Just the Facts:

On September 15th, North Korea launched another missile, for the first time crossing over Japanese landmass. This one flew for 19 minutes, flew 2300 miles, and was likely a variant of the Hwasong-12 missile.

With the extended range, it puts more airspace at risk from debris fields.  Once can reasonably exclude quite a bit of this airspace, as all launches are easterly.

This launch passed over the airways below off the coast of Japan:

Continued caution should be taken in oceanic airspace west of North Korea.

For more reading, read our post on the missiles specific to the Sea of Japan:
https://ops.group/blog/heres-why-north-korean-missiles-are-now-a-real-threat-to-civil-aviation/

Typhoon Talim, the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane, is now headed straight for Japan.

On Miyako-Jima Island in Okinawan island chain in the far south-west of Japan, Talim has already brought destruction: winds of over 100mph, power cuts, and the highest recorded rainfall in more than 50 years. The typhoon its expected to progress up towards the Japanese mainland over the weekend.

Forecasters had previously predicted it would pass over Taiwan’s northern cities before continuing on towards the Chinese coastline. A few flights were cancelled, more than 200,000 people were evacuated from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and flow restriction Notams were issued for both countries airspace (RCAA/Taipei FIR & ZSHA/Shanghai FIR) – although airports in the region remained open as the typhoon’s progress was closely monitored.

However, now it seems likely that Japan will bear the worst of the impact. If you’re operating anywhere in this region over the next few days, best keep an eye on the Japanese Met Agency’s dedicated webpage for Typhoon Talim… just in case it decides to change course again.

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/1718.html

There are some new rules at ZBAA about how to go about getting clearance to depart. The new guidance doesn’t seem to have been officially published anywhere yet, but ground handling agents have been handing out a bit of paper translated from Chinese. Check out the image below for original version, which shows what you need to do. Here’s the short version:

1. Make sure your tow tug is in position.
2. Contact the delivery frequency for ATC clearance. Tell them you’re ready to go.
3. Next, contact the ground frequency to apply for clearance to push-back and start-up. (This clearance can only be given by controllers on the ground frequency, not the delivery frequency.)

Also, it’s been reported by an Opsgroup member that if you do not then push-back within 5 minutes of getting your clearance, you will get bumped to the bottom of the pile. Same thing happens if your EOBT is more than 15 minutes early or late from the filed time in the FPL.

Remember, slots are required at ZBAA, and GA aircraft are not permitted to arrive/depart between peak hours 0700-0900 local. There’s also only 24 hours maximum parking time allowed at ZBAA for foreign GA.

A TCO is an authorization issued by EASA to any third-country operator wishing to perform commercial air transport in any of the following European countries:

• 28 EU Member States
• Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

Plus the following territories:

• Gibraltar, Aland Islands, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Saint-Martin, Mayotte

Applications are made directly to EASA using their application form.

https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/application-forms/fotco00160

You will need to provide the following documentation:

• AOC
• Operating Specifications
• Insurance

Contact details for applications are made to:

European Aviation Safety Agency
Applications Handling Department
Postfach 10 12 53
D-50452 Köln
Germany

Fax: +49 (0)221 89990 ext. 4461
E-mail: tco.applications@easa.europa.eu

Should EASA deem the application in order the operating authorization process is completed in approximately 30 days.  Some flights can avoid this requirement, such as Air Ambulance or Humanitarian flights.

Please note:

• Overflights of the above states do not require a TCO permit.
• EU member states cannot issue a permit for their country if the operator does not already hold a TCO operating authorization.

If you plan to operate to these areas, we’d suggest getting your TCO right away, even if you don’t have a planned flight at the moment.  They can take some time to obtain.

For NAT Ops on Sunday August 27th, note that BSGF/Sondrestrom will be closed to all traffic, as they are upgrading infrastructure. Sundays in Greenland see most airports closed in any case, but the option of paying $1000 or so to have them open for you is normally there. On this date,  BGSF won’t be, which may affect your diversion options.

They do say that if there’s an emergency, call them on +299 52 42 27 to determine availability.

All operators, in particular those with an N-reg on the tail, should be aware of the rapidly deepening crisis in Venezuela. The more tabloid news sources will say that “Venezuela is on the brink of civil war”; while that’s not quite the case (yet), it does give you a good indication of the level of concern. In OPSGROUP Note to Members #29 we will summarise the current situation.

 Sanctions  On July 31, the US government imposed sanctions on Venezuela, specifically on President Maduro. This creates an uncertain situation for US registered aircraft operating in Venezuelan airspace. Retaliatory sanctions, even as far as grounding a US aircraft, are not out of the question.

Embassy withdrawals On August 1st, the UK Foreign Office followed the US in withdrawing family of personnel from their respective embassies. This is a common precursor to a deeper security risk, and in the last 5 years we’ve seen this pattern in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

 Flight Ops  See below on overflight. There have been interruptions to Notam and Metar service throughout 2017. At one point it appeared that SV** had lost its connection to the international AFTN system.

 Aireport  The most recent OpsGroup member reports are not encouraging. The top report on SVMI is titled “Hazardous in Caracas“. “The operating conditions in Caracas have deteriorated to a new level. New ATC controllers that have been installed in the last few months do not speak English very well, if at all, and in some cases and they are issuing clearances not appropriate for IFR or terrain clearance. Tremendous caution should be exercised especially when moving internally within Venezuela. SVMI authorities are now demanding to see the complete insurance policy for the aircraft, not just proof of insurance. We had Spanish speaking personnel with us and when we questioned a local SVMI controller about not using English, his response was that we should all be speaking Spanish! “. More in Aireport. If you’ve been through recently, add your report.

Threats SVMI/Caracas Simón Bolívar airport is located in an extremely high-risk area for armed robbery and kidnappings. The US describes the greatest current risks as social unrest, violent crime, and pervasive food and medicine shortages.

Travel advice Western countries are all now recommending against “all but essential travel”. A large majority of airline carriers have now stopped operating to Venezuela, for a mix of reasons – primarily the fact that onward payment of ticket monies have been stopped by the Venezuelan government. There are frequent violent protests.

Overflight Operations through Venezuelan airspace do not require an overflight permit, and so there have been no incidences recorded of US aircraft being denied a permit. However, on several occasions in the last month, Venezuela has for short periods arbitrarily closed its airspace to overflying aircraft. A common problem with Venezuelan overflight is the denial of airspace entry due to unpaid navigation fees, which is why checking this in advance is recommended. This may be a tool used to deny US aircraft entry in the future. Plan operations through the SVZM/Maiquetia FIR with caution. To be clear, we do not assess any risk to enroute aircraft, but be mindful of the fact that if you do enter SVZM airspace, you may end up diverting to an SV** airport. Right now, that’s not ideal. 

Avoiding Venezuela If you elect to avoid SVZM airspace, to the west will be via Colombia – permit required for all overflights, and to the east will be via the SYGC/Georgetown FIR (Guyana) – permit not required, or via the Paramaribio FIR (Suriname) – permit required. Finally to the east, if you use the SOOO/Rochambeau FIR (French Guyana) – permit required unless operating a GA aircraft under 12.5k lbs. 

If you need a tech stop and previously used/considered SVMI, then look at alternatives like TNCC, TTPP, SBEG, SMJP. Use the OpsGroup planning map to figure your best alternate options. 

Published August 2nd, 2017 :

• The full Note to Members is available to OPSGROUP Members as Note to Members #29 in your OPSGROUP dashboard.
• We recommend you review this in full before operations in the northern half of South America.

You can request membership of OPSGROUP to receive the full International Ops Bulletin delivered every Wednesday, along with all OPSGROUP member benefits: Members Questions, Group Discussions, Slack, free maps and charts (normally $25),  Full access to aireport for group reviews of handlers and airports, regular alerts for critical international ops info,  complimentary Airports Database (normally $375), Full access to safeairspace.net including updated risk alerts,  and guidance and help when you want it on any International Operations topic (that last one is really useful!). Read 125 different member reviews.

KZZZ/USA The US has opted for ‘Enhanced Security’ instead of a wider laptop ban. In fact, the existing ban is likely to end once airports can comply with the new rules. The information in the official DHS release is somewhere between vague and zero, which kind of makes sense.

So, the story is pretty simple – there is no wider laptop ban, but no specifics have yet been released publicly as to what exactly ‘Enhanced Security’ means for Aircraft Operators. The DHS will work directly with larger AO’s directly affected.

Following on from the privatisation of Greek Airports this summer (see our article from earlier in June – Summer of Pain), there are new procedures for Greek Slots.

With delays super high into some of the smaller islands, especially at weekends, attention to the correct slot procedure is pretty important.

The slot you’ll get from the HSCA is valid +/- 30 mins. If you go outside that, then you’ll get a flight suspension message from Eurocontrol that looks like this.

FLIGHT PLAN SUSPENSION
ACCORDING TO YOUR FLIGHT PLAN
IFPLID 01020304
ARCID N765AC
ARCTYP C56X
EOBD 160201
EOBT 1945
ADEP LOWI
ADES LGMK
ELDT 2050
NO CORRESPONDING AIRPORT SLOT WAS RECOGNISED

To get a new slot, or the initial one, the official process is this:

1. Go to www.online-coordination.com, check for avail times
2. Pick a handler, and ask them to apply for it – use www.hsca.gr to find a handler.
3. Refile the FPL with the Slot ID

If you have any issues, you can call H24 this number in Greece re. slots: +30 210 997 2656. And, we think, this email should also work: slot-hsca@athensairport.gr

References

• For the full rundown on Coordinated Airports and the Greek Slot process, check this document – GABA Slot Allocation 2017.
• See also: (June 1st, 2017) Greek Summer Ops – Prepare for Pain

There have been many reports of countries cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar.  We’ll leave the speculation to the media, we want to break down what it means for operators and aircraft owners.  Just the facts.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, UAE, Libya, Yemen, Maldives, and Mauritius have all cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

As of now, only Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and UAE have placed flight restrictions on flights to/from Qatar. No known restrictions (beyond those known for Libya and Yemen anyhow) for the remaining countries mentioned in reports.

The new regulations are quite clear. You cannot overfly or land at any airport in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, or UAE with a Qatari registered aircraft. If you have a non-Qatari registered aircraft, and need to operate to/from Qatar and use the mentioned countries airspace you’ll need special approvals from the authorities below:

Saudi Arabia GACA:
+966115253336
special@gaca.gov.sa

Egypt ECAA:
+202 22678535
+202 24175605
AFTN: HECAYAYX

UAE GCAA:
+971 50 642 4911
avsec-di@gcaa.gov.ae

No special exemptions have been mentioned by Bahrain, but they’ve given the following routing for those effected by the restrictions:

UT430 OUTBOUND VIA RAGAS
UR659 INBOUND VIA MIDSI
—

Due to the situation, Iran has published special routing schemes for transitioning their airspace, as they’ll get quite busy:

Qatar to Ankara:
FL150-FL190, RAGAS-UT430-LAGSA-UL223-TESVA/ALRAM

Qatar to Muscat and Karachi FIR:
FL150-FL19, expect climb after KIS
RAGAS-M561-ASVIB (To Karachi)
RAGAS-M561-KHM-BUBAS (To Muscat)

Ankara to Qatar:
Between FL240 to FL300, ALRAM-UT36-MIDSI

Muscat to Karachi to Qatar:
Between FL240 to FL260, N312/A453-MIDSI

Also, if flying from Ankara to UAE (except OMAA), use the below routing:
BONAM-L319-RADID-M317-KUPTO-G666-ORSAR

The situation is fluid, and we will update this post as we continue to collect news.

• Interim report finally released by the German BFU
• Flight Service Bureau version of events confirmed
  
• New pictures released by the investigators

Back in March, FSB covered a major wake turbulence upset experienced by a Challenger 604 after passing an A380.  After our initial story was published, it was covered in various versions in The Times of London, Flying magazine, AIN Business Aviation News,  Deutsche Welle, and NBC. The picture on the Flight Service Bureau facebook page was viewed 1.1 million times.

From the interim report, these facts are confirmed:

• The incident was caused by the wake from an Airbus A380 at FL350
• The Challenger 604 passed directly underneath the A380 at FL340
• The wake encounter occurred 48 seconds after the cross – when the two aircraft were 15nm part
• The Challenger initially rolled 42 degrees to the right, then 31 degrees left, and experienced G-Loads of 1.6g positive followed 1 second later by -3.2 g.
• It lost altitude from FL340 to FL253 over a 2 minute period – loss of 8700 ft.

In an interview, the crew said:

“The airplane shook briefly, then rolled heavily to the left and the autopilot disengaged. [We] actuated the aileron to the right in order to stop the rolling motion. But the airplane had continued to roll to the left thereby completing several rotations. Subsequently both Inertial Reference Systems (IRS), the Flight Management System (FMS), and the attitude indication failed”

“… since the sky was blue and the ocean’s surface almost the same colour [I] was able to recognise the aircraft’s flight attitude with the help of the clouds“

The BFU published the FDR excerpt above, and a full interior picture of the cabin, post event.

Flight Service Bureau has issued guidance to OpsGroup members, in Note to Members #24 (March 19th, 2017), which can be downloaded publicly here. The highlights are:

• As Aircrew, use SLOP whenever you can.
• As Controllers, be mindful of smaller aircraft passing underneath A380’s.
• Avoid flying the centreline if you can. SLOP 0 is not an offset. Choose 1nm or 2nm.
• Note the new SLOP rules from ICAO in the 16th edition of Doc 4444.
• Expect guidance from EASA and the FAA to follow

With very recent updates to both NAT Doc 007 and ICAO Doc 4444, the rules for SLOP are a little different than before.

References:

• The full interim report is on the BFU website.
• New guidance issued to Crews and Controllers: OpsGroup Note 24.

The 3-second answer: you don’t need a China overflight permit on airways: A1, L642, M771 and N892. You only need one if you’re travelling on airway A202.

That kind of makes sense, as A202 is the only airway right up there at the very top of the Sanya FIR, cutting across Sanya’s landmass, and connecting the VVVV/Hanoi FIR with the ZGZU/Guangzhou FIR. All the other airways are out over the ocean, down to the South of the Sanya FIR, and not going anywhere near the Chinese mainland.

So if you want to operate on A202, you’ll need a China overflight permit. Technically, you’re supposed to submit your request to the CAA by AFTN to: ZBBBZGZX, ZGGGZBZX and ZJSYZRZX, 3 days in advance. However, unless you’ve done it before and you know what you’re doing, we suggest you just use an agent instead – dealing with the Chinese authorities direct can often be a misery.

Regardless of which airway you use, if you’re flying on a call sign, remember to put down the aircraft reg in Field 18 of the flight plan, and fill the accumulated EET to the Sanya FIR. Also, if you’re flying on L642, M771 or N892, you’ve got to be RNP10 approved, otherwise you’ll have to stay below FL280.

JOIN US IN NYC

Tuesday, 4th April 2017- Manhattan, New York

 Ops Group Meetup and Notam Summit

We’ve never done this before, but we’re going to run our first OpsGroup meetup.  Emails and slacks are all fine, but human contact is where it’s at.  Come along and meet us and other awesome members of the OpsGroup!

Location: Secret downtown location in Manhattan, we’ll meet at 9am-ish on Tuesday morning, 4th April.  By 10am we’ll have kicked off into International Ops  2017 with Mark, NAT chats with Dave, Antarctica fireside stories with Jamie-Rose, and then move on to looking at stupid Notams and how to fix them.  You should come!

Here is the deal:

0900 You arrive. So will others. We will mostly be pilots, dispatchers, ATC’s and flight dept managers but whatever your specialty is, come along.

930-ish We’ll start with the International Ops Chats- NAT ops, Antarctica, 2017 changes, and your questions.

1100 We’re probably still going with the International Ops Chats

1130 We’re onto talking NOTAMS by now

1300 Powerpoint has overheated, we’re done. Off to Lunch

1330 We’ll be having a late lunch. Join us for chats and beers, war stories, jokes, or head home instead- whatever you like.

1500 That’s All Folks. We can recommend: A visit to Concorde, go see a show on Broadway like School of Rock, go see the Nicks v Bulls, visit the Comedy Cellar, or get your Uber back to the Teterboro Holiday Inn.

Afterwards, tell us what you thought: team@ops.group

Antarctica Fireside Chat

Jamie Rose McMillen from the FSB Int’l Desk is going to tell us some good stories from her six years living on the Ice.  Find out how International Ops works in Antarctica and McMurdo Station. Join us in NYC!

International Ops 2017

There have been a city-full of changes to the International Ops world so far in 2017.  A380 wake, no devices, BOE changes, ATC strike, Conflict Zones, 767 shooting, the end of Soviet QFE approaches. Mark will answer questions. Join us in NYC!

North Atlantic Changes

Dave Mumford will run through the new rules on the NAT, and answer questions from the My First Atlantic Flight guide. Just don’t ask him about the new contingency procedure. Join us in NYC!

NOTAMS

Judging is finally complete in the Notam Goat Show.  After we present the winners, we will have a good old fashioned competition, with prizes, and then get into the main event: How do we fix the Notam problem?

Join us in NYC!

COME TO NEW YORK!

RSVP

Update: November 1st, 2019: The Notam Team is up and running – we’re fixing Notams. Follow our progress at fixingnotams.org.

It’s absolutely ridiculous.

We communicate the most critical flight information, using a system invented in 1920, with a format unchanged since 1924, burying essential information that will lose a pilot their job, an airline their aircraft, and passengers their lives, in a mountain of unreadable, irrelevant bullshit.

Yes CASA Australia, that’s you. Yes, Greek CAA, that’s you. And you’re not alone.

In an unintended twist of irony, the agencies seeking to cover their legal ass are party to creating the most criminal of systems – an unending flow of aeronautical sewage rendering the critical few pieces of information unfindable.

This is more than just hugely frustrating for each pilot, dispatcher, and controller that has to parse through it all; it’s downright dangerous.

If you’re a pilot, you’ll either have already experienced this, or you’re going to – you stuff something up, and then be told: “but there was a Notam out about that”. Sure enough, there it is in black and white (and in big capital letters). Do you think that “but there were 100 pages of them” is going to be a valid defence?

Well, it should be. The same agency conducting your post-incident interview is busy on the other end stuffing the system full of the garbage that prevented you from seeing it in the first place.

There are three parts to the problem: the system, the format, and the content. The system is actually quite amazing. The AFTN network connects every country in the world, and Notam information once added is immediately available to every user. Coupled with the internet, delivery is immediate.

The format is, at best, forgivable. It’s pretty awful. It’s a trip back in time to when Notams were introduced. You might think that was the 1960’s, or the 50’s. In fact, it’s 1924, when 5-bit ITA2 was introduced. The world shifted to ASCII in 1963, bringing the Upper and Lower case format that every QWERTY keyboard uses today, but we didn’t follow – nope, we’ll stick with our 1924 format, thank you.

Read that again. 1924. Back then, upper case code-infested aeronautical messages would have seemed impressive and almost reassuring in their aloofness. But there weren’t in excess of 1 million Notams per year, a milestone we passed in 2013. The 1 million milestone is remarkable in itself, but here’s something else amazing: in 2006, there were only 500,000. So in seven years, Notams doubled. Why? Are there twice as many airports in the world? No. Twice as many changes and updates? Possibly. But far more likely: the operating agencies became twice as scared about leaving things out.

And so onto the culprit: the content. The core definition of a Notam is ESSENTIAL flight information. Essential, for anyone tasked with entering information into the Notam System, is defined as “absolutely necessary; extremely important”. Here’s a game you can play at home. Take your 100 page printout of Notams, and circle that ones that you think can be defined as essential. See how many fit that bill.

So why is all this garbage in the system? Because the questions that the creators of Notams ask are flawed. The conversation goes like this:

– “Should we stick this into a Notam?”
– “Yeah, we’d better, just in case”.

How many are actually asking, “Is this essential information that aircrew need to know about ?”. Almost none. Many ‘solutions’ to the Notam deluge involve better filtering, Q codes, and smart regex’s. This overlooks the core problem. It’s not what comes out that needs to be fixed, it’s what goes in.

Even in 1921, we had much the same problem. Obstacle, 18 feet high, several miles from the runway.

Nobody cares. Unless you’ve parked the Eiffel Tower on the threshold, leave this stuff for the AIP. And nobody cares about kites either. Nor about goat-grazing times. We don’t care if your bird scarer is U/S. We don’t care if there’s a cherry-picker fixing a bulb somewhere. We don’t care when you’re cutting your grass.

Nor do we care about closed taxiways. The only way I can get onto a taxiway is with an ATC clearance, and ATC will not clear me onto a closed taxiway.

We care if the airport is going to be closed when we get there. If we’re going to have to divert because the runway is shut. If someone might shoot at us. If there are new rules. We care about the critical items, but we won’t see them as things stand.

And so, about here is where a normal editorial piece might end with “we hope that the authorities improve the system”, and sign off.

But not here.

We’re in the business of doing things here at FSB, not just talking about them.

Last year we wrote a few pieces about the Greece vs Turkey Notam battle. This month we did a group look at Briefing Packages, and it was astonishing to see how many pages of this diplomatic drivel still appeared in all our members’ Briefings. All in all, on average 3 full pages of every briefing for a flight overflying Greece or Turkey contained this stuff.

So, we sent Greece a polite AFTN message on behalf of all of us.

That’s just one piece of a thousand-piece puzzle, and it would be nice to think that one piece at a time we could fix the sytem. Let’s get real. It’s a monster, and it’s out of control.

We don’t think that we can fix the Notam system.

But, we can think about a different solution. And that’s exactly what we’re doing right now in OpsGroup. With almost 2000 members, we can make a difference. Watch this space. Or, if you want to help take action, send your thoughts to goatams@ops.group.

1. From now until the end of June, ZSAM/Xiamen airport will closed daily between 0010-0610 local time, and business flights will not be allowed to land or take-off between 0700-0900 local time daily as per the CAAC’s regulation (the same regulation applies to over 20 other airports in China including ZBAA, ZSSS, ZSPD, ZGGG and ZGSZ).

2. China’s “two sessions” begins this week – two big political conferences (CPPCC and NPC) that are held every year. ZBAA/Beijing gets busier than ever.

Even at the best of times, ZBAA only allows 24 hours maximum parking time for foreign GA, so expect to get sent to ZBTJ/Tianjin for parking: an Airport of Entry that regularly takes overflow traffic from Beijing.

As the nearest airport from ZBAA, ZBTJ is also accepting more ferry flights at the moment – the ZBTJ airport authority has been told to continue to do so until 30th April.

3. Be aware it’s going to become more and more common this year for Chinese immigration to record fingerprints of foreign travellers who enter China via international airports.

There are multiple changes to the US Border Overflight Exemption process effective 2017. Unusually, there is no official notification of the changes from either CBP or DHS, and so you may find that even the Customs Officer on arrival does not know about them.

New US Border Overflight Exemption rules March 2017

The March 2017 changes may be the start of the end for the Border Overflight Exemption, since most requirements from the CBP perspective are transferred to eAPIS: notably, the fact that individual aircraft are no longer listed on the Approval Letter.

We were first alerted to the changes by an OpsGroup member, and have spoken with a lot of different DHS and CBP officials. From these conversations, we’ve put together our summary of the situation below.

Noteworthy is that at many Airports, the front line CBP officers were not aware of the new rules. CBP have said: “This is new not only to you but to most of the Officers in the field. Your pilots need to know what it says because they will be getting questions when they land.”

What is a Border Overflight Exemption?

• If you operate a flight to the US from south of the 30th parallel, you must land at the first airport you come to.
• To avoid this, you can apply to CBP for a Border Overflight Exemption (BOE)
• With that in hand, you can fly to any airport with customs.
• So, on to the changes:

Effective March 1st, 2017 :

• A full list of the changes to the process is in Notes to Members #23 in your OPSGROUP dashboard.
• We recommend you carry this in the aircraft as well, for any CBP official not aware of the new rules.

You can request membership of OPSGROUP to receive the full version delivered every Wednesday, along with all OPSGROUP member benefits: Members Questions, Group Discussions, Slack, free maps and charts (normally $25),  Full access to aireport for group reviews of handlers and airports, regular alerts for critical international ops info,  complimentary Airports Database (normally $375), Full access to safeairspace.net including updated risk alerts,  and guidance and help when you want it on any International Operations topic (that last one is really useful!). Read 125 different member reviews.

Feb 27th, 2017: The FAA has issued fresh warnings for Kenyan and Malian airspace, warning US operators of the potential dangers in operating through both the Nairobi and Malian FIR’s.

Published on Feb 26th, the new advice also adds new language with clarification of the type of weapons and phases of flight that the FAA is concerned about, specifically:

• fire from small arms,
• indirect fire weapons (such as mortars and rockets), and
• anti-aircraft weapons such as MANPADS.

The scenarios considered highest risk include :

• landings and takeoffs,
• low altitudes, and
• aircraft on the ground.

The FAA uses the same wording for both Kenya and Mali. Additionally for Mali, the Algerian CAA has concurrently published airspace closures along their southern border due to the conflict, and the FAA’s background notes on the Mali conflict still stand.

The updated guidance is intended for US operators and FAA License holders, but in reality is used by most International Operators including EU and Asian carriers, since only four countries currently provide useful information on airspace security and conflict zones.

The Notams both use FL260 as the minimum safe level, though we would suggest, as usual, that a higher level closer to FL300 is more sensible.

These updates have been notified through SafeAirspace.net, a collaborative and information sharing tool used by airlines, business jet operators, state agencies, military, and private members of  OPSGROUP.

This is the new wording in the latest FAA Notams on Mali and Kenya:

POSSIBILITY OF ATTACKS ON CIVIL AVIATION BY EXTREMISTS/MILITANTS.
AIRCRAFT MAY ENCOUNTER FIRE FROM SMALL ARMS; INDIRECT FIRE WEAPONS,
SUCH AS MORTARS AND ROCKETS; AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT CAPABLE WEAPONS,
INCLUDING MAN-PORTABLE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS (MANPADS).SUCH WEAPONS 
COULD TARGET AIRCRAFT AT LOW ALTITUDES, INCLUDING DURING THE ARRIVAL
AND DEPARTURE PHASES OF FLIGHT, AND/OR AIRPORTS AND AIRCRAFT ON THE
GROUND.

The NOTAMs in full are on our Kenya and Mali pages respectively.

References:

• Kenya country information page at safeairspace.net
• Mali country information page at safeairspace.net
• OPSGROUP collaborative project

With the new (ish) RLAT Tracks, the standard NAT Track picture looks different these days. We thought we’d draw one out so you can see the RLAT Tracks. This example is the Westbound Tracks today, February 24th 2017. The RLAT Tracks are C, D, and E.

The neat plotting chart that this is drawn on is from Flight Service Bureau and available here.

Picture first (click for big version), Track message follows:

Westbound NAT Tracks 24th February, 2017.

232034 EGGXZOZX
(NAT-1/2 TRACKS FLS 310/390 INCLUSIVE
FEB 24/1130Z TO FEB 24/1900Z
PART ONE OF TWO PARTS-
A RESNO 56/20 57/30 57/40 56/50 JANJO
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
B DOGAL 55/20 56/30 56/40 55/50 LOMSI
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
C MALOT 54/20 55/30 55/40 54/50 NEEKO
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
D TOBOR 5330/20 5430/30 5430/40 5330/50 PELTU
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
E LIMRI 53/20 54/30 54/40 53/50 RIKAL
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
END OF PART ONE OF TWO PARTS)


232035 EGGXZOZX
(NAT-2/2 TRACKS FLS 310/390 INCLUSIVE
FEB 24/1130Z TO FEB 24/1900Z
PART TWO OF TWO PARTS-
F DINIM 52/20 53/30 53/40 52/50 TUDEP
EAST LVLS NIL
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL-
REMARKS.
1.TMI IS 055 AND OPERATORS ARE REMINDED TO INCLUDE THE
TMI NUMBER AS PART OF THE OCEANIC CLEARANCE READ BACK.
2.ADS-C AND CPDLC MANDATED OTS ARE AS FOLLOWS
TRACK A 350 360 370 380 390
TRACK B 350 360 370 380 390
TRACK C 350 360 370 380 390
TRACK D 350 360 370 380 390
TRACK E 350 360 370 380 390
TRACK F 350 360 370 380 390
END OF ADS-C AND CPDLC MANDATED OTS
3.RLATSM OTS LEVELS 350-390. RLATSM TRACKS AS FOLLOWS
TRACK C
TRACK D
TRACK E
END OF RLATSM OTS
4.FOR STRATEGIC LATERAL OFFSET AND CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES FOR OPS IN
NAT FLOW REFER TO NAT PROGRAMME COORDINATION WEBSITE WWW.PARIS.ICAO.INT.
SLOP SHOULD BE STANDARD PROCEDURE, NOT JUST FOR AVOIDING WX/TURB.
5.80 PERCENT OF GROSS NAVIGATION ERRORS RESULT FROM POOR COCKPIT
PROCEDURES. CONDUCT EFFECTIVE WAYPOINT CHECKS.
6.OPERATORS ARE REMINDED THAT CLEARANCES MAY DIFFER FROM THE FLIGHT PLAN, 
FLY THE CLEARANCE.
7.UK AIP. ENR 2.2.4.2 PARA 5.2 STATES THAT NAT OPERATORS SHALL FILE
PRM'S.
8.FLIGHTS REQUESTING WESTBOUND OCEANIC CLEARANCE VIA ORCA DATALINK
SHALL INCLUDE IN RMK/ FIELD THE HIGHEST ACCEPTABLE FLIGHT LEVEL WHICH CAN
BE MAINTAINED AT OAC ENTRY POINT.
9.ALL ADSC CPDLC EQUIPPED FLIGHTS NOT LOGGED ON TO A DOMESTIC ATSU
PRIOR TO ENTERING THE SHANWICK OCA MUST INITIATE A LOGON TO EGGX BETWEEN 10
AND 25 MINUTES PRIOR TO OCA ENTRY.-
END OF PART TWO OF TWO PARTS)

Feb 22nd, 2017 Russia is finally transitioning to QNH. Check this article.

Feb 1st, 2017 Traffic is getting far busier through the Turkey-Iran FIR boundary (Europe-Asia main flight route). ALRAM is the new “corner” for avoiding Iraq. Here’s updated flight planning  guidance from Turkey for Jan-March 2017 – use these when planning your ATC route (refer LTAA A5716/16). We’ve translated the Notam a little for clarity, here’s the highlights:

1. SRT-ALRAM segment of UG8  – use FL330 or higher.
2. ULTED-ALRAM segment of UT36 – use FL330 or higher.
3. Going via UG8 or UT36, to leave Tehran FIR via ALRAM, at FL320 and below: Route EZS-UG81/UL124-VAN-BONAM-UMH. Check Iran AIP Sup 93/15 for more.
4. ALRAM-BAYIR segment UT888 minimum FL330. If entering LTAA/Ankara FIR via ALRAM lower than FL330, then route UMH-BONHAM-UI124/UG81-VAN-UI124-UG81-BAYIR.
5. VAN-BONAM segment of UG81 and UI124 can be used bidirectional below FL330.
6. ULTED-NINVA segment of UM688 – use FL330 or higher.
7. Entire R/UR21, SRT-KABAN segment of M/UM860, and ULSAB-KABAN segment of UT334 closed FL180-FL310.
8. UT332 – use FL330 or higher.
9. UT301 totally closed.
10. UT333 closed FL180-FL310 inclusive.

IOB Bulletins

31AUG 2016 OIZZ/Iran has approved the use of its airbases by Russian fighter aircraft; Russia has notified intention to launch missiles in the direction of Syria from the Caspian Sea fleet. The Russian Air Force has deployed six Tu-23M3 BACKFIRE bomber aircraft and multiple Su-34 FULLBACK strike fighter jets to Hamedan Air Base (OIHS/NUJ). FSBIOBXX

17AUG 2016 On August 16, Russian TU-22 bombers based in Hamedan, Iran, attacked targets in the Syrian towns of Deir Ezzour, Aleppo and Idlib. These were the first Russian airstrikes carried out from bases in Iran.

07DEC2015 German Authorities published a new Notam last week warning of a risk to flight for aircraft operating in the vicinity of OITT/Tabriz, OITL/Ardabil, and OIGG/Rasht. DFS, the German ATC agency, recommends overflying this general region at FL260 or higher. A6875/15.

13OCT 2015  On 06 OCT 15 the Russian military launched 26 Kalibr-class cruise missiles from 4 ships in the Caspian Sea at targets in Syria. These missiles were routed through the airspace of Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, causing concern as to the safety of international air traffic crossing the missiles trajectory. Full notice.

More stuff:

• Iran Conflict Zone/Overflight risk warnings  at safeairspace.net

Germany issues new warnings 25JAN Germany has issued fresh warnings on the airspace of Egypt, South Sudan, and North Korea, in three separate Notams issued in the last week. We have updated the SafeAirspace.net country information pages with the specifics. Read the article

Manila may not ban GA after all 25JAN RPLL/Manila is not moving as quickly towards a complete ban of non-scheduled and General Aviation traffic as feared. This is good news for International Operators. Read the article.

HEZZ/Egypt, HSZZ/South Sudan, ZKZZ/North Korea Germany has issued fresh warnings on the airspace of Egypt, South Sudan, and North Korea, in three separate Notams issued in the last week. We have updated the SafeAirspace.net country information pages with the specifics.

RPLL/Manila is not moving as quickly towards a complete ban of non-scheduled and General Aviation traffic as feared. This is good news for International Operators. Read the article.

NTAA/Tahiti The airport is open again as of Monday morning local time, after closing due to flooding after torrential rains, but many taxiways remain flooded. Expect delays in handling and tech stops.

KZZZ/USA Announced yesterday and expected to come into force this week, is an immediate ban on US visas (and therefore US travel) for citizens from 7 countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya. This is distinct from the Visa Waiver Program ban in effect since January 2016.

GBZZ/Gambia FSB Risk Level changed from Level Three to “No Warnings” on Jan 24. New president has taken power. Parliament revoked State of Emergency. Situation calm.

SBZZ/Brazil In the last bulletin we had a headline about a Boeing 767 shot on approach in Brazil. A bullet was found lodged in the wing. Some updates to that story are here, and safeairspace.net’s Brazilpage is updated.

VZZZ/Southeast Asia Don’t forget it’s New Year in Asia this weekend. Travel-related delays and government office and business interruptions will peak 27 Jan to 01 Feb, and could last longer in Taiwan, Vietnam and China, where the holiday will be celebrated through 02 Feb.

EDDB/Berlin Brandenburg will now not open until 2018, as they found more problems with the fire system this week. This is a recurring story, which dates back to 2012. So, for the foreseeable, you’re stuck with Tegel and Schoenefeld.

LTFJ/Sabiha Gökçen (Istanbul) Due to insufficient capacity at LTFJ, applications for individual non-scheduled flights will be refused, and private/charter flights can only be operated at “non-busy hours”.

KBPI/Palm Beach is going to see some new TFR restrictions due to the proximity of Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate. If operating when he’s down here, you’ll have to depart from a gateway airport to PBI – those are TEB, HPN, IAD, MCO and FLL. NBAA has the details.

LSGG/Geneva EBACE is on from Monday, 22 May through Wednesday, 24 May 2017. Now would be a good time to get those slots booked if you’re planning to head over.

LFMN/Nice has a new procedure where ATC will alert crews to windshear.

MSLP/San Salvador‘s only runway 07/25 will be closed from 1600-1700 each day until Feb 3rd.

VGHS/Dhaka The UK Department for Transport (DfT) announced today that it recently carried out assessments of security at Dhaka International Airport. Following this, the DfT has assessed that security at Dhaka airport does not meet some international security requirements (they haven’t said which).

OMAD/Abu Dhabi (Al Bateen) is hosting the International Defence Exhibition in February, so will not be available to IFR traffic daily between 0600-0800Z until Feb 23rd. There are also restrictions on using it as an alternate.

DNAA/Abuja The latest on the Abuja closure is that it will be completely closed to all traffic from March 8th – April 19th.

SKCG/Cartagena‘s only runway 01/19 is closed daily 0530-1100Z until Feb 6th.

NVZZ/Vanuatu Health authorities have declared a dengue outbreak following a large increase in suspected cases in December 2016 and January 2017. Protect yourself against mosquito bites

WSZZ/Singapore is implementing the new ICAO SID/STAR phraseologies from March 2nd. Read AIP SUP 29/17.

LIRF/Rome Fiumicino is working on 16R until March, so 25 will be used for deps and 16L for arrivals. This means delays, especially if you want 16L/34R for departure – they say up to a 60 minute taxi time.

UKZZ/Ukraine amended the military boundaries of its airspace on Monday Jan 23rd, identifying the Donbas conflict zone region as a separate area. More details here.

View the full International bulletin 25JAN2017

B767 Shot on approach to Rio 

18JAN A B767-300 was fired on last night during approach to Runway 15 SBGL/Rio de Janeiro. One 7.62mm bullet lodged in the left wing. Read the article.

Updated SafeAirspace Risk Map 

18JAN We have updated SafeAirspacewith information for Aircraft Operators on The Gambia, North Korea, Brazil, Ukraine, and Turkey.

GBZZ/The Gambia State of emergency declared on 17th January. Foreign citizens being evacuated. Banjul International Airport (GBYD/BJL) and land borders remain open, for now. More at safeairspace.net/information/the-gambia.

UKZZ/Ukraine Flight Service Bureau has issued an updated summary for Ukraine’s airspace. There are two risk issues in Ukraine. First: arms fire. Including MH17, multiple aircraft (the others all military) have been shot down since the beginning of the Donbass region war in 2014. The 10th ceasefire was declared in December 2016, but not holding. This risk is contained within the Dnipropetrovsk FIR – UKDV. The second issue affects the Simferopol FIR which is Disputed Airspace. (Ukraine:UKFV, Russia:URFV). In March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. The ATC Center is in Simferopol, Crimea, and is now run by Krymaeronavigatsiya. Russia claims the airspace. Ukraine refuses to recognise the change, and asks crews to talk to Ukrainian controllers in Dnipro/Odesa ACC instead of Simferopol ACC. Four routes are approved by EASA through the high seas portion of the airspace.

KIAD/Washington and area airports – guaranteed busy during the Presidential Inauguration this Friday, Jan 20. Updated restrictions here. Departure slots required for aircraft departing IAD between Friday, Jan. 20 and Sunday, Jan. 22. Departure slots can be obtained through an IAD FBO of choice (Ross Aviation or Signature Flight Support). Slots will be divided equally between the two FBOs at IAD.

VZZZ/Southeast Asia Lunar New Year holiday season, which falls on 28th Jan. Travel-related delays and government office and business interruptions will peak 27 Jan to 01 Feb, and could last longer in Taiwan, Vietnam and China, where the holiday will be celebrated through 02FEB.

BGBW/Narsarsuaq A seasonal reminder that if you’re planning to use Narsarsuaq as a destination, alternate, or enroute alternate outside of the operating hours (MON-SAT 1000-1900z daily until 03APR), you must contact the airport in advance to apply for them to stay open for you:
Email: bgbw@mit.gl. Also make sure you file your ATC FPL including the AFTN address: BGBWZTZX.

EKCH/Copenhagen A copy of the AOC must accompany fuel release or expect an MOT charge of approximately $1.70 USD to be charged. Next destination must be shown on the fuel release or expect delays.

EGPH/Edinburgh, Scotland Until Apr 1st, you will need PPR to operate to Edinburgh, due to reduced parking capacity.

RPLB/Subic Bay will be closed for maintenance bewtween 0100-0800z until January 20th.

SKZZ/Colombia New Tower and ACC for Bogota. From 16th Jan – 15th Feb moving of Bogota’s ACC will take place. ATS/AIS/COM/MET/ATFM services transition process should not affect operations, however, due to the large change extent foreseen, some failures might occur in the process.  AIC 1/17 outlines contingency procedures in place

SVZZ/Venezuela has closed its land borders with Colombia and Brazil periodically in the last 12 months. Border closures occur frequently, often with short notice. The Venezuelan government will withdraw the 100 bolivar note (VEF 100) from circulation as of 20 January 2017.

LYBA/Beograd If you have any outstanding navigation fees in Serbia, better get them paid, or they’ll add a 9.88% interest charge.

HSSS/South Sudan Flight Service Bureau has issued an updated summary for South Sudan’s airspace: Conflict Zone. South Sudanese Civil War since 2013. The security situation in Juba has been relatively calm since the July 2016 crisis. Daily reports of fighting throughout the rest of the country. The security situation is especially unstable in the Equatorias in the south. MANPADS risk to overflights. In addition, the South Sudanese army has declared intention to shoot down Aircraft without permits. Most Authority guidance recommends min FL260. We think FL300 is a better minimum for overflights.

ZKKP/North Korea Flight Service Bureau has issued an updated summary for DPRK North Korea’s airspace: The level of tension on the Korean peninsula can change with little notice. Multiple missile launches in 2016, increasingly without prior notice to ICAO. The range of these has increased – previously safe airways B467 and G711 are now at risk. Over 1000 reports of GPS jamming issues reported by operators in the vicinity of the North/South Korean border. SFAR79 prevents US operators from operating west of 132E, other Authorities restrict operationseast of that line.

ZZZZ/Worldwide How have you been getting on with the new ICAO SID/STAR phraseolgies? In short, some countries are implementing, and others aren’t. What is your country doing? Tell us at bulletin@fsbureau.org.

View the full International Bulletin 18JAN2017

China has always been challenging to operate to. Handling rates are prohibitively expensive, half the country’s airways are closed to foreign operators, and slots and parking at the major airports can often be impossible to obtain.

But often the most frustrating thing about operating to China is just trying to work out what all the different charges are for. If you receive a big bill post-flight from a company called Tong Da Air Service, unfortunately it’s not a scam! These guys are the government-appointed agency in China who are responsible for collecting all the NAV fees for flights by foreign operators.

It’s important to know in advance what you will get charged here, as it’s not totally clear  without doing a bit of digging – and your handling agent will likely not include all these complicated fees when they provide you with handling quotes!

For NAV fees in China, you will always get charged for four separate things:

• En-Route Charge.
• Terminal Navigation Charge.
• Compensation Charge (the fee paid to the government for the permit)
• Service Charge (Tongda Air’s charge for obtaining the permit)

Importantly…

En-Route Charge = this is charged for each individual flight

Terminal Navigation / Service Charge / Compensation Charge = these are charged per permit, and are always set costs.

So let’s say you fly RKSS-ZBAA-RKSS: you will need to pay En-Route Charges for each sector, and one set of Terminal Navigation / Service / Compensation charges.

Similarly, if your routing involves multiple domestic flights within China, (eg. RKSS-ZBAA-ZBTJ-ZSPD-RKSS) you only need one permit to cover all those stops,  which means you will only pay one set of Terminal Navigation / Service / Compensation charges. So far so good…

But let’s say you fly something like RKSS-ZBAA-VHHH-ZGSD: on this routing you will effectively be departing China when you go to VHHH, so you will need two permits – one for each stop in China (ZBAA and ZGSD). And because of this, you would need to pay two sets of Terminal Navigation / Service / Compensation charges!

So here’s how you work out the 4 charges:

1. En-Route Charge

There’s a very lengthy and complicated method of working this out, but the easiest thing to do is just use your flight-planning tool to tell you the answer. Most tools have this function – just make sure you click the button that says something like ‘overflight costs’ and find the section on the output of the flight plan that looks something like this:

(Showing costs for a B737 operating from ZBAA/Beijing to VHHH/Hong Kong)

2. Terminal Navigation Charge

MTOW                      Charges (RMB Yuan)
Up to 25                    990
26-50                         1060
51-100                      1060 + 21*(T-50)
101-200                   1920 + 23*(T-100)
above 201               3820 + 27*(T-200)

T = the actual MTOW rounded up to the nearest tonne

So for example:
an aircraft with a MTOW of 60T = 1060 + 21*(60-50) = 1270RMB
an aircraft with a MTOW of 110T = 1920 + 23*(110-100) = 2150RMB
an aircraft with a MTOW of 210T = 3820 + 27*(210-200) = 4090RMB

3. Compensation Charge

This will always be $3000.

4. Service Charge:

This will be either $1200 for landing permit, or $500 for overflight permit.

You can view the full list of changes here, but this list might be a little handier. From Jan 1st, the new edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (Edition 58) will be applicable.

• Replacing the existing lithium battery handling label with a new multi-modal lithium battery mark to be phased in over two years, with a deadline of December 2018 (Figure 7.1.C)
• Introducing a new Class 9 dangerous goods label specifically for lithium batteries, to be phased in over two years, with a deadline of December 2018 (Figure 7.3.X)
• Many new and modified special provisions
• Allowing shippers to assign a substance to a class or division different to that shown in the List of Dangerous Goods (IATA DGR 4.2), subject to approval by the appropriate national authority
• Adding classification criteria for polymerizing substances into Division 4.1
• Adding new UN numbers and Proper Shipping Names for “polymerizing substances,
• liquid and solid, stabilized” (PI 459) and “polymerizing substances, liquid and solid requiring temperature
• Updating Special Provision A104 for UN1230, Methanol that requires all packages containing methanol to bear a Division 6.1 toxic hazard label (in addition to the Class 3 flammable label)
• Changing the documentation requirements for hazmat air shipments

Reference:

IATA DGR Changes from 1st Jan, 2017.

France – ATC Reroutes 17NOV France is switching from old paper trips to new fancy electronic ones, and there will be reroutes from today onwards … Read the article.

FAA updates weather guidance 17NOV One of the most comprehensive weather resource docs out there, the AC00-45 Aviation Weather Handbook, has been updated by the FAA. We’ve got it in full technicolor for you on slack (OPSGROUP only) (it’s in the #general channel)

VTZZ/India [blur]Problems associated with the removal of 500 and 1000 INR banknotes have extended to the airports: for handling, many services are often paid in cash by your handler – and that cash is much harder to come by. We’ve been asked by several Indian handlers to advise foreign operators to carry plenty of USD, for a while.[/blur]

ZZZZ/Worldwide [blur]The ICAO SID/STAR saga continues: Finland, Singapore, and the UK won’t be joining the party for now. Add your country to the list, if you know the status.[/blur]

BGTL/Thule [blur]For Friday, they are open, but only for aircraft operating in conjunction with the SPAR83 mission. And emergencies, we guess.[/blur]

CYHM/Hamilton [blur]is now RFF Category 7.[/blur]

EKZZ/Denmark [blur]The government announced on 14NOV2016 that it will be extending border controls through at least 12FEB2017. The announcement was largely expected, as the country has lauded the border controls as being highly effective since putting them into place in JAN2016.[/blur]

CYQX/Gander [blur]Canada has issued an updated AIC about the NAT Datalink Mandate – dated 10NOV. The only difference (that we can spot) is the removal of the requirement for VHF coverage in the exempted area.[/blur]

KZZZ/USA [blur] Effective November 29th, 2016, all citizens or nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who have been issued a 10-year B-1, B-2  or B1/B2 (tourist/business) visa will be required to apply for Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) approval prior to traveling to the United States. EVUS is a web based system that determines the eligibility of visitors with a valid 10-year visa to travel to the United States and is valid for 2 years or until the traveler’s visa or passport expires.[/blur]

EEPU/Parnu, Finland [blur]is out of Jet A1 until the end of the month[/blur]

NZZZ/New Zealand [blur]All airports are operating normally after the 7.5 earthquake last Monday, travel in the northern part of the South Island remains extremely difficult.[/blur]

AYPM/Port Moresby [blur]has been having ongoing issues with HF. The story is that the HF station where the transmitters are located, has been regularly vandalised, and some gear stolen. Therefore, they are building a new site and expect to have that running by the end of 2017 – in the interim, they are restoring a smaller HF station at ‘8 mile’. [/blur]

EDDH/Hamburg [blur]has something going on from 07-10DEC: they would prefer you didn’t file EDDH as an alternate on those days.[/blur]

UKZZ/Ukraine [blur]From 15-25 November large scale demonstrations are planned in Kiev. These protests could turn violent, cause road closures and disrupt local transport. You should monitor the media and avoid large gatherings[/blur]

SKBO/Bogota [blur]has a bunch of changes due to construction work: runways, approaches, all affected – review the details.[/blur]

RPLL/Manila [blur]We’ve had several more reports of GPS problems in the Manila FIR, especially on approach to and departure from Manila itself. If you plan to lose GPS, then that’s probably a safe place to start from.[/blur]

BKPR/Kosovo [blur]On 13NOV, authorities in Kosovo announced that the International Telecommunication Union will give Kosovo its own international dialling code, +383, on 15 December. Previously, Kosovo used the dialling codes of Serbia, Monaco and Slovenia – paying approximately 217 million USD for that.[/blur]

TQPF/Anguilla [blur]Hours of operation now 1045Z-2300Z. Two hour PPR needed for operations outside hours. Contact Lindon or Jabari: lindon.hodge@gov.ai, jabari.harrigan@gov.ai.[/blur]

SKCG/Cartagena [blur]is closed daily overnight, until the end of the month.[/blur]

SCZZ/Chile [blur]There are ongoing public sector strikes across the country. Expect possible delays at border check points, ports and airports due to striking Chilean customs staff. Check with your local handler for updates.[/blur]

DNZZ/Nigeria [blur]Renewed reports of fuel shortages in the country; local airlines have had to reduce schedules to to lack of fuel – if operating, plan ahead carefully.[/blur]

Join OpsGroup to View the Full International Bulletin 17NOV2016