Media reporting in the last 24 hours has raised concerns amongst operators about a possible Nuclear accident in Russia, leading to a radioactive cloud in the region of Chelyabinsk, in the Ural mountains. USCC/Chelyabinsk is about 100nm south east of USSS/Ekaterinburg Airport.

Russia has denied that any such accident occurred, but cannot account for the increased levels of radioactivity in the region, which were 1000 times higher than normal. Through the Russian met service, they have confirmed the high radiation levels.

Approximate source of radioactivity

However, assessing a report last week from the French Nuclear watchdog, ISRN, we believe there should not be any risk to operators, especially for overflights. The facts are as follows:

• The high levels of radiation were first detected at the end of September in Europe
• Since the beginning of October, levels have decreased in Europe
• ISRN says they are not concerned about risks to health, even at the higher levels
• However, no recent data is presented from Russia

Further reading:

• ISRN Information Report: Detection of ruthenium 106 in France and in Europe

FVZZ/Zimbabwe (Don’t fly here) There’s a coup happening, watch live on CNN.

FVZA/Harare is operating, but the usual coup-style stuff is going on – lots of soldiers at the airport, checkpoints on the way in, and journalists being denied entry on arriving flights.

The city has tanks on the streets. President under house arrest.

FVZA was renamed last week from Harare International Airport to Robert Mugabe International, this might be swiftly reversed.

Both UK and US embassies are advising people to shelter in place until the situation becomes clear.

Update 5 June 2019: All US private flights to Cuba are banned, under a new BIS rule. No Part 91 operations are allowed any longer.

Update 9 Nov 2017: Effective today, the US has new rules for travel to Cuba as an individual. These restrictions will limit the ability of US citizens to undertake most personal travel to Cuba unless part of a licensed group. The new measures will also bar US citizens and companies from engaging in business activities with over 180 Cuban enterprises the US government has concluded are linked to the Cuban government in some way (check the full list here). The new policy will not affect travellers with existing bookings, such as a flight or hotel reservations. Upon their return, all US citizens will be required to maintain proof of all activities in Cuba, and must ascertain that no U.S. laws were violated during their trip. OFAC and CBP will enforce the new regulations, much talk of hefty fines.

If you’re traveling to Cuba from anywhere other than U.S. territory, it should be a doddle. Get a landing permit, arrange your ground handling, file your flight plan, and off you go.

If you’re trying to get to Cuba from the U.S. though, it’s a different story…

A tale of two Presidents…
In December 2014, President Obama announced plans to improve relations between the U.S. and Cuba, and in the July of the following year a lot of restrictions were lifted for N-registered aircraft operators wanting to do private and charter flights to Cuba.

However, the U.S. authorities (the Treasury Department, in this case) didn’t want to break with tradition and make the process completely straight-forward and misery-free, so their Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) introduced a rule which means that only 12 categories of travel are permitted between the US and Cuba. This was then further complicated by legislation introduced by President Trump in June 2017! Here are the permitted categories of travel:

(1) family visits
(2) official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organisations
(3) journalistic activity
(4) professional research and professional meetings
(5) educational activities or so-called “people-to-people” travel – it’s not possible to claim this category if you make your own travel arrangements; this is only possible for officially sanctioned group travel.
(6) religious activities
(7) public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
(8) support for the Cuban people
(9) humanitarian projects
(10) activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
(11) exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
(12) certain export transactions that may be considered for authorisation under existing regulations and guidelines.

As you might have spotted, you cannot simply travel from the U.S. to Cuba for the purpose of general tourism! You have to match one of these 12 categories.

Applying for a licence to travel
Here’s the thing: you don’t actually have to do this.

Once you decide which category applies to you, you do not need to apply for any kind of licence to travel from OFAC – you will simply qualify under their rules for the so-called ‘General Licence’.

However, each one of these 12 categories for permitted travel is highly controlled and has specific requirements that must be met for the exemption to apply. If you want help in trying to work out which one of these categories might apply to you, read the FAQ section of the official guidance – it’s actually pretty good: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf

Once you’ve done that, you might want to read the extra little FAQ they put together, following the changes made by President Trump in June 2017 (basically this just says that no more individual travel for educational or “people-to-people” will be allowed – only group travel will be allowed in this category): https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_20170725.pdf

I don’t match any of those 12 categories – what do I do?
If you do not match any of the categories, things get tricky. In this case you would need to apply to OFAC for a ‘Specific Licence’ – although this process can take up to 3 months. You can do this online at the US Treasury Dept page: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/licensing.aspx

Should I book a trip myself, or book through a tour agent?
If you really are going to Cuba to visit relatives, or for some kind of religious pilgrimage, you could probably get away with making your own travel arrangements.

If not though, the easiest way to make sure you qualify will probably be to just engage the services of a U.S. based company to help make your travel arrangements – they’ll book you on to some kind of tour and get you to a sign a “travel affidavit” to confirm that you really are going to Cuba for the reason you say you are!

If you decide to make your own arrangements, you’ll still need to make sure you carry one of these documents. You don’t need to submit it anywhere in advance, but you do need to keep it handy just in case anyone from CBP asks to see it. To get a sample of this form, click here.

Bear in mind that if you book through a tour company, you will be traveling under a specific, government-approved itinerary. That means that when you get to Cuba, officially, you can’t just go wandering off by yourself. Your tour company won’t be able to book you into Cuban hotels, rent cars or take buses at all, since the Cuban government owns them. You’ll most likely be booked into a bed-and-breakfast, or a homestay, and you will only be able to take part in pre-approved, pre-arranged activities.

All this talk of OFAC and categories and travel affidavits is hurting my brain. Isn’t there an easier way?
Technically, yes there is.

If you want to avoid all this bureaucratic misery, you could always fly to Cuba by way of Mexico or Canada. There are no restrictions from those countries regarding travel to Cuba, so U.S. citizens can fly straight in. Remember, Cuba doesn’t restrict U.S. citizens from entering – just get a visa in advance, and that’s all you need.

However, bear in mind that when you return back to the U.S. – if you get caught out trying to hide your trip to Cuba from U.S. Customs officers, you could face serious punishment.

Cuba landing permit
You’ll need one, regardless of where you’re flying from, or what country your aircraft is registered in. The official notice required by the Cuban authorities to process a permit request is 3 working days. No docs are required to obtain an overflight permit, but for a landing permit, the following is required: CoR, CoA, CoI, crew and pax information, reason for flight and receiving party in Cuba for landing approval. Which brings us neatly on to…

Receiving party
Cuba will only give you a landing permit if you provide the name and contact details of a local receiving party or ‘business sponsor’. If you’re trying to do it yourself and do not yet have a local receiving party arranged in Cuba, you should contact your ground handler to check if they can act in this role for you.

Landing fees
There’s actually a very simple way to work these out:

Handling
The Cuban CAA require all operators to obtain handling confirmation from a company based in Cuba. If you don’t have a copy of an ‘Airworthiness Review Certificate’ for your aircraft (N-registered aircraft, for instance), you have to show a copy of aircraft maintenance log book entries showing the recent work performed on the aircraft and confirming that the aircraft was returned to service in an airworthy condition. Also, any jet over 10,000 LBS MTOW must provide a noise certificate via their handling company.

Visas
If you’re flying to Cuba from the U.S. you’re going to need to get proper business visas (remember, you’re not a tourist!). Although it is possible to obtain these on arrival in Cuba, reports suggest that it takes ages to process, so it’s probably best to get these in advance.

Insurance
Make sure that your aircraft insurance does not specifically exclude travel to Cuba – many do!

Foreign passengers
If you’re flying between the U.S. and Cuba with foreign nationals onboard – they are subject to the exact same rules as U.S. nationals in terms of meeting OFAC licensing requirements. The only exception is for Cuban citizens present in the United States in a non-immigrant status – they can travel to Cuba without having to tick any of those 12 OFAC boxes.

Time on the ground in Cuba
U.S.-registered aircraft are allowed remain in Cuba for up to seven consecutive nights. If you want to go for longer then you will need to get an export licence – that gets complicated.

US Airports of Entry for your return flight
Recent policy changes mean that aircraft can now depart to Cuba from any customs designated airport in the U.S. (this applies to both U.S. and foreign-registered aircraft). However, when you return to the US, as you will be entering the from the south, you will need to land at the first designated airport of entry that is nearest to the point of crossing the U.S. border or coastline; if you want to land elsewhere you will need to get a Border Overflight Exemption.

Here is the list of southern airports of entry, from US Code of Federal Regulations 19 122.24

More information: There are a ton of reports on Cuba in Airport Spy, which is where all of us in OpsGroup tell each other about the airports we’ve been to – good ATC, bad handlers, rip-off fees… think of it as the TripAdvisor of airports. Also, if you want to know exactly how to get your Cuba landing permit, check out our Permit Book – this tells you how to get a permit for each and every country in the world!

This is now officially a domestic airport – international arrivals are no longer permitted.

We asked the Norwegian CAA the million-dollar question: can ENSB still be used as an ETOPS or emergency enroute alternate?

Their response: “ENSB now being a domestic airport, it shall not be used as an alternate airport in normal flight planning, but in case of emergency, medical – or flight safety related, the airport may be used.”

In other words, if you are planning a Polar flight and want to use ENSB as an ETOPS or emergency enroute alternate, you can. 

We also spoke with the ATC tower at the airport: they confirmed that you can still use ENSB as an emergency divert, and they have someone there on duty H24. The normal RFF category is 8.

So why has the airport been downgraded from international to domestic?

It seems it has something to do with the authorities desire to limit the amount of charter fights operating directly to Svalbard. Now, if you want to go there you will first have to go to one of Norway’s international airports to clear customs, and then continue on to Svalbard as a domestic flight. The Norwegian CAA say direct international charter flights may still be allowed “in the interests of tourism”, but it seems this will be the exception rather than the rule.

Interestingly, you can still fly to ENSB direct from Russia, as they have a separate agreement from 1974 regarding the use of  the airport – which is unaffected by this new rule.

Even more interesting is that when you get to Svalbard, if you decide to leave the main town of Longyearbyen, it is a legal requirement to carry a gun, and to know how to use it – they’re not joking about those polar bears.

At 0800 local this morning, Iraqi controllers returned to work. For the last few days, Iraqi ATC had been on strike for better pay, effectively closing the Baghdad FIR and intermittently Baghdad and Basra airports. An 80nm in trail requirement has been removed. Military controllers, pictured above, who had been running ORBI/Baghdad Airport have completed their duties.

Local ATC controllers tell us that the strike is over – they are running what they call ‘ops normal’ for two weeks, before they will/may strike again as negotiations continue. Inside word is that a number of local controllers have been fired, and Serco were providing most of the staff to cover the centre. Baghdad FIR Control Centre and Iraqi Airports are running normally – for now.

We are still expecting the FAA to remove the restriction for US operators using the Baghdad FIR, this is a separate issue. No further news on that just yet.

Last week we reported on an equipment issue with Iridium satcom that prompted a ban by a number of Oceanic ATC agencies. Some aircraft were receiving massively delayed clearances sent by ATC via CPDLC – and one took the instruction and climbed 1000 feet, even though the message was meant for the flight the aircraft operated previously.

Here were the areas which had previously published Notams restricting the use of Iridium: Brazil Atlantico (SBAO), Auckland (NZZO), Chile (SCIZ), Japan (RJJJ), Anchorage (PAZA), Oakland (KZAK), New York (KZNY and KZWY).

However, all FIR’s have now removed their notams which banned the use of Iridium for CPDLC and ADS-C. This has happened after tests were performed last week using Iridium SATCOM which confirmed that Iridium no longer queues CPDLC uplinks for more than five minutes.

Article header photo by @Zelgomat

As you may know, the FAA is working on Runway Status Lights (RWSL). It’s a new system that’s live at 20 airports in the US. Basically, you get a nice set of red lights (embedded in the ramp) that tell you whether it’s safe or not to proceed. These lights are installed (or placed or located) at the entrance of the runway and at the start of takeoff. If any of these lights are red, you don’t go. Simple as that.

Diagram of RWSL

These lights are fully automated and completely independent of ATC, which means they do not have a clue if the lights are red or not. This is intentional. If you get clearance from ATC, and you see red lights, the red lights take precedence over the controller. The FAA has issued SAFO17011, stating:

There have been several instances at RWSL airports where flightcrews have ignored the illuminated red in-pavement RWSL lights when issued a clearance by Air Traffic Control (ATC). Illuminated RWSLs mean aircraft/vehicles stop or remain stopped and contact ATC for further direction, relaying to ATC that the RWSLs are illuminated.

This system will be expanding throughout the United States, and you can read more about the system here: FAA Runway Status Lights.

Tropical Storm Saola is south of Japan, gusts to 80kts, will affect southerly Japan airports ROAH, RJFF, RJFK on Sunday and on current track Tokyo likely affected by Monday.

Monitor:

• http://www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC/
• https://www.cyclocane.com/

Earlier this month we reported about the transition of the United States ATC system to a National Single Data Authority (NSDA). https://ops.group/blog/cpdlc-for-us-airspace-the-implementation-process/

The initial phase of this process is scheduled to start this weekend on 22Oct at 0330Z with a single CPDLC logon ID for domestic US airspace (KUSA) and ATC issuing departure clearances using CPDLC.

You can read more details about Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication–Departure Clearance (CPDLC-DCL), general procedures for logging on/notifying, loading the flight plan, receiving the CPDLC-DCL, responding to the CPDLC-DCL message, and disconnecting/logging off  here:

NAS Data Communications Guide

Last week we reported on an equipment issue with Iridium satcom that prompted a ban by a number of Oceanic ATC agencies. Some aircraft were receiving massively delayed clearances sent by ATC via CPDLC – and one took the instruction and climbed 1000 feet, even though the message was meant for the flight the aircraft operated previously.

Today, we checked-in again with all the oceanic ATC centres, to see what their current policy is on the issue.

EGGX/Shanwick told FSB that they are aware of the issue, reviewed it, but have decided not to ban the use of Iridium for either CPDLC or ADS-C just yet. LPPO/Santa Maria have the same position. So, in this airspace, you can use Iridium, for now.

CZQX/Gander said they did a safety analysis of it, and decided not to ban it. They have all kinds of conformance alerts in place to prevent any problems from happening – so if aircraft deviate they get notified immediately.

BIRD/Reykjavik aren’t that concerned about the issue – they use HF most of the time anyway.

Chile (SCIZ)
Japan (RJJJ)
Anchorage (PAZA)
Oakland (KZAK)
New York (KZNY and KZWY)
All these centres have published Notams instructing crews not to use Iridium for CPDLC or ADS-C. Until the fault is fixed, in those regions you’ll have to either use HF for ATC comms, or use another SAT provider.

Auckland (NZZO) and Brazil (Atlantico SBAO) have applied the ban to CPDLC alone. Use ADS-C if you like.

From Iridium themselves, they told FSB: “We’ve updated their queue management system. Every minute, there is a queue check. If there is any message that is older than 4 minutes, it marks as timed out, and will not be delivered. This update was done at ground level, so it does not require any software updates by the user. We’re still waiting on feedback from FAA workgroup on the fix and if it’s sufficient to allow use of Iridium for CPDLC and ADS-C.”

That’s it for now! We’ll keep you posted, or, even better – tell us below in the comment section if you hear news.

Update 18th Oct: No more events are planned at this time. However, we will keep this page updated with the latest news as we get it.

Sections of NAT airspace are set to close on various different dates in October. This is all due to U.S. and NATO joint military exercise that’s going on, called Formidable Shield, which will mean huge chucks of airspace will be closed to civil ops for many hours.

The basics for each event are the same:

• Airspace closed, SFC-UNL.
• Aircraft capable of flying in MNPS airspace will have to keep at least 30nm away from the area, other aircraft will need to keep 60nm away.

Event 1 – Happened on 25th Sep. 

Event 2 – Happened on 7th Oct.

Event 4 – Happened on 15th Oct. (Yes, Event 4 happened before Event 3 – just to confuse us!)

Event 3 – Happened on 17th Oct.

India has new crew visa requirements.

• Visa upon arrival is no longer available.
• It is mandatory for all crew to have visas arranged before arrival to India.

When flying as operating crew you will need an e-Business Visa. Carry a copy with you when disembarking.

Processing time is around 4 to 5 days.

Use the following link to apply.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration

Keep in mind e-tourist visa is for pax only.

On October 12th, GCAA announced the changes to the OMAE FIR.  They’ve got it all detailed in the latest AIRAC (AIP link below).

The major change–all aircraft require RNAV1 with GNSS to operate in the Emirates FIR, starting December 7th.  This is a change from the previous RNAV5.  With that, you can expect changes to SIDs, STARs, all ATS routes, holding procedures, communication frequencies, and others.  It’s a major overhaul to anticipate for the expected increase in traffic.

We’ve got for you:

–AIC 04/2017
–AIP Link (you can find all the specifics to the changes here)
–UAE ENROUTE CHART

OMAE/UAE 
TRIGGER NOTAM - PERM AIRAC AIP AMDT NR 13/2017 WEF 07 DEC 2017
RNAV 1 WITH GNSS OPS RQMNTS MANDATED
RNAV 1 ROUTES ADDED
STD ROUTINGS AMD
CONDITIONAL ROUTES ADDED
ENR HOLDINGS ADDED
WAYPOINTS ADDED, DELETED AND AMD
OMR-51 LOWER LIMIT AMD
ADDED FREQ FOR EMIRATES FIR. 
07 DEC 00:00 2017 UNTIL 21 DEC 23:59 2017.

Post Maria Airport and Airspace status:

Updated October 25, 2017 1800Z

Bahamas

• MYMM/Mayaguana: Open and operating
• MYSM/ San Salvador: Open and operating

Turks & Caicos

• MBPV/Providenciales: Open and operating
• MBGT/Grand Turk: Open and operating

Dominican Republic

• All Airports Open and operating

Puerto Rico

TJZS all aircraft should use caution when operating within the interior or near the Island due to numerous low flying rotary wing aircraft.  For additional operation information click here.

• TJSJ/San Juan: Open and operating. Airport continues to be under massive strain and Humanitarian flights are still top priority. The VHF frequencies and radar are working but intermittent.  CPDLC unavailable.  Fuel is available. Operators must make contact with Aerostar or handler for gate allocation. Slots now only required if you’re using the contingency ramp there. Call MFOC at 001-850-283-5994 all other flights file FPL normal. Overnight parking is available.
• TJIG/Isla Grande: Open and operating from 0600-1900. Customs open 0800-1730.  Frequency 121.7 for advisory. Tower is operational. Overnight parking available.
• TJBQ/Aguadilla: Military and Relief flights only. Tower is open and operating. Limited water, electricity, and internet. For services phone contact has been more successful due to internet complications.
• TJPS/Ponce: Military and Hurricane relief and Air Carriers with PPR.
• TJRV/Ceiba: Military, Hurricane relief, and GA flights only. Sunrise to Sunset only due to airport lighting down. VFR only no ATC or Tower. Fuel available.  No heavy equipment available to offload supplies. Military flights are required 48HR PPR contact: 805-326-9041.
• TJVQ/Vieques: Open and operating. Sunrise to Sunset only due to airport lighting down. Internet not available.

For more information on operating into Puerto Rico

For Ops reports in Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands

• TISX/St.Croix: Open and operating. A contingency ramp has been established for FEMA/DOD flights they require Slot reservation contact MFOCC at 1-850-282-0236. All aircraft should contact Longhorn Ops on 251.9 or 139.9 (+/-20min) before landing to arrange parking and fueling. Normal ATC procedures. Customs available.
  
• TIST/St.Thomas: Open and operating. Airport hours are 0900-1800 local time.  Customs available 0800-1600LT. Equipment available for Cargo offload.  Fuel available. Fema permit NOT required.  Tower and unicom frequency is 118.8. Limited coverage from SJU Center.  ATIS, navaids, ILS, runway lights – all out of service.  For services contact St.Thomas Jet Center customerservice@sttjetcenter.com (email is best as phones are intermittent Contact Roy Romney: 340-690-5076/ or Terri Thomas: 340-626-5270 for immediate questions.
  Include the following when requesting services:
  Company name
  Tail #
  Make and model of aircraft
  Date of arrival/departure
  Local time ETA/ETD
  Number of crew and pax both in and out
  Method of payment
• TIST have island curfew 1900-0800 still in place

For more information on operating into TIST/STT

British Virgin Islands

• TUPJ/Beef Island-Tortola: Open and operating 1130-2100z, but VFR only. Fuel available, limited internet, and electrical power.  The perimeter fence was badly damaged by hurricane Irma, so the airport is no longer secured. No overnight parking. Only Property owners, residents and citizens are allowed in the territory at this time.  ATS services reduced to 5nm radius of the airport. Flights will need to get PPR here: http://ppr.bviaaops.com or via email: clevons@bviaa.com mfrance@bviaa.com Csmith@bviaa.com Lyrubain@bviaa.com Dhamm@bviaa.com
• TUPA/Anegada: Airport closed.
• TUPW/Virgin Gorda: Airport closed.

Sint Maartin

• TNCM/Princess Juliana: Open and Operating 0700L-Sunset (due to no lighting). Fuel is available.  File FLP from point of origin due to com difficulties.  Equipment to offload cargo is fine, Menzies in charge of the cargo loader.  Main Frequency 118.7. ATC is operational (1100Z-Sunset daily). 3 fire vehicles active at the airport, fire CAT 9. Hotel rooms are difficult to find but handler can help arrange.

For information on TNCM/SXM

St. Kitts & Nevis

• TKPK/Basseterre: Open and operating
• TKPN/Nevis Island: Open and operating

Antigua

• TAPA/Antigua: Open and operating.

Anguilla

• TQPF/The Valley: Open and Operating. Open from 1100Z to Sunset only. PPR required. Call sign Anguilla Radio on 118.500 25NM out. Fuel is available, Internet, Water and Electrical in terminal. ATC not available contact: 1-264-476-9642 or 1-264-476-5655. Comms with weather and traffic only. Call Aeronautical station for slot reservations (arrival and departure) 1-264-497-1646 and 1-264-584-5397

Guadeloupe

• TFFR/Pointe-a-Pitre: Open and operating

Dominica

Serious damage. Homes and trees flattened. Recovery efforts are currently being coordinated from the nearby islands of St Lucia and Antigua.

• TDPD/Roseau: Open and operating with limitations. Hours Sunrise – Sunset. Electricity is via standby generator. Water supply is limited and JetA1 fuel is available only. Comms 118.9 standby radio is working and Fire CAT5. Ground handling available on request. Customs, Immigration, and agriculture officers present. Perimeter fence is limited to 60%.
• TDCF/Canefield: Open and operating on a limited basis. Largest aircraft that can operate there is a Twin Otter. Only handheld ATC from offsite location, tower was heavily damaged. Difficult to contact as most communications are still down. Most utilizing Helicopters and St.Lucia is being used as a staging airport.

• TTCP: Open and operating normally
• TTPP: Open and operating normally

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Effective immediately Turkey has suspended all Visa services to US citizens. This includes both physical Visa and E-Visa.

• Any visa granted before 08OCT will stand until expiry of validity date.
• Any visa granted after 08OCT will be revoked.
• No new visa will be granted from now.

However, most operating crew will not be impacted. When listed on Gendec as Operating crew and you have a valid crew ID, you may stay up to 72hrs without visa.

We will update any changes here as and when known.

Several ATC unions have called for a national strike, affecting French airports and airspace from Monday evening at 1700UTC (Oct 9) through Wednesday at 0400UTC (Oct 11).

All FIRs are experiencing high delays.

Impact expected to the FIR’s per current  (10OCT) information are as follows:

LFRR/Brest Experiencing high delays

LFFF/Paris All sectors experiencing delays with highest delays in the west. Situation is starting to show signs of improvement.

LFEE/Reims All sectors experiencing delays with highest delays in the East and North

LFBB/Bordeaux Some high delays and with no ease forseen

LFMM/Marseille High delays all around. Regulations will be in place until a least 2359UTC

The following routes are available:
Tango 9 Global and Tango 213 Global, UM30 and UZ180 are fully available.
T9 is still dealing with alot of delays.

Airports:

LFPG/Paris DeGaulle and LFPO/Paris Orly are experiencing delays and there is a 30% capacity reduction in both airports plus at the following airports:

LFOB/Beauvais, LFLL/Lyon, LFML/Marseille, LFMN/Nice, LFBO/Toulouse and LFRS/Nantes
LFSB/Basel – unconfirmed as of yet but may be used as an alternate
LFPB /Paris-Le Bourget will not be affected.

Expect high impact. Ops over or to France are best avoided today.

We will continue to post any further information here as soon as received.

Tropical Storm Nate is currently just off the northern coast of Nicaragua, moving NW at 8kts with sustained winds of 35kts.

It’s forecast to move on towards Louisiana over the weekend as a Cat 1 Hurricane.

Heavy rain expected across Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsular.

No airport closures anywhere yet, but keep an eye on the forecast for MMUN/Cancun, as that’s directly in the path of the storm.

Update 03Oct: The FAA has released AC_90-117, which is their updated overview of Data Link Communications.

• The United States ATC system transition to a National Single Data Authority (NSDA) is here.
• The changeover will take place on 22Oct at 0330Z
• A single CPDLC logon ID (KUSA) will be provided for domestic US airspace.
• The initial phase is set up to issue departure clearances only
• En-route CPDLC communications within US airspace will be implemented at a later time.
• More details about the transition process are found here NSDA – Data Comm Program
• We’ll post further information as it becomes available

St Thomas re-opens to commercial flights today.

All non-military aircraft need to use St. Thomas Jet Center. To request ops, there’s a Notam out saying you should try calling them direct on +1-340-777-9177, but we’ve heard from our local contacts that might not work. If so, you should send your request via SMS to +1-340-998-7243, but make sure you include complete info about your planned flight:

• Company name
• Tail number
• Make and model of aircraft
• Date of arrival/departure
• Local time ETA/ETD (TIST is GMT-4)
• Number of crew/pax both in and out
• Fuel requirements
• Method of payment

Airport hours are 0900-1800 local time. Only military ops allowed outside these hours.

Tower and unicom frequency is 118.8. Limited coverage from SJU Center.

ATIS, navaids, ILS, runway lights – all out of service.

No customs at the airport – if you need to clear customs then you can do so through TJIG/Isla Grande.

No internet, no ability to print out anything for flight crews, no rental cars. The only phone service that seems to work is AT&T, and that is patchy at best. SMS messages seem to work much better than phone calls.

The Iraqi CAA will ban all international flights to/from ORER/Erbil and ORSU/Sulaimaniyah starting from Friday 29th Sep. 

From then on, those airports will only be open for Iraqi carriers and domestic ops.

Tensions around the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq are rising following a referendum on independence.

The Iraqi govt has demanded that the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) hand over control of its two international airports – ORER and ORSU. Until the KRG comply with this request, the international ban on flights to these airports is set to continue.

At the request of the Iraqi govt, Iran had already closed it’s airspace to ORER/ORSU traffic earlier this week, and Turkey was considering implementing the same ban.

The KRG are now deciding whether to give up control of their airports or lose their international flights. Should it be the latter, then from now on anyone attempting to travel to the region will have to transit via Baghdad.

We will update as more information becomes available.

Update – 1700Z / 05Oct:

Each airport is dealing with PPR individually, so best to make contact locally for full requirements.

Please see our main Maria post here for individual airport and PPR requirements.

First Hand Accounts:  https://ops.group/blog/ops-reports-puerto-rico/

Local Contacts:

Following the 19Sep earthquake in Mexico City, MMMX airport sustained damage, and forced closure:

• If you require information about your flight, get in touch with your airline.
• Access to Terminal 2 is only through the roundabout, plan ahead to arrive on time.
• The airtrain is out of service.  Bus service is available between P6 and P7 from T1 and P4 from T2.
• AICM is currently working on fixing both terminals, and this work is not risking the security the customers.

MMTO/Toluca Remained operational, did not close, no issues reported.

Any updates to MMMX operations will be posted here.

As of 2100Z today 19 September Hurricane Maria was located about 80 miles SE of the island of St. Croix and 175 miles SE of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The category 5 storm is slowly moving WNW at 10 mph. This movement and speed will place the cyclone right over the whole island of Puerto Rico by Wednesday 20 September at around 1800Z.

All Puerto Rican coastal areas are under hurricane warning and all airports in the island are expected to close at some point tomorrow. The East and North coasts of the Dominican Republic are expected to be hit by the storm in the early hours of Thursday 21 September; these coastal areas are also under hurricane warning mainly affecting Punta Cana (MDPC) and Puerto Plata (MDPP), which will most likely stop operations sometime tomorrow.

Last update: 20September at 2000Z

Note: some airports in the Caribbean are closing for the expected arrival of Hurricane Maria. 

Due to damage and weather caused by Hurricane Irma below is the most recent information on Airports affected.

FLORIDA

• KEYW/Key West: GA flights have resumed 18SEP with limited amenities in the area due to damage (Hotac, transportation, catering) Airline flights resume 20SEP with some cancellations. Advised only people who live or are assisting with relief should be traveling to the area for now
• KMTH/Marathon: open and operating as normal
• KMKY/Marco Island: Open and operating as normal
• KTMB/Tamiami: Open and operating as normal
• KMIA/Maimi: Open with minor delays
• KFLL/Ft. Lauderdale: Open with minor delays
• KFXE/Ft. Lauderdale Executive: Open and operating as normal
• KPBI/Palm Beach: Open and operating as normal
• KMLB/Melbourne: Open and operating as normal
• KJAX/Jacksonville: Open and operating as normal
• KTLH/Tallahassee: Open and operating as normal
• KTPA/Tampa: Open with operating as normal.
• KPIE/St. Petersburg: Open and operating as normal
• KSRQ/Sarasota: Open and operating as normal
• KRSW/Ft. Myers: Open with as normal
• KFMY/Ft. Myers: Open and operating as normal
• KAPF/Naples:  Open with some limited services (monitor Notams) as of 18SEP.
• KMCO/Orlando: Open and operating as normal
• KSFB/Orlando Sanford: Open and operating as normal

Antigua & Barbuda

• TAPA/St. Johns: Open and operating as normal from 0800-1700LCL as of 20 SEP
• TAPH/Codrington: Closed until further notice due to serious damage to the airport. TAPA will be used as the hub and aid will be ferried by boat and helicopter to Barbuda

Anguilla

• TQPF/The Valley: Closed for Hurricane Maria until 22SEP1000Z

British Virgin Islands

• TUPJ/Roadtown: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria until at least 20SEP 1800Z
• TISX/St.Croix: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria until 21SEP 1100Z

Cuba

• MUHA/Havana: Open and operating as normal
• MUVR/Varadero: Open and operating as normal
• MUCM/Camaguey: Closed expected to open 28SEP due to extensive damage in the Camaguey Archipelago area.
• MUCC/Cayo Coco: Closed until further notice due to extensive infrastructure damage
• MUSC/Santa Clara: Closed until further notice

Dominican Republic

• MDSD/Santo Domingo: Open and operating as normal
• MDLR/La Romana: Open and operating as normal
• MDPC/Higuey Punta Cana: Closed due to passing of Maria until 21SEP 1200Z

Guadeloupe

• TFFR/Pointe-a-Pitre: Open but accepting Humanitarian, Military and State flights only. ATC is operational 20SEP

Dominica

• TDPD/Roseau: Closed to all flights apart from relief/humanitarian. Runway and Apron have been determined usable, flights operate at their own risk. Unicom frequency active, no ATC – 118.9.
• TDCF/Canefield: Open Emergency flights only as of 20SEP

Haiti

• MTCH/Cap Haitien: Open and operating as normal
• MTPP/Port-au-Prince: Open and operating as normal

Puerto Rico

• TJSJ/San Juan: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria as of 20SEP
• TJBQ/Aguadilla: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria as of 20SEP
• TJPS/Ponce: remains closed until further notice

St. Kitts & Nevis

• TKPK/Basseterre: Planned to open at 1600Z today, not yet confirmed operating
• TKPN/Nevis Island: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria until 20SEP

Turks & Caicos

• MBGT/Grand Turk: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria as of 20SEP. Due to flooding during Hurricane Irma the airport is expected to open 25SEP
• MBPV/Providenciales: Closing for passage of Hurricane Maria as of 20SEP0230Z. Estimating to remain closed until 24SEP

St. Maarten

• TNCM/ St. Maarten: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria as of 19SEP.  ATC is expect to be operational again by end of the month. Still no internet and water but electricity is slowly recovering. Flights will possibly start beginning of October or mid-October at the latest. Ship with fuel should arrive soon for local flights.

St. Thomas

• TIST/St. Thomas: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria until 21SEP

St. Barthelemy

• TFFJ/St. Jean: Open with daily charter evacuation services. No status update as of 20SEP

Montserrat

• TRPG/Gerald’s: Closed for passage of Hurricane Maria as of  20SEP

Save

SOOO/Cayenne FIR:  French Guiana ATC has finally given up the ghost – they’ve now implemented their contingency plan for their airspace, due to continued strike action.

If you want to cross this bit of airspace, there are now very specific routes and levels you have to fly at. Once you’re inside the airspace, don’t change your sped or level. All the details have been published in the Notams – check these carefully!