Monday Briefing: Iraq Concerns grow, Monsoon Rains in Manila

Iraq concerns grow 17JUN ORBM/Mosul is closed, but other airports remain open. Heavy fighting near Baghdad this morning gives concern to Ops into ORBI/Baghdad Int’l. Overflights unaffected. Further briefing below.

Monsoon rains affecting Manila FIR 17JUN Daily reroutes are in effect within RPHI/Manila FIR due to heavy monsoon rain and storms. Multiple routes are tactically reroutes on a daily basis.

ORBB/Baghdad FIR. The situation in Iraq is escalating quickly. As of 17JUN, all airports remain open except ORBM/Mosul, but security concerns at all airports are high and ops should be carefully assessed. Reports of an attack on ORBI/Baghdad on 16JUN were deemed false but the risk remains high. Overflights are unaffected so far, though prudence may dictate a reroute away from the trouble areas at lower levels. There are frequency issues in the western part of the Baghdad FIR, 129.1 is operating at reduced range west of position GIBUX. The advice to leave/avoid Iraq remains clear; US Embassy staff were evacuated from Baghdad on 16JUN to Consulates General in Basrah and Erbil and Iraq Support Unit in Amman.

LOVV/Vienna FIR reports several cases of ‘radar interference’, and the same is also true for a number of other Central European FIRs. Eurocontrol NM has started an investigation.

YPDN/Darwin has a number of F18 flypasts on the afternoon 21JUN, potential for delay.

LLBG/Tel Aviv Update to GA restrictions at Ben Gurion – 0450-0800, 1400-1800, and 2300-0140 local, due to traffic congestion. Parking is not permitted for longer than 03 days.

UGTB/Tbilisi Runway 13R/31L, the airports only runway, will be closed every Wednesday from 0800-1400 and every Friday 1400-1959 02JUL-03OCT.

LFMN/Nice is closed 2000-0400Z from 16JUN-21JUN.

SPIM/Lima From 09JUN-14JUL all flights departing to Brazil will be subject to slot allocation due to the FIFA World Cup.

DRRM/Maradi from 12JUN-12JUL the airport will be closed to all traffic.

Algeria The latest situation with Algeria overflight permits is as follows: During period of Eurocontrol member strikes affecting adjacent FIR’s, overflight is permitted with notification only by FPL. Outside these times, Passenger flights require prior approval from the CAA, and this can only be obtained during office hours, starting at 8am. Short-notice permits for emergencies and medical flights can be issued by the ATC centre at Algiers, but routine flights will only be processed during office hours.

Kazakhstan says it plans to drop visa requirements for visitors from 10 countries for a one-year test period. Effective 15JUL citizens of the United States, the Netherlands, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Japan will be able to enter and stay in Kazakhstan without a visa for 15 days. Foreign visitors holding passports from those countries who want to stay longer will be obliged to apply for business or investors’ visas.

United States The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration has authorized for the first time the use of drone over land with the issuance of a permit to use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in mapping oilfield pipelines, equipment and roads in Alaska.