. The long runway (RWY 10/28) is available again overnight but with a displaced threshold, meaning a shortened landing distance of 2142 metres.

TLPC/Castries The authorities will now start allowing certain private flights above ICAO Classification Code 2 to operate to the airport – the new limit is Code 3C, with wingspan not greater than 28.5 meters. Daylight ops only, no overnight parking allowed, and you’ll have to sign a form absolving the airport of any responsibility in case anything goes wrong.

FACT/Cape Town Ongoing drought and low dam storage levels. The airport has published a Notam requiring all flights to tanker in water – don’t expect to be able to uplift any at the airport for the foreseeable future. Water rationing in the city of Cape Town has been in place since Feb 1 – without rainfall, the date the city estimates its taps will run dry, which has been dubbed “Day Zero,” has been set as April 16.

RJZZ/Japan Another eruption on Mar 10 at the Shinmoedake volcano in southern Japan. On Mar 14, an ash cloud was still being reported in the area up to FL150. Earlier on Mar 6, two eruptions forced RJFK/Kagoshima Airport to close all day.

VCZZ/Sri Lanka Much improved security situation following communal unrest at the beginning of March. Although the nationwide state of emergency is officially still in place until Mar 16, night-time curfews have now been lifted, and social media access has been restored after a three-day blackout.

LHBP/Budapest One of the airport’s two runways (RWY 13L/31R) will be closed until June 30 for extensive resurfacing works. There may be some delays, as this will result in reduced capacity during single runway ops.

OEZZ/Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has given Air India permission to use its airspace on flights between VIDP/Delhi and LLBG/Tel Aviv. This could mark the end of the 70-year airspace ban that Saudi Arabia has had in place against flights to/from Israel.

CZZZ/Canada A reminder that CANPASS is only available for private aircraft carrying no more than 15 people (including the crew). Any more than that and you’ll need to call in advance to arrange for customs clearance on arrival. More info here: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/

WADD/Denpasar Bali’s airport will be closed for runway repair each night from 18-23z (except Saturdays) until Mar 30.

FSZZ/Seychelles They have pushed back the ADS-B mandate for all airspace within the FSSS/Seychelles FIR from Dec 2017 to Dec 2020.

HLLM/Mitiga Following multiple recent closures due to ongoing clashes between local militia, the airport will now completely close each night between 22-04z until at least May 16. For the latest on Libya, check here.

CZZZ/Canada On May 24, the Canada ADIZ will be expanded to include most of the Arctic Archipelago. For the east and west coasts, the inner boundary will be moved offshore. Full details here.

SVZZ/Venezuela There is an ongoing government ban on all flights from Venezuela to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Multiple continued travel warnings in place for Venezuela – significant level of violent crime, and unstable political and economic situations. Recommended to avoid planning tech stops here.

VABB/Mumbai The airport will be closed from 0530-1130z (1100-1700 local time) on Apr 9 & 10, for scheduled maintenance ahead of the monsoon season, which spans from May to September.

VIDP/Delhi New rule in effect from Feb 19 – you now need slots for arrival and departure. You can only apply a maximum of 5 days in advance. Maximum ground time is now 3 days (unless you go into a hangar). Full details here.

VAAH/Ahmedabad The airport will be closed for runway repair daily from 0430-1330z between Mar 1 – Apr 15. This will mainly affect operators going to VABB/Mumbai (250 NM), as VAAH is the most commonly used international alternate. All other decent airports (e.g. VOHS/Shamshabad, VIJP/Jaipur) are much further away, so you’ll need to carry extra fuel.

TBZZ/Barbados Multiple sewage leaks across large parts of the island’s popular south coast. Some residents have been forced to move, some businesses have closed, and some visitors to the island have complained about contracting gastroenteritis. Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom put all issued travel advisories warning their citizens about the risks of travel to Barbados due to the current sewage problem.

HAZZ/Ethiopia Following a week of anti-government protests, a country-wide state of emergency has been declared, which is set to last for 6 months. No new airport or travel restrictions have been imposed (yet), although expect heightened police presence. During the last state of emergency in 2016, the government shut down the internet and mobile signal for several days.

GUZZ/Guinea Sporadic demonstrations continue to occur across the country, following disputed elections held on Feb 4. There have been violent clashes, including some fatalities, in the northern suburbs of Conakry. Demonstrators have also attacked vehicles when drivers attempted to pass through or around the protests.

LHBP/Budapest The U.S. Embassy in Budapest has issued a Security Alert for the airport that reads in part as follows: “Theft of items from passenger luggage at Budapest Airport has increased. Passengers reported that valuable items had been removed from their checked luggage.”

EPZZ/Poland CPDLC services will be available in Polish airspace between FL285-660 from Mar 29 onwards. The data link address will be EPWW.

UMZZ/Belarus Free route airspace will be implemented in Belarus airspace from Nov 8. At first it will be night-time only (23-05z), between FL305-660, but expect this to be expanded in line with similar plans for free route airspace implementation in Europe.

VRZZ/Maldives The government have extended the state of emergency to mid-March, in the midst of a political crisis that has seen security forces deployed in the capital Malé. Expect more protests there, although so far there have been no reports that VRMM/Malé International Airport or any of the outlying islands have been affected.

UHPP/Petropavlovsk Opening hours are now 20-08z. Outside of those hours, they might open for you, but only with prior coordination, and you can’t file UHPP as an alternate during those times. The airport is still available H24 for emergency diverts though.

NZZZ/New Zealand Cyclone Gita hit the South Island on Feb 20, where a state of emergency has been declared. The forecast for Feb 20-22 shows heavy rain, risk of flooding, and gusting winds of around 50kts. All the major international airports remain open, although Air New Zealand cancelled all flights in and out of NZWN/Wellington on Feb 20.

LOWI/Innsbruck The airport is getting busy with winter ski flights, so from Wednesdays 18z to Sundays 18z until Apr 15, GA/BA flights will now only be allowed a maximum of 1 hour on ground.

DAZZ/Algeria Air Algerie flights resumed on Jan 23 after a wildcat strike by cabin crew grounded nearly all departures from the capital’s airport DAAG/Algiers the previous day. Their trade union has threatened more strike action in the coming weeks.

KZZZ/USA The US government shutdown only lasted 2 days in the end: Jan 20-22. Now a bill has been signed to restore federal funding up until Feb 8. This is good news for general aviation, as the shutdown had effectively halted all FAA non-critical functions. One such example is the U.S. Aircraft Registry – when that shuts it halts the purchase, sale, maintenance, and in some cases even the movement of aircraft. For all the details on how government shutdowns impact general aviation, NBAA have it covered here.

KDCA/Washington State of the Union Address on Jan 30. No GA ops allowed at KDCA airport that day from 2000-2300 local time, including participants in the ‘DCA Access Standard Security Program’ (DASSP). No such restrictions for other airports in the area, including KBWI/Baltimore and KIAD/Washington Dulles.

DNEN/Enugu Runway repair work that had been ongoing since early Dec has now been completed. The airport is now back to normal ops, and is open from 06-23z.

RJZZ/Japan Expect travel disruption in Tokyo and the surrounding region this week due to a storm on Jan 22 that left the city fully covered with a heavy blanket of snow of over 20 centimetres. The city has come to a standstill with vehicles trapped in bridges and tunnels. Hundreds of cancellations and delays at both RJAA/Narita and RJTT/Haneda on Jan 22 left thousands stranded; both airports will be extremely busy over the next few days as they clear the backlog.

HLLM/Tripoli The only functioning airport in the Libyan capital reopened on Jan 20 after a five-day closure caused by deadly clashes that left passenger jets damaged. However, our advice remains the same: don’t land at any airport in Libya, don’t even overfly the country. Read the latest info here.

ZZZZ/Worldwide A recent rise in the cost of oil means that for the first time in three years, the global benchmark has risen above US$70.00 a barrel. Despite this, four of the major carriers, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Dubai-based Emirates, have confirmed they will not be hedging fuel bills.

HEZZ/Egypt Expect heightened security and traffic disruption in the run up to Jan 25 – the seventh anniversary of the 2011 revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak. Several political parties and movements have backed calls for protests on the day.

KZZZ/USA Heavy snow on Jan 22 closed all runways at KMSP/Minneapolis airport for a few hours and forced the cancellation of over 500 flights. Although the weather forecast across the Midwest states is set to improve over the coming days, anticipate residual travel disruption as many roads are still blocked or partially blocked and icy conditions are present across the region.

SOZZ/French Guiana Controllers are on strike again. The Cayenne FIR (SOOO) will not be providing ATC services overnight from 23z-11z on the nights of both Jan 25 and Jan 26 – although expect more closures to be announced for other nights too. Airspace throughout the entire FIR basically becomes uncontrolled, though some routes are available as their contingency plan is active – review the SOOO Notams for details of those. SOCA/Cayenne airfield is also unavailable as an alternate overnight.

EGGX/Shanwick From March 29 you will need to comply with PBCS (Performance Based Communication and Surveillance) if you want to fly on the NAT Tracks between FL350-390. That means you’ll need ADS-C and CPDLC, and be RNP4 compliant. Depending on where you’re registered, you may also need to get PBCS approval. We’ve got all the details here.

OJAM/Amman The city’s second airport (OJAI is the main one) will be closed to everything except emergency and VIP flights each day from 09-15z until Feb 2.

VIDP/Delhi Due to the Republic Day celebrations, from now until Jan 26, GA ops are prohibited daily between 04-08z, and the airport will be completely closed to all ops daily between 0505-0645z.

KZZZ/USA Heading to watch certain sports games in Minnesota next month? There are a bunch of FAA required routes and a no-fly zone to watch out for. Full details here.

RPZZ/Philippines Powerful volcanic eruptions this week at the Mayon volcano, located around 330km south of RPLL/Manila, and 15km north of RPLP/Legazpi – which is now closed until Jan 27. Over 50,000 people have fled the surrounding areas and are now taking shelter in evacuation camps. Ash is drifting north from the volcano, and clouds have been reported up to FL360 over the ocean directly off the east coast from Manilla. More explosive eruptions are likely within the next few days.

EGLL/Heathrow They will be trialling some new 3.2° RNAV approaches on all four runways until Oct 2018. All carriers that are RNAV 0.3 equipped and operate at Heathrow must have the additional RNAV approaches, details of which can be found in the UK AIP SUP 001/2018.

MKZZ/Jamaica A state of emergency has been declared in parts of St James (which includes Montego Bay). A major military operation is now underway, in response to recent violence including shooting incidents. Travellers are being told to avoid the area, and those already there should remain in their resorts as much as possible.

ENSB/Longyear The Norwegian Ministry of Transport is planning to change the status of ENSB to domestic only effective 01 Oct, meaning that international flights may no longer be accepted. Negotiations ongoing with CAA. Not yet clear whether this will affect use of ENSB as an enroute alternate.

FHAW/Ascension is scheduled to be closed for repairs from Oct 21-30 and Nov 2-8.

LGSA/Chania has limited fuel supply due to an equipment issue, through Oct 2 at present.

VHHH/Hong Kong CAD permit office is closed for a public holiday Oct 2-5. They advise that non-scheduled aircraft will not be processed during this time, so arrange your flight well in advance.

VICG/Chandigarh has restricted Ops from Oct 2 due to runway repairs; it will close on Sundays, and only open 5am-4pm local on all other days.

WADD/Denpasar Mount Agung, a volcano on the Island of Bali, has been showing signs of impending eruption. Some airlines are taking the precaution of carrying extra contingency fuel into Denpasar. WADD airport is currently functioning as normal, but is anticipating closure if any volcanic activity does occur. If Agung follows its previous eruption pattern there is potential for WARR/Surabaya to be affected.

KSMO/Santa Monica From 09 Oct to 30 Dec work to shorten KSMO’s only runway from 5000ft to 3500ft will begin. The runway will be closed overnight from 09OCT to 20DEC, and then closed completely for a ten day period from 20-30DEC. The goal is to reduce air and noise pollution by reducing overall traffic.

LIPH/Treviso will be closing at 2200 on Oct 3 for runway repairs, reopening 0500 on Oct 19. Most scheduled services will be using LIPZ/Venice instead. If you want to do the same, plan ahead as it’s likely to be busy.

LLLL/Tel Aviv FIR Everything – Airspace and airports – closing from 1100Z on Sep 29, until 2030Z on Sep30 for Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. Only emergency ops will be accommodated.

SOOO/Cayenne FIR Industrial action ongoing, contingency plan in place between 1100-2030Z. Essentially it all becomes uncontrolled, unmonitored airspace for the time period specified. No speed or level changes, position reporting required. Specified routes only. They recommend avoiding the airspace if you can, so do we.

EGPK/Prestwick Experiencing ongoing staff shortages which will affect services at night. Check before flying. Procedural approaches, airport closures will be in place on and off from now through Oct 30.

ORZZ/Iraq Tensions around the Kurdish autonomous region are rising, Iran will not accept aircraft that have departed from ORER and ORSU. The Iraqi govt is demanding to be given control of the airports and the Turkish govt is threatening armed intervention in the region. The Turkish govt is also threatening to close its borders with Iraq.

VNKT/Kathmandu Frequent unscheduled closures due to a deteriorating runway surface.

RKZZ/South Korea All government offices in South Korea will be closed starting the afternoon of September 29 through October 9 due to a series of holidays that fall together this year. Normal working hours will resume on October 10. May affect your permit applications.

EINN/Shannon Night works continue throughout Sep which will be closing the main runway (06/24) – and therefore the airport. Try EICK or EIDW as alternates (but check Dublin’s runway too). Notams are regularly update for EINN, check those.

MMZZ/Mexico Ops at Mexico City Airports (MMMX, MMTO) are back to normal following the most recent earthquake. MMMX was closed briefly for a runway/taxiway inspection. Terminal damage, but not affecting international ops airside.

KZZZ/USA A new travel ban has been announced. Effective Oct 18 citizens of the following countries are restricted from travelling to the USA: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

URSS/Sochi is expecting to be busy in Oct as CIS heads of state are meeting there 08-10 Oct. BA/GA flights not taking officials to that meeting will be limited to 2hrs on ground. Tanker as much there as you can. Long delays for arrivals and a request to minimise time on the ground by not refuelling there.

HRYR/Kigali The airport will be closed daily from 08-13z for runway repairs through the end of October.

EIDW/Dublin Runway 10/28 will be closed at night from 2200-0400 through Oct 1.

LPAZ/Santa Maria is not providing Metar/TAF information overnight (0000-0600Z) until Oct 10.

CZZZ/Canada If you have paid Nav fees to Nav Canada in the previous year, you are likely in for a refund in the form of an account credit. They are also reducing their fees.