Hi Members,

We had another busy OPSCHAT call this week, with the return of our weekly OPSQUIZ and a new champion.

You can watch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s a roundup of what we talked about:

• Poland – A mass ATC walkout has been avoided. Ops normal for now, but look out for July 10 which is the new deadline for an agreement.
• Europe – An alarming fake Notam has been doing the rounds alluding to big restrictions on foreign operators due to a fuel shortage. EASA has confirmed it’s fake. Also, look out for big military exercises happening in Italy, France and Finland.
• China – Entry rules are still super restrictive. Flights to Guangzhou and Beijing are being cancelled. Unknown impact for crew.
• Amsterdam – Ongoing disruptions at EHAM/Schiphol due to runway closures, strikes and staff shortages. Has anyone been there recently?

Unsolved mysteries

Crew quarantine in China: We’re still looking for answers. Is there anyway to avoid three weeks in a hotel? And if so, where?

Fuel prices on the US East Coast: They’re soaring, but we’re hearing rumours of great deals. Do you know where to find them?

Approach bans: Can ATC stop you from flying an approach due to the weather, or is that specific to the UK/Ireland?

Pringles: Bec’s cautionary tale.

OPSQUIZ

Mark’s back to host, and we have a new champion this week! Congratulations! Here is a sample question from this week: When receiving radar vectors, who is legally responsible for terrain clearance? Join us next time as we have great prizes on offer, all hand picked by the team!

As always, we’re here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPSCHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new one every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live. See you next week!

There are a bunch of military exercises scheduled in Europe for May. Normally we would just pop out a few little alerts on them, but there are enough big ones that we thought a post combining them might also be handy.

Or you can go look on the Eurocontrol Operations Portal.

The Operations Portal hurts my eyes. Just tell me now.

Athena 2022

First up, starting with the biggest, is ‘Athena 2022’. You know its a big one because it is named after the Goddess of War…

This takes place in France between May 3rd and 13th, with the main exercises on the 10th and 11th.

It involves a lot of aircraft at all levels, and live firing which means some prohibited airspace in the affected FIRs – namely LFFF/Paris, LFRR/Brest and LFBB/Bordeaux. That said, the live firing is all scheduled to take place at night so the operational impact is only low to medium.

Read all about it here in the French AIP SUP 083/22.

Mare Aperto

Another big military exercise, ‘Mare Aperto’ takes place in Italy from May 3-27. The LIRR/Roma, LIBB/Brindisi and DTTC/Tunis FIRs are the main ones to be impacted.

It is described as a ‘multinational large scale exercise, involving naval and air assets’ and is expected to have a low to medium operational impact.

Again, there are some forbidden areas which will be activated at different times to keep an eye out on normals or read all about it here in Italian AIP SUP S3/22.

Swift Response 22

Less big, this takes place in Lithuania from May 3rd to 16th and is only expected to have a low impact.

Lithunia’s AIP SUP 004/2022 tells you all about it.

Ilmataktiika

Last but actually not least is ‘Ilmataktiika’ which I thought might mean something exciting, but actually just translates as ‘Air Tactics’ (quite obvious in hindsight).

This takes place in Finland daily between May 2-6. There are the usual danger zones, but they also have some big buffer zones in this one so it impacts quite a large chunk of the EFIN/Helsinki FIR.

AIP SUP 04/2022 from Finland has the full info.

They published some flight planning ideas for this one, which are useful if you’re going to be below FL110:

What is CANPASS? Who can use it? How do you use it? Where do you use it?

Normally we write these things because the original ‘things’ with all the info are rubbish and unreadable. The CANPASS site is surprisingly good, but we’ll tell you it in a slightly different way and with some pictures.

So, what is it?

CANPASS is a Private Aircraft program designed to make clearing the Canadian border on Canada-US flights easier.

It is made for private aircraft (that means non-revenue) with no more than 15 people onboard. That includes the crew. 

The idea is it provides expedited clearances, at more airports, for anyone deemed low-risk and who is pre-screened. This makes life easier hopefully for everyone – customs folk and private aircraft flying between the US and Canada.

Which airports are signed up to it?

A fair few now. You can see the full list here.

You can turn up to Airports of Entry and any of the CANPASS approved airports at anytime basically.

Tell me more!

If you’re a CANPASS member you can land at any airport of entry in Canada, anytime it is open (even if the local customs and border folk aren’t in).

One big point – everyone onboard must be a CANPASS member or there are some other procedures you’ll need to follow.

So how do I join this elite sounding membership?

You have to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the US, and have lived in one or the other for at least the last 3 years. There are some other criteria as well like not being a criminal, not having been caught trying to sneak in through immigration illegally ever.

You need to fill out an E672 form. You can find that form and a bunch more info on how to apply here.

How does it work?

Long story short, you call 1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) at least 2 hours before, and not more than 48 hours before to let them know when you’ll be arriving in Canada. 

The pilots need to do this – you’re responsible for yourself, the rest of the crew, and everyone onboard. You have to provide a whole bunch on info like what you have onboard, when you’re arriving, the people info, etc. Someone has set up a handy PDFable form here that you can use.

The pilot also should call up on landing before you open your doors in case they want you to wait and have an agent meet you. 

What if I’m not a member?

Well, then you need to enter the old fashioned way, and at a time when the local CIQ is open and available.

There is a slightly different program for Corporate aircraft. 

Remember we said on the private aircraft everyone needs to be a member? Well, if you’re a corporate aircraft (corporate but still private, so no charter operators) then you can get approval for up to four non-CANPASS registered travellers to be onboard.

This is still for private (non revenue) flights.

Any other things that might be handy to know?

We saw a question on non-scheduled international licences the other day. So here is the info on that.

First up, this isn’t anything to do with CANPASS. A non-scheduled international license means you can operate a public air charter service between your country and Canada (not around Canada though. Land and leave again. No internal airport hopping).

If you want this, and you aren’t Canadian, then you have to have all the documents you’d expect in your home country (where you’re registered) and then go read the Application Guide here, which also have all the legal mumbo jumbo you need to know, and apply.

It takes about 7 days to get your licence. This is applicable to revenue flights. CANPASS is for private non-revenue flights.

We’ve not done it ourselves…

So if you’ve seen anything odd, experienced anything unusual, or just have something to share on it please do at news@ops.group

Update – April 29:

Poland’s air navigation agency PANSA issued a statement late on Apr 28 confirming that the dispute with controllers has been resolved (at least for now), averting mass flight cancellations that had been expected from May 1.

“The management of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency and the representatives of the Air Traffic Controllers Trade Union have signed an agreement which will ensure the continuity of air traffic service in Poland and passengers will carry out their trips as planned. The agreement is valid until July 10 this year. During this time, the parties will conduct dialogue in order to work out the final shape of the cooperation.” – PANSA.

The majority of air traffic controllers were threatening to quit by May 1 after a long dispute over salary and working conditions. The new agreement basically means that controllers will keep working until at least July 10, giving them more time to hash out a deal with PANSA.

🔴Dear Passengers, we would like to inform you that due to the signing of an agreement between the PANSA and the ATC Trade Union, after May 1st, flights will not be canceled due to staff shortages among air traffic controllers. #ChopinInfo #IMPORTANT #ImportantForPassenger

— Chopin Airport, WAW (@ChopinAirport) April 28, 2022

Update – April 26:

Disruption to flights could start on May 1 – the day after the end of the notice period for controllers who chose to quit rather than accept the new deal they say threatens safety. If they don’t reach a new agreement preventing the walkout, here’s the likely impact to flight ops from May 1: 

• Around 300 flights crossing Polish airspace will need to be controlled by other sectors. It isn’t clear yet how this will be handled, but the Polish CAA issued an announcement saying “flights over Poland should proceed without sudden disruption”. In other words, don’t expect to get a sudden massive detour. Despite the staff shortages, for the time being the Polish CAA and Eurocontrol are still not planning to launch the ‘massive cancellation procedure’ for flights transiting Polish airspace (see below for more details on that).
• EPWA/Warsaw Chopin and EPMO/Warsaw Modlin will both operate restricted hours – 0930-1700 local time only, due to controller shortages. So don’t expect to use them outside these hours, and expect to see some Notams advising against their availability for alternates.

Original Story – April 21:

The Current State of Polish Airspace

Poland has some 600+ air traffic controllers, around 216 of which work the ‘Warsaw Approach Area’ which is some very busy airspace around EPWA/Warsaw International and the region above it.

If you’ve routed across Europe, to and from Russia in particular, then chances are you’ve used Polish high level airspace because it provides a major routing region due to the (historic) cautions and prohibitions in Ukrainian airspace.

With the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the already busy airspace is now even busier with NATO and military aircraft utilising it due the proximity to Ukraine, and with flights utilising Polish high level airspace with the closure of many surrounding airspaces.

Eurocontrol Concerns

Eurocontrol have a “live” map showing the current network situation for the region, and southern and south east Poland regularly show as having high delays. The main reasons for these are ATC staffing (causing 26% of the delays) and ATC capacity (causing 15% of the delays).

With a concern that 84% of ATC in the Warsaw control area might not be available come May 1st – a 30% reduction in total ATC staff numbers – Eurocontrol has published a plan which sees the cancellation of all connections to and from Poland.

The Potential Impact

Currently around 1,850 flights a day are forecast for the summer season. During peak hours, this requires 8 ATC sectors to be running, while during quiet night hours only 1 is required. If only 1 of the 8 sectors is staffed, at peak times this will mean nearly 1000 flights will require redirection through neighbouring airspace. With only 4 sectors open, 500 flights a day will have to re-route.

The Warsaw FIR covers the airspace across Poland as well as part of the Baltic Sea. If flights are redirected, it may mean significant extra pressure on the ATC centres in Karlsruhe, Prague, Malmö, Bratislava and Vilnius.

The main Polish airports may also experience staffing problems, leading to capacity issues, particularly at EPWA/Warsaw International. This may lead to flight cancellations at the airport, as well as an impact on availability as en-route alternates.

What are the Unions saying?

Well, you can watch the video here yourself. This is of course representing the ATC side of the conflict. What does stand out though is the potential impact on safety if mass layoffs do occur. 

When similar staffing shortages happened in 2020, there was an increase in incidents from 7 to 173.

The union also published this press release warning Polish ATC soon to be unmanned.

What is happening now?

A major conference is taking place to try and resolve the issues. This includes ‘Emergency Plan PA 8B’ – a “plan in the event of a threat to operational continuity”.

A full breakdown of current discussions was published by a Polish news site (which you can read if you have a translator on your computer, we use Chrome).

Have we seen this before?

Albanian ATC went on strike back in 2021, and it resulted in the “farming out” of controllers. We wrote about it here because the practice is a big safety concern.

“Why? Because safe Air Traffic Control is predicated on deeply-learned local familiarity with the airspace, the terrain, the boundaries, and above all, how the traffic flows.”

PANSA have acknowledged that it is not possible to simply bring other controllers in because of the risks involved in using non-regional trained ATC. However, military control of airspace might be required.

What do we think?

Talks are underway and hopefully the situation is resolved before May 1st.

Eurocontrol provide the most up to date information on airspace availability and should be monitored closely over the next few days.

We aren’t talking about a bad rash, or the trendiest new club in town… We’re talking about those spots at airports where you’re most likely to mess up and get in the way of another aircraft.

Why is this a hot topic?

The FAA are standardising their symbology so we thought it would be worth sharing with any folk based in the US who haven’t spotted it yet, and for anyone who flies into the US for that matter, just to make sure no-one misses a Hot Spot warning.

What is a Hot Spot?

It is a location on an ‘airport movement area’ which has a history of incursions, collisions and confusion. Or which has the potential for all the aforementioned mess. Basically, anywhere there is a risk of an aircraft going the wrong way or get in another aircraft’s way.

What do these spots currently look like?

They look like a really confusing bit of taxiway, often near a runway…

On the charts this might be shown with a circle, a square, an ellipse, a rectangle, an octagon, even an octopus if the chart maker so fancied. There is no standard shape for marking these which means if you aren’t familiar with an airport (or its chart) then you might not notice the spot to watch out for.

What will they look like going forward?

From May 19 2022 they will become only a circle or an ellipse, with the details in a little rectangle linked to it.

Here is a picture of the before and after:

These are in line with the symbology that the likes of LIDO and Jeppesen already use.

But also…

The FAA will be issuing Arrival Alert Notices (AAN) at airports which have a particularly bad history of misalignment risk. 

This is all to do with the runways and the risk of aligning the wrong one (or not one for that matter). The new symbology will show ‘wrong surface’ hotspots in ellipses.

Which airports have this problem?

Here’s a list of the known baddies:

• KIDA/Idaho Falls
• KRNO/Reno
• KRHV/Reid-Hillview
• KPSP/Palm Springs
• KTUS/Tucson
• KHNL/.Honolulu
• KFCM/Flying Cloud
• KTKI/Dallas McKinney
• KPDK/Peach Tree DeKalb
• KROC/Rochester

Why isn’t KSFO/San Francisco on this list? Who knows. Actually, we do – it is because these occurs most often with GA aircraft, so just because there isn’t an AAN, don’t assume there isn’t still some risk if there are parallel runways, taxiways, or even nearby airports with similar orientation. These are generally noted on the charts in text format anyway.

Read about it direct from the FAA

You can find the link to their page on it here.

There are also links to PDF documents containing lists and details on all the hotspots at the major airports. Like these for the Northeast US states.

Hello Members.

It was another busy OPSCHAT call this week, along with our new quiz!

You can watch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s a roundup of what we talked about:

• Poland – An ongoing ATC industrial dispute may lead to big controller shortages in the EPWW/Warsaw FIR from May 1. There may be knock on effects for neighbouring airspace. See our article for more.
• Singapore – There are new crew Covid rules. The main change is that vaccinated crew no longer need a pre-arrival Covid test, and they are no longer limited to the three approved layover hotels – you can chose from any now. But be careful of this gotcha: if one crew member is unvaccinated, the whole crew must follow those rules (which means isolating in an approved hotel).
• Hong Kong – From May 1, fully vaccinated foreigners will be able to enter for any reason. But the quarantine rules aren’t changing – they will still need to stay in approved hotels for at least seven days. You can check the official page on pax rules here. Local agent HKBAC have told us that there’s currently no official plans for any changes to the crew rules – which are pretty restrictive: crew must be must be vaccinated, take a pre-arrival test, another test on arrival, isolate in their hotel on layover until their outbound flight, and wear a wristband for location tracking.
• Africa – Fuel shortages at big airports are spreading. They’re now reported at DNMM/Lagos, FAOR/Johannesburg and GOBD/Dakar. More may soon follow.
• Netherlands – There have been big delays at EHAM/Schiphol thanks to multiple runway closures and an unexpected strike. Things are expected to improve from Apr 27 onwards, but keep an eye on the Eurocontrol NOP website and the Notams for updates.

Unsolved mysterious

Crew quarantine in China. You can enter but will be stuck in quarantine for weeks, or drop your pax and leave. Does anyone have a clever alternative solution?

Russian alternates. Is anyone still using Russian airport for ETOPS alternates? Most folk seem to be saying no. We discuss some other options in more detail, including lesser known PADK/Adak Island and PASY/Shemya. We also talk about Part 91 ops and risk tolerance when ETOPS doesn’t apply.

A new mystery – where do you actually need to call in in advance? Where have you been that doesn’t match the AIP? China, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran seem to still want you to… basically any of the ADIZ.

Opsquiz!

Congrats to the reigning ruler who now has a two in a row streak and will shortly claim his prize – his own little piece of Scotland. As a taster, here is the toughest question from this week: If you are talking to Shanwick on HF, who are you actually talking to?

As always, the team is here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPSCHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new one every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live. See you next week!

A second international airport has officially opened in Nepal. Here is the lowdown on it.

Introduce us.

It is called VNBW/Gautam Buddha, and it is located in Bhairahawa, approximately 250km west of VNKT/Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

The airport was officially inaugurated on April 22, 2022 but won’t see any international flights until May 16. It isn’t entirely new – an old airport was located here, and the original runway now serves as a taxiway.

What’s the lowdown on it?

The airport has a 9834′ (3000m) runway with a RNP approach to 10 and 28, and a VOR approach to runway 10 as well.

You’re going to want to watch out for the high terrain which lies to the north of the airport. The MSA is 9600′ in the northerly sector, and 7000′ for the rest, all of which makes for some altitude restrictions on the way in and out.

The airport itself is relatively small – just a few stands of the international apron and a few on the domestic apron.

The airport is RFF 5.

It isn’t a 24 hour airport though. The tower is only operational daily 0600-1845 local time (0015-1300z) and the general operational hours are Sunday-Thursday 1000-1700 local, 1000-1600 Wednesday and Friday 1000-1500.

Who can we talk to there?

We have a few contact details for you. Starting with the general airport info:

• Telephone: +977 71 507 110
• Email: gautambuddha_cao@caanepal.org.np
• Tower: 122.5
• AFTN: VNBWYDYX

There is an agent based in Singapore who can offer some support if you want to operate in:

• Telephone: +65 6592 7623
• Email: ops@aerogon.aero

Fuel is expected to be suppled by AEG, and they only have Jet A1.

Want some more info?

The AIP section for the aerodrome can be found here. It’s valid today, but might not be tomorrow so don’t use for operational purposes.

And they are building more…

Pokhara International Airport is expected to open later in 2022, offering connections to neighbouring countries whilst Nijgadh International Airport is expected to open sometime in 2025.

Cornwall in the UK is getting its very own rocket launch site, which is due to go live sometime in the not to distant future. June in fact.

 Here’s what you might need to know about it when it does.

First up, why Cornwall?

Actually, we don’t really know the answer to that. The UK just wanted to get back into the space game and picked Newquay.

It is going to be used by Virgin – something they laid out in their “Virgin Orbit Statement of Need” which you can read in its entirety here should you wish too.

What’s it look like?

Well, it looks like an orbital rocket strapped under the wing of a Boeing 747-400, which takes off from said site in Cornwall and flies out to a drop point somewhere over the ocean.

You might know of ‘Spaceport Cornwall’ by its other name, which is EGHQ/Newquay airport. The active civilian airport is becoming a “horizontal” launch site. Which basically means the rocket takes-off strapped to a Boeing 747.

The bit we are more interested in.

The bit we are possibly more interested in, international ops impact-wise is the drop site. This is located approximately 135nm west of Spaceport Cornwall (Newquay airport), and is about 73nm x 73nm. The drop site is where the B747, at 35,000′ or so, releases its space bound load. 

In order to keep it all safe and to make sure no-one else is in the way during rocket drop, there will be temporary danger areas established, probably active for around an hour to enable the 747 to drop the rocket safely.

The full danger area is extended depending on various factors on the day to allow for the rocket movement and debris fall. The overall area is expected to be around 310nm x 35nm in size, and the debris falling back down danger area will probably be about 230nm x 86nm.

It’s a lot of random numbers – basically, check Notams as they will advise of the specific areas for each launch.

Does anyone operate around the affected areas?

Yes, sometimes. These areas actually have a bit of an impact on Shanwick OCA and on Shannon, Scottish and Reykjavik FIRs to the north, and Lisboa FIR and Santa Maria OCA to the south. 

When launches are taking place Notams will of course be issued advising of the relevant danger areas, size, altitude and timings.

Right now, we are waiting for AIRAC 2207 to come out in July which will have more info on the launches and airspace changes.

The world is steadily emerging from the pandemic, and the Northern Hemisphere has arguably been leading the charge.

South-East Asia on the other hand has been lagging behind. The region’s countries have resisted joining the world’s ‘new normal’, instead relying on strict ‘zero-covid’ strategies that kept foreigners out, citizens in hotel quarantine, and crews cooped up in hotels. Until now.

In recent weeks and months, we have seen several major announcements from these countries that at last, they are willing to re-join the rest of the world – and that’s good news for the industry.

Here’s a rundown of the biggest changes happening right now.

Singapore

The News

From April 1, fully vaccinated foreigners (from anywhere) are once again be able enter the city-state without quarantine.

The existing ‘Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)’ scheme has been scrapped. For operators this means that passenger flights flying into the Lion City will no longer need approval to operate under strict VTL protocols.

Passenger Rules

For fully vaccinated passengers, click here.

For non-vaccinated passengers, click here. *Special approval is required, and in most cases non-vaccinated foreigners will not be allowed. Seven days of self-quarantine also applies.

Crew Rules

There are new rules for crew – one set for vaccinated crew (no restrictions on movement), and another set for unvaccinated crew (you have to stay in one of three approved hotels, and you’re confined to your room!).

But watch out for one important stipulation: if any crew are unvaccinated, ALL of you have to follow the unvaccinated set of rules.

Check new CAAS Circular 18/2022 Rev 2 for full details.

Malaysia

The News

It’s also good. From April 1, the country completely reopened to fully vaccinated passengers with no quarantine. Foreigners also no longer need to seek approval before travelling.

Passenger Rules

They’re complicated. And depend on vaccination status (they also take into account whether you have received a booster dose).

You can find that information here, but here’s a picture, because pictures are always better:

Crew Rules

Crew can only enter Malaysia through WMSA/Subang, WMKK/Kuala Lumpur or WMKL/Langkawi airports.

In all cases they require a PCR test that is less than 72 hours old at time of arrival. Subang seems to be the best option, with no quarantine or maximum stay. In Kuala Lumpur crew can only stay for 24 hours and must isolate in the hotel, while in Langkawi crew can stay for 72 hours and don’t have to isolate if they follow the same rules as tourists.

Indonesia

What’s the news?

They’ve dropped quarantine for both passengers and crew throughout the entire country. This follows a successful trial on the holiday island of Bali.

Passenger Rules

They’ll need a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure for Indonesia. Keep in mind this can be a tight turn around for busy labs – the global standard seems to be 72 hours.

Crew Rules

You’ll need a certificate or card proving you are fully vaccinated, along with a PCR test. The rules are a little easier for crew – you have 72 hours to get that done before you leave for Indonesia. There will also be a travel declaration to fill out, but you’ll be free to leave the hotel and enjoy your layover.

Vietnam

What’s the news?

Borders are now open to all foreigners, with no quarantine, as long as they hold a valid visa. Watch out for this gotcha though: the only visas available on arrival are currently for business travellers (not tourists). Everyone else will need to apply beforehand online. There’s a long list of countries that this applies to (including the US, Canada and UK) which you can access here. There are also visa exemptions available for select countries, see the image below.

Passenger Rules

They’ll need to get tested first, and there’s two options. A PCR test that is less than 72 hours old, or a rapid antigen test that is less than 24 hours old – both at time of departure for Vietnam. There’s an opt clause too, if they can’t provide proof of a test they can still travel but will need to get tested within 24 hours of touching down.

Crew Rules

Local agents advise that all the same requirements apply to crew as for passengers (including a valid visa or exemption) – that is if you want to enter the country.

Japan

What’s the news?

Ok, so not really South-East-Asia but we thought we’d include it anyway – given that Japan lifted its entry ban on foreigners from over a hundred countries on April 8 (including the US and UK). One big gotcha though – tourists will still have to wait. Pax will need to be entering for business, study or some other essential reason.

Passenger Rules

Depending on their vaccination status, where they are travelling from, and whether they are identified as a close contact of a positive case, they may be subject to up to 7 full days of quarantine and/or self-isolation on arrival.

For Japan’s horribly complex entry rules in their official format, click here.

Crew Rules

The crew rules remain a bit of a mystery. We’ve had some reports from crew saying they were unable to apply for any of the visas available to passengers (business, study, etc).

We haven’t seen any published rule changes here from how it worked before – crew can enter on a ‘shore pass’ arranged through their handler, but must self-isolate in the hotel for 7 days or until departure.

Opsgroup members have reported the following: “The guidance we received from our company is that crew members must stay in their rooms but can leave the hotel for exercise and to obtain food to bring back to eat in the room. No dining out, no shopping for anything other than food to eat in your room. We enter on a shore pass. For quarantine, we fill out two forms that ask about where we have been in the world and if we are feeling healthy, where we are staying, and if we have transportation (another quarantine requirement is that we don’t use public transportation). We also sign a pledge that we are going to follow the rules. They then give us a quarantine card to go with our shore pass. When we arrive for our return trip, we initial a paper saying that we followed the rules.”

If you’re considering a trip to Japan, try contacting a local handler (iajops@interavia.co.jp and fltops@aeroworks.jp are decent options) and check if there’s any update to these rules – especially those for crew (and please let us know what you find out!)

A note on Thailand.

Borders have been open to foreigners for a while now via three main entry schemes:

• Test and Go (a quarantine free option)
• Sandbox (restricted movement)
• Alternative Quarantine Scheme (quarantine reduced to five days from April 1).

The main news is that in all cases the requirement for passengers to get tested before arriving has been scrapped from April 1. Crew can make use of the same schemes and enter under the same conditions as pax.

For more info on passenger entry rules, check out the official page here, as well as the handy checklist document put together by local handling agent Asia Flight Services (eff Apr 6).

Still closed for business.

Not all of South East Asia is open to foreigners yet, watch out for these ones:

Myanmar – International passenger flights are still not allowed to land. Visas are not currently being issued for foreigners.

Brunei – Entry is still severely restricted. Any foreigner needs approval first and non-essential travel is off limits.

Laos – Special permission is still required for foreigners, and tourism is a no-go.

Unsure? Ask the team.

Entry rules change quickly and can be frustratingly confusing to get your head around. If there is a specific country you are looking for info on, try the #questions channel in Slack, or reach out to us at team@ops.group and we’ll do our best to help you find the answers you’re looking for.

You may have heard the news. Long story short, KHTO/East Hampton airport is being de-activated as a public use airport, and then re-opened as private use only. The US FAA have given the plans a green light. A raft of new rules will come into effect on May 19 that will heavily affect how commercial operators can use the airport.

Here’s a rundown of what we know.

Wait, where?

KHTO is found 90nm-ish northeast of the Big Apple, towards the end of Long Island. The airport itself is well equipped, with two runways, jet fuel and an FBO.

The most common commercial traffic connects passengers with New York City.

It will close, and then re-open.

In January, East Hampton itself voted unanimously to convert the airport to private use only.

It’s going to close on May 17 for two days, and then re-open on May 19 subject to local control under the FAA’s ‘prior permission framework.’ Or in other words, there will be new (very) restrictive rules for commercial operators who want to fly there. Its ICAO identifier will change to KJPX on reopening.

Why though?

Simply put – noise. There have been years of complaints from residents, and even calls to close the airport completely.

So special flight procedures are being introduced to turn the volume down on ops there. Disclaimer alert: these are still subject to change until the official re-opening date.

How will the new rules work?

Prior Permission – All individual tail numbers will need specific approval from the airport authority first. Any commercial operator will also be restricted to only one return flight each day.

Noise Curfew – The airport will have new operating hours: 08:00 – 20:00 LT (Mon – Thurs), and 09:00 – 19:00LT (Fri – Sun). Outside of these times there will be no exceptions. They’re not mucking around either – any rule breakers will be banned from using the airport.

Noise Abatement – This will be introduced on all runways for both departures and arrivals, and at all times.

Weight Restriction – Aircraft with a MTOW of over 50,000lbs (22,679kg) won’t be allowed. Which rules out most Gulfstream and Global series aircraft.

New Instrument Approaches – Special IFR ‘M’ procedures will be put in place that operators will need specific permission to use. An FAA-approved third party is busy designing these, and they are expected to be published in time for the reopening on May 19. They won’t be publicly available via normal FAA databases though – you’ll need to ask first, but the good news it won’t cost anything. Applications need to be submitted the relevant FAA Flight Standards District Office.

The existing RNAV-Z approaches will be replaced for both Runway 10 and 28, but with fairly few changes other than minor design adjustments. Just don’t try and use the old ones.

What about blast off? – There will be no changes, existing rules will stay in place along with visibility and ceiling minima.

Where else can I go?

KFOK/Westhampton Beach is a good option at only 20nm away. Instrument approaches available, and the longest runway is 9000′ (2,743m).

For handling we recommend you contact Sheltair Aviation. You can reach them via fokcsr1@sheltairaviation.com.

Another options is KMTP/Montauk (but be aware of these gotchas: there’s no weather reporting, and no jet fuel available).

I still have questions, who can I call?

The East Hampton Airport manager, Jim Brundige on Brundige@EHamptonny.gov, or via +1 631 537 1130 ext. 5.

Please keep the team updated.

If you operate into KHTO under the new rules, we’d love to hear from you. There’s a couple of ways to get in touch – either by filing a spy report via Airport Spy, or by contacting the team directly on team@ops.group.

Hi Members,

We had another busy OPSCHAT call this week, along with our new quiz!

You can watch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s what we talked about:

• USA – Fuel prices are on the up. We talked about why, and what this means for ops. The CDC mask mandate – they extended it, and then stopped it. We try and make sense of things.
• Europe – There are some big aviation events coming up. Aero 2022 and EBACE. Get your parking spots booked soon!
• Peru – There was a major ATC strike last week. For now it’s back to ops normal, but keep an eye on contingency procedures – you may need them.
• Pacific – More Russian rocket firings on April 27. A slightly confusing picture, but basically two possible spots where the debris could fall, the PACOTS aren’t affected.
• Bermuda – It will be downgrading its RFF until July. Does anyone have info on when this becomes an issue? 

Unsolved Mysteries

The EASA Environmental Portal. Yep. Still a bit of a mystery. Should you hear back when you’ve submitted your info? Share your ordeal registering if it can help others.

MMEL to MEL – Has the UK changed the rule since leaving EASA? If you’re operating somewhere with an MMEL, have your LOA (O95) with all your Ms and Os in order and you should be ok.

New Mysteries

GMMX/Marrakech – has anyone been recently?

Recovery documentation after catching Covid – how can I get back to the US?

OPSQUIZ

Congrats to this week’s winner! We have a whole load of new prizes to choose from (we promise they’re cool!). Tune in next week for the next OPSQUIZ.

As always, the team is here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPSCHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new one every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live. See you next week!

The FAA are changing up some flight planning codes, and they’ve published their plans in a handy little guide entitled ‘Filing for advanced capabilities using the ICAO flight plan (FPL)’.

We thought we’d take a look at what these new things coming into the FAA flight plan filing code world might be. When we say take a look, we mean literally type up the presentation and add some thoughts of your own.

This just applies to FAA flight plans, right?

Yes. No. Maybe…

We think it is a yes because the US is implementing a lot of RNP1 SIDs and STARs (basically stuff that requires advanced Nav capabilities) and for reasons we’ll mention below, they need new codes.

You can expect to see a load of new items which relate to NAV/ and also DAT/, SUR/ and COM/. ICAO has “frozen” Items 10 and 18 for PBN/ unless it is a safety critical thing.

What’s more, in the FAA presentation there is a lot of talk about the STAYY SID into KSNA/Orange County (guessing because it will be the first RNP 1 SID published?). So, from Septemberish to Novemberish, if you’re flying there and are planning on flying this approach then you’ll need to be filing these.

So it’s all about RNP1?

Mostly, yes. RNP 1 SIDs and STARs require Radius to Fix (RF) capability. There is some mention of RNP2, which is used in the UK and Australia. The FAA are working with them to clarify this because there are actually two different RNP2 standards so it is currently a bit ambiguous.

What are these codes?

We are seeing a ‘Z’ which will go into Item 10a and a Z1 which will go into NAV/

What else?

Here is a table. Lots of new letters with a 1 after them (or a 2) confirming your various RNP capabilities.

What do we use at the moment?

Let’s take a quick jump back and talk about ‘Relevant Flight Plan Fields’.

If you’ve ever filed a flight plan, you are probably fairly familiar with Item 10 – Equipment and Capability (with 10a for your Nav, Comms and Approach Aids and 10b for your Surveillence). Then there is Item 18 – Other Information, and this is where you enter your PBN, NAV, DAT, SUR and COM stuff.

So, depending on the type of routing or what-have-you that you plan on doing, you need to add info in item 10 and item 18 to confirm you’re capable of doing it.

Here is a handy table for you. Basically, if the plan is to fly a ’T-Route’ for example, then your airplane needs to be capable of RNAV 2, which means you’ll want to whack a ‘GR’ into Item 10a and a ‘C2’ into Item 18.

GR of course means GNSS and R means PBN approved. C2 means RNAV 2 GNSS specifications.

If any of this is totally new to you…

Maybe take a read of FAA Appendix A. FAA Form 7233-4 ‘International Flight Plan’ which covers all the boxes and their respective what’s and why’s.

PBN/ is limited.

Something else mentioned in the presentation is the limited number of PBN/ entries that you can make on your flight plan. This limit means the automation which “reads” your plan might make some assumptions. For example, if you enter a D1, D2, D4, O1 or O2 code, it is going to assume you are RNAV 2 capable.

There are also certain PBN/descriptions which don’t align with any OpSpec authorisations.

C3, D3, O3 – DME/DME is not adequate for RNAV 2, RNAV 1, RNP 1 and O4– DME/DME/IRU alone is not adequate for RNP 1.

All of which means changes are needed!

A reminder on using NAV/RNV to suppress a PBN segment

The automation (and this is a direct quote from the presentation) ‘bases route eligibility on PBN information but overrides that with the NAV/ information when provided’.

Right now, putting RNV means RNAV, so if you file NAV/RNV the automation won’t think you’re eligible for an RNP routing. In fact, 50% of flight plans which include RNP1 capability are only seen as RNAV 1 eligible. If this has happened to you, stop putting RNV in the NAV/ string.

The main point here is that the majority of users should be using PBN/ only.

There is more.

There is more, but it might be easier to read it in the FAA presentation itself. 

When all the FAA documents are changed and updated to include the new stuff, then this is what to look out for:

• New NAV/ descriptors are coming in, including info on how to file them
• Documentation on the new descriptors they’ve come up with will be there
• Instructions on how to file RNP routes, including ones which require RF capability will be included
• Instructions on how to use NAV/RNV to exclude PBN routes on a single segment will be removed (but there will be a web page and FAA contact info if you still need help).

Remember the 100ml rule? The one that’s been there since 2006, causing endless hassles at security. Well, its changing!

Why does that matter for air crew?

Good question. Is this really an operational issue to talk about? We are ‘Opsgroup’ not ‘VaguelyInterestingInfogroup’ after all…

Well, the rule is here for crew too and if you’ve ever operated through a UK airport you will know they can take it very seriously indeed. I once had my healthy hummus lunch taken from me because hummus is slightly more liquid than solid.

So, the change will mean:

• An easier time going through security for Air Crew as well as passengers
• Possibly some changes on what you can stock up on during layovers (if you don’t check your crew bags)
• The option to have better coffee than what you might get onboard
• General security changes

Let’s take a quick look at the security side of things.

Passengers and crew will be able to carry whatever liquids they require, so long as they fit in their hand luggage. Remember though, if you are transiting another airport, their liquid limits will still apply.

There are a few liquidy products worth looking out for as well. The top two we are aware of are peanut butter and Frankfurter sausages in jar available in EDDF/Frankfurt airport duty free.

Why?

Well, the liquid explosive scanning machines work off detecting a range of chemical elements, and also look at density. Fun fact – the molecular makeup of peanut butter is actually very similar to nitroglycerin, while the juicy sausagey water in frankfurter jars is apparently of a density that some scanners struggle with.

Then there are actual banned substances.

Possibly more important to remember – these are, obviously, still banned. There is no change to the dangerous goods restrictions.

Toxic, flammable, infectious, over 70% alcohol, paint etc is all still not allowed.

Shannon Airport

EINN/Shannon is of course a gateway airport for the USA. The US Pre-clearance status means you can undergo all immigrations, customs and agriculture inspections here.

Which is why we thought this was worth mentioning because it will be a nice change for a lot of folk heading through, but those agriculture restrictions remain in place.

All travelers entering the United States are required to declare anything with meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals, as well as plant and animal products – including soup or soup products.

Check out the USA CBP website for more info. There is quite a handy “what can I bring in for my own personal guzzling purposes” list here, published by them.

Where else are the scanners going to be?

Well, the UK is planning to have them installed in all their international airports by December 2022.

TSA in the USA is also planning on having over 1000 of them active for Summer 2022. So watch this space.

From Laos to Lima there is a growing fuel shortage and while the shortages (and fuel price hikes) have mainly been impacting road users, the problem is beginning to be felt in aviation as well.

So we figured we’d take a look at the situation.

What’s causing it?

The Ukraine Russia conflict.

Russia is the third largest supplier of oil behind the USA and Saudi Arabia, supplying around 12% of the world’s needs.

The conflict is seeing oil prices zoom up, recently hitting $139 a barrel (a 14 year high). Spot prices in New York Harbour went over $7.30 a gallon which is double what it normally would be this time of year.

But why is the USA short?

Good question.

The USA gets its fuel from lots of places, predominantly domestically and from across the border in Canada and Mexico. What you might not realise though is it also sources almost 10% of its supply from Russia. It’s a big number when you consider 329 million people live in the US. Take into account that Europe is also feeling the pinch of this ‘tightening global energy market’, ‘ it’s no wonder prices are on the charge, and supply running thin.

Back in 2021…

Back in 2021 the USA suffered fuel shortages at a bunch of airports. This was actually due to a bunch of reasons:

• There weren’t enough truckers to drive it around
• The pipelines had all been shifted during covid and hadn’t been shifted back again
• There was a cyber attack on one of the main pipelines disrupting the supply
• Some supplies were diverted away from leisure airports and to airports where wildfire fighting aircraft needed it
• Leisure routes were getting busier as Covid restrictions loosened

Fast forward to 2022 and while flying levels are around 95% of the peak 2019 levels, fuel production is still only around 80%. So there is, simply, a shortage.

Let’s talk about the East Coast.

The East Coast has been particularly hard hit for two reasons:

• One, because the California refineries suffered some technology issues earlier in 2022 and couldn’t make as much,
• Two, because they receive their supply mostly from Texas and also Europe – and Europe ain’t sending much at the mo.
  • Distallite PADD 1 imports (the stuff a quick google search showed me is used for Kerosene – Jet fuel) is down 60%.

What are we seeing, where?

• Smaller, regional airports are reporting shortages
• Leisure routes are being cancelled due rising costs
• International shortages/rising costs leading to security situations
• Uncertainty as to ongoing availability
• And of course, the rising costs globally…

In the USA

We have seen reports for several spots across the USA, and expect to see more particularly for the east coast airports.

• KEYW/Key West has reported rising costs
• KAUS/Austin has seen surge in passenger number and operators were asked to tanker where possible for at least the next few weeks.
• KSDL/Scottsdale had a report from member of fuel shortages. One FBO confirmed their supply was ok, but other FBOs were running low.

If you have visited an airport recently which has fuel supply problems, or where costs are rising significantly, please let us know.

Elsewhere in the world

Nigeria and Russia have both had reports of aviation fuel shortages. The other countries on the list are seeing fuel shortages and rising costs leading to protests and security situations, however whether there is an impact on aviation fuel supplies is currently unknown.

• Russia started to see fuel shortages around the start of March.

Whilst Russia are a major oil producer, much of their supply may be getting redirected for military operations. One major operator cancelled flights to UUDD/Moscow due being unable to uplift. With the current situation and lack of operators heading in, it is hard to get any clear picture of the situation though.

• Nigeria have a big, ongoing shortage.

Although initially due to a batch of poor quality fuel, the situation has been growing as the costs of buying in more keep rising. This has been impacting domestic and some Interational airlines for over a month now. We wrote about it here.

• Laos have a nationwide shortage but reports are not clear as to whether this impact aviation fuel as well.
• Peru have seen protests and strikes in the transportation sector over rising fuel prices. There are no reports of this impacting aviation yet.
• Sri Lanka has also been seeing an increase in protests over rising economic issues including fuel shortages. An FBO at VCBI/Colombo-Bandaranaike informed us that jet fuel supplies are good.
• Pakistan are seeing rising demand, but are struggling to buy in fuel from their suppliers as Europe call in additional supply.
• DRC has a shortage in ground transport fuel. No impact reported on aviation fuel, but significant security issues due protests.
• Sierra Leone have a notam advising Jet A1 only available for scheduled flights at GFLL/Freetown until at least April 20.

What to do about it?

• Keep an eye on notams
• Confirm availability with agents prior to heading in
• Consider signing up to services such as AvHopper that can keep updated on fuel costs and availability
• Tanker where possible to maximise cost efficiency
• When planning alternates consider fuel availability
• Think about crew security on the ground if laying over, and crew transport issues
• Share it if you operate to an airport or region and experience fuel issues.

You can let us know about it on team@ops.group and we will post an alert so others know about it as well.

Hi Members,

It was another busy OPSCHAT call this week – with a fun new addition.

You can watch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about:

• Russia – SITA are cancelling their VHF services from April 11. So no more SITA run VHF/VDL or datalink. There was also an air prox event between a civilian airliner and military fighter near the Latvian border – spill over effects from the conflict in Ukraine are still a big issue!
• Europe –  Strikes and staff shortages. The perfect post-Covid storm. Suddenly the industry isn’t quite ready for Easter, so now it’s one big mess. UK fuel shortages hopefully resolving by end of the week. GPS jamming, yep still an issue, we’ve written a handy Opsicle about it you can find here.
• Japan – It’s opening to rest of world, but not for tourists yet. Crew entry rules are causing confusion. No clear answer on this yet. If anyone has news, please share it with us.
• USA – Big closures at KASE/Aspen and KJAC/Jackson Hole. Russian military exercise has been affecting NOPAC routes in the Anchorage FIR. Alphabet Soup – the FAA are changing up their flight planning codes to cover new PBN RNP1 NAV advanced capability stuff. Watch this space for an update on it.
• And something for fun. Opschats now have a quiz involved! And there are prizes to be won (good prizes, exciting prizes, prizes worth winning. Well, we think so.) All ops related questions of course.

Congratulations to our first ever winner!

As always, the team is here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPSCHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new one every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live. See you next week!

Aside from being the oldest operating airport in the New York City area, KTEB/Teterboro is far from quiet.

In the good ol’ pre-Covid days of 2019 it saw over 124,000 aircraft movements – that’s 340 every single day. And even last year in the height of the pandemic, it was well on the way back to those levels.

It is also unique for a few reasons. The first is that it is weight limited – if your ride is heavier than 100,000 pounds (45,000kg-ish), then you can’t land there without a waiver. Which means there is no airline traffic, making it exclusively the realm of GA and business aviation operators.

It is also nestled among some of the busiest airspace in the world. The field itself is only 6nm from downtown Manhattan. Which means traffic in and out of there has to compete with the seemingly constant flows of nearby big hitters KLGA/LaGuardia, KJFK/New York, and especially KEWR/Newark.

This tricky combination creates unique operational challenges for controllers and pilots alike. And now things are going to get even more complicated. Here’s why…

A runway is off to rehab.

Or perhaps more accurately, Runway 06/24 is being rehabilitated. Which is a fancy way of saying it needs to be repaired.

 Unfortunately, this is also time consuming. So, a bunch of runway closures have been scheduled at KTEB running all the way into next year at night and on weekends.

During these closures Runway 01/19 will be in use for arrivals and departures which can be hugely disruptive to operations – especially in two scenarios:

Runway 01 Arrivals (Northerly Flow)

When Runway 06 is closed, arriving traffic can expect one of two approaches.

If the weather is good.

 You can expect the ILS approach runway 06, circle to land 01 to keep you clear of Newark. But beware, it can be a challenging approach for a few reasons. Code 7700 has published a fantastic briefing that is almost a compulsory read if you’re unfamiliar with ops there.

Some other common sense prevails too – make sure the approach is carefully briefed beforehand. It’s tight, and easy to get unstable so crew co-ordination is going to be important to keep the old SA up.

If the weather is not so good.

You can expect an RNAV-X approach onto Runway 06 – runway closures are weather dependent. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have confirmed they will open it back up.

When are we going to see an instrument approach for Runway 01?

 Good question, the problem is that Newark gets in the way again. The Teterboro User’s Group are hard at work with the FAA to come up with one, but the process is by nature slow. Within months is the goal, but not quite soon enough to help during these works.

Runway 19 Departures (Southerly Flow)

This is when you can expect big delays, as Runway 19 points straight at Newark.

Expect the Teterboro 4 Departure by default. But a head’s up – for every single aircraft that launches out of Teterboro on this SID, NY TRACON needs to find a 10nm gap in arrivals at Newark. And that means a lot of waiting. There may be a better option…

Consider the Dalton.

The what? The Dalton Two Departure. It’s unique because it allows aircraft to depart Teterboro visually, before transitioning to your IFR flight plan – and it’s by pilot request only when the weather is better than 3000 – 3.

The Teterboro User’s Group worked with the FAA to get this one off the ground (no pun intended). It is essentially a right-hand turn after departure onto a westerly heading, at or below 1300 feet. You’ll need to keep your speed back too.

The spacing required is effectively halved. Don’t be put off by the phrase expect indefinite delays either. It’s ATC’s way of telling you they don’t know how long it’ll be. But local operators confirm delays are never worse than the standard TEB 4, and more often than not, better.

But before you light the fires, there are a couple of gotchas. It’s going to get busy – the low level-off happens quickly in high performance jets, especially at light weights. So be ready for it. Also, the westerly heading points you (visually) towards rising terrain and there have been reports of EGPWS warnings as a result.

Teterboro isn’t the only option.

If you don’t have the appetite for all of this and are looking for more straight forward options, here are a couple to consider:

KHPN/White Plains It’s 25nm from Manhattan – about a 40-minute drive in normal traffic. It has two runways, the longest being 6549’ (1996m) long.

KMMU/Morristown About the same distance away with a slightly longer 50-minute drive. It also has two runways with the lengthiest option of 5,998’ (1,828m).

Local operators in New York have told us that even though the drive is a little longer, the overall travel time is often less when you avoid delays in and out of KTEB.

Look out for full airport closures too.

There are also eight complete airport closures scheduled for KTEB coming up, some lasting up to 38 hours: 

July 1 – August 31: Six closures are planned on weekends, from Friday 10pm until Sunday 12pm (local time).

October 1 – November 3: Two closures are planned from Sunday 12:01am – 12pm (local time).

 The exact dates will be confirmed by Notam.

Need more support?

Reach out to the friendly folk at TUG (the Teterboro User’s Group). They’re experts on ops at KTEB, they post weekly construction bulletins on their website and are more than happy to help operators out with advice. Also a special thank you to David Belastock – the President of TUG. This write up would not have been possible without his experience and generous support of OPSGROUP.

We made an Airport Lowdown for KTEB a while back, which you can see here. We had help (since we’ve never flown in there), but if you spot anything to add or change then let us know.

Or you can talk to the OPSGROUP team directly on team@ops.group. We’d love to hear from you.

There are a lot of Zurich related posts out there right now because the World Economic Forum is coming around soon, and with it some need to know things about Zurich, which is the main airport closest to where the forum is held.

On top of that, summer is on its way and with it the usual parking restrictions at all the popular tourist spots, which Zurich happens to be one of. So we thought we would take a look at it specifically, and share some info on what options you might have.

If you are operating into the general region during the WEF dates, get book now – some airports are already full!

First up, the Forum.

The World Economic Forum is big. It is the ‘World’ one after all. You can read about it here.

But what you probably want to know is where it is, and when it is.

• It actually takes place in Davos (but LSZH/Zurich gets busy with important people, and their jets, flying in and out)
• It takes place between May 22nd and May 26th

So if you want fly in here and park between May 22nd and May 26th then good luck, unless you have  an important person onboard, then just make sure you’ve pre-arranged it. Actually, better make that May 20 to May 29 because some might stay on over the weekend.

Where can you park?

LSZH/Zurich probably isn’t an option anymore so check out some the following. But do it fast. Spots are filling quickly and its pretty much on a first come first served basis at this point.

• LSMD/Dubendorf
• EDDL/Düsseldorf
• LOWW/Vienna
• LFSB/Basel
• EDNY/Friedrichshafen
• LSZR/St.Gallen Altenrhein
• LSZS/Samedan

Here is some info on the ones you might not have info on.

LSMD/Dubendorf

Respositioning to and from LSZH/Zurich is not possible – there are customs available, and aircraft must operate in an out as their destination and origin.

The airport is only available to WEF related flights during the WEF period. There is also a query over whether fuel is available so confirm with the agent.

• Some contact info

If you want to use Dubendorf during the World Economic Forum you are going to have to speak to TopMotion as they are the main handlers here: +41 44 8420 10 60 / aircraft.handling@topmotion.ch

We got some info from them already. You can see their 2022 price list here and take a look at their WEF Air Crew Guide here.

• Some operational info

Dubendorf’s runway 11/29 is 7726’ (2355m) x 40m.

Runway 29 is equipped with CAT I ILS and RNP approaches while runway 11 is, well, not, Something to do with the majorly high terrain they put directly by the runway. (OK, maybe the terrain was there first, but it does sit right where what would be the missed approach for 11 would take you).

The terrain is high with and MSA of 5000’ to the North, and then 9000’, 10400’ and 11200’ in the south. It’s that terrain that gives the ILS its 4.5° approach angle, which means you’re probably going to need a steep approach approved aircraft and some special training for here, before heading in.

The airport elevation is 1450’, and the missed approach (busy because of the terrain as well), has a required gradient of 6%.

LFSB/Basel

A good option… but parking may already be fully booked here.

EDNY/Friedrichshafen

Be aware as this airport is in Germany, fuel will generally be more expensive as the taxes are higher here.

• Some contact info

Airport Services are you best bet. Try them on +49 7541 284 388 / info@handling-fdh.de

• Some operational info

You have a 7730′ (2356m) runway with an ILS either end. There is a lot of terrain around here though, and the airport elevation is 1368′ so watch out.

Open 0500-2100z weekdays, and 0800-1900z on weekends, with overtime available on request. PPR will be required for stays of more than 90 minutes.

Parking should be possible, but expect to be repositioned for parking and servicing.

LSZR/St.Gallen Altenrhein

A decent option if you can fit on their shorter than other airports runway.

• Some contact info

Get in touch with the airport directly for support. You can find them on +41 71 858 5165 / c-office@peoples.ch

• Some operational info

You’ve only got 4774′ (1455m) to play with here. There is an ILS to 10, but it is 4°, and there is not published approach for 28. All this is because of the terrain in the south with MSAs of 10,200′ and 11,400′ to look out for as well as an elevation on 1306′.

Back to Zurich.

Zurich always has certain charges and restrictions in place, even when big events like the WEF aren’t taking place.

Charges

• Landing charged, based on your weight
• Noise supplement charge, that varies depending on whether you disturb the peace during the day or the night
• An Emission charge based on amount of nitrogen oxide you emit
• Parking charges based on how much you might weigh, and time spent parked there
• Passengers, security and mobility support charges for passengers
• Freight charges

All the details of all the charges are contained in their Big Document on Charges Regulation. Which you can read here (although this only runs until 1 April and they don’t seem to updated it yet.)

Anything else?

Yeah, slots. You need ‘em. Best sorting it via your handling agent.

Permits (in general)

Landing permits are not required for private GA/BA flights to Switzerland. You’ll only need a landing permit if you’re operating a charter flight on an aircraft not registered in the EU. For that, email the authorities direct at: trafficrights@bazl.admin.ch

Operational Stuff

Zurich is a relatively challenging Cat B airport. We made a little briefing on it here to help.

Tell us…

If you know of other options, let us know and we will share the info – team@ops.group

Hi members,

It was another busy OPSCHAT call this week.

You can watch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about.

• Europe – EASA have updated their fuel regs – we dug into what has actually changed. France has begun rolling out new ATC systems, starting with the LFFE/Reims FIR which could lead to big delays. The EASA Environmental Portal deadline has been and gone – if you’re operating a jet into Europe under Part 91 or 135, you probably need to know about it – we briefly covered what operators need to do. Our recent article may also help. A strange new Notam has been issued about unannounced military ops up to FL300 between Italy and Greece, so we talked about what we’ve heard. Potentially disruptive strikes across Europe were cancelled last minute. But don’t get too relieved, more will probably come.
• USA – Several major airport closures are on the horizon including KJAC/Jackson Hole and KADS/Addison – we took a brief look at the details. We also discussed disruptions at KTEB/Teterboro due to upcoming work on Runway 06/24 with the help of local experts – they gave us some great information to help keep you out of trouble if you’re unfamiliar with ops there (with special thanks to David Belastock over at the Teterboro User’s Group). We looked at spiralling fuel costs and shortages, especially on the East Coast, as well as global shortages. If you experience rapidly rising costs or supply problems, let us know! The US Masters in Augusta GA is happening from April 7 – 10, we talked about special FAA procedures that have been published for nearby airports.
• The Middle East – There have been more drone and missile attacks in the OEJD/Jeddah FIR, Saudi Arabia. The latest caused flight disruptions at OEJN/Jeddah airport. We chatted again about the practical risk for overflights along with those taking off and landing. Safeairspace.net also has a full briefing available.
• Asia  – A question was asked about airspace incursions in Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). We looked at what’s been happening recently, and what operators need to do to stay out of trouble. We’ve also previously made a handy article on this issue.

As always, the team is here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPSCHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new one every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live.

So EASA have changed their fuel rules and the ‘Decision’ they have published ain’t an easy thing to read. Here is what we think it says, in plainer English, to help you work out what it all means for you.

We are no pros on fuel planning through so this is more of a heads-up that things are a-changing. For the full regulations you will need to dive in yourself and try to fathom it out, but hopefully this gives some info on bits to really look out for.

First of all, in EASA’s own words…

…What the change is all about?

They also say:

Give it to me in plain English.

• It will improve fuel efficiency.
• It will be nicer for the environment.
• It will apply from October 30 2022.
• The big change in fuel policy applies to Commercial Air Transport (CAT) operators (but there are a lot of changes for other folk in there too)

If you want to jump straight in and read it all yourself, then here is the link.

What’s changed then?

Remember the old Fuel Policy that we all know and love?

The one where you have to carry taxi fuel, trip fuel, fuel to get to your alternate, contingency fuel (and some additional bits in there about whether that needs to be 5% or 5 mins at 1500′, or 3% or if you can use STATCON…) plus your final reserve and any extra you might want…

Well, that is out and in its place are three new fuel schemes –

• the Individual.
• the Basic.
• the Basic, with variations.

So the old fuel policy is chopped and there are three new schemes instead. 

Here’s the deal with them. The first thing to know is that the individual and the basic + variations are both voluntary, meaning you’ll need to meet a bunch of criteria to opt for them. The basic is what you’ll be on if the other two don’t apply.

Oh, and should have said it earlier, but this only applies if you’re an EASA operator.

Any idea which fuel scheme to read up on?

If you’re not a CAT Operator (now that header picture makes sense, right?) then the Individual Fuel Scheme (and all the many, many pages of info referring to that) probably won’t apply to you. That’s not to say it isn’t useful to read and know about anyway.

If you know you don’t have particularly enhanced fuel monitoring capabilities then the basic scheme is the one for you, and this is not really different from the current fuel policy as we know it. There are however a lot of small changes which you will need to know about.

EASA say 

So let’s look at the schemes.

1. The Individual Fuel Scheme.

This applies to big operators with big fuel monitoring systems in place which let them say “I know how much fuel I need all the time because I fly there a lot, monitor it and know about all the possible changes and risks and all that stuff that might affect it!”

So EASA are all “well, if you meet all our criteria then we’re gonna trust that you do know better, and can take just what you need and that’ll be better for you and the environment.”

OK, there might be a bit more to it than that, but in a nutshell if you’re a big operator and think this might apply then dig in and read all the new blue and see if you can opt for this scheme.

If you know this doesn’t apply, then read on.

2. The Basic Scheme.

Ah now this is more familiar. It is basically our old Fuel Policy made simple.  5% for your contingency. Done.

Here’s the actual contingency bit for reference:

For contingency fuel, calculate for unforeseen factors either: whichever is the higher; (1) 5 % of the planned trip fuel or, in the event of in-flight re-planning, 5 % of the trip fuel for the remainder of the flight; or (2) an amount to fly for 5 minutes at holding speed at 1 500 ft (450 m) above the destination aerodrome in standard conditions,

This is not voluntary. The other two are, and if you don’t go for either of them then this is the policy you’ll need to apply.

3. The Basic with variations.

From what we can see, those variations really apply to the contingency and whether you can reduce to 3% or use STATCON, which is based on whether you have some sort of monitoring program in place, amongst other things.

Seems like a lot of blue just for that?

There is a lot because the two voluntary schemes have a lot of points attached to them which you need to know about if you’re planning on applying for one of those schemes.

Aside from the big policy changes, there are some changes and clarifications to definitions and what have you which are worth a read.

Do you need to read the Explanatory Note?

Not unless you really want an in-depth explanation as to why they need the new AMC and GM (acceptable means of compliance and guidance material) on fuel/energy planning, and a whole long list of references.

You can read it here if you do want to.

Annex I

This is the changes to the definitions annex. It is fairly short (they’ve removed acronyms) and made a few definition changes.

You can read it here, but you’re better off reading the full definitions annex here if it’s definitions you’re after.

Here’s one we found interesting:

• Relevant safety information that might affect the safety of the flight: unforeseen hazards

They’ve published a nice list here of stuff to think about (which you were probably were anyway but just incase) it means stuff like unexpected ATC delays, met conditions which weren’t forecast, sudden obstructions on the runway, failure of some bit of the airplane that means you suddenly need a lot more runway. Sudden acts of nature that you didn’t expect…

The other Annexes

We jumped straight in to Annex IV because it is the Commercial Air Operators annex, and they did say at the start that most of the changes apply to this. If you are not a CAT Operator then take a browse through the annex that does apply. 

This contains all the info on the new schemes and the changes, criteria for opting for them etc. so this is what you need to read!

Some other bits worth looking out for.

• Alternate Planning: We aren’t here to get into the nitty-gritty of the changes but someone very helpful and with more knowledge on it that us said that this “basically rewrites everything we learned” about flight planning. One of the big rewrites is on the Alternate Planning.
  • The old ‘step-down’ method of alternate planning doesn’t apply anymore. Instead it must be looked at individually each time.
  • Wind gusts also need to be considered.
  • Take a look at the tables (here’s the one for the basic + variations scheme) to get a better idea.

There are also some nicely updated or reclarified definitions throughout so even if the new optional schemes don’t apply to you, its good opportunity to remind yourself about certain meanings which apply to any fuel policy, even non-EASA ones.

• Appropriate Meteorological information: There is a whole lot of blue here and they seem to have updated the definition on what this means and where you can get this weather from. Basically you can reproduce information from a reliable “weather man” source so long as you are just changing the layout, not the content.  
  • Reliable means it as some sort of quality assurance in terms of accuracy and integrity.
  • You can also use supplementary weather info – like some nice colourful charts.
• Verifying weather conditions for adequate aerodromes: You have two choices, and the requirement for RFFS seems to have been removed from the adequate definition:
  • Adequate This means an aerodrome that you can fly to and use because its runway characteristics and anything else relevant meets your performance requirements. You don’t have to consider weather conditions to decide if an aerodrome is adequate.
  • Weather permissible You do need to consider the weather to determine if an adequate aerodrome is weather permissible for your planning purposes.
• Minimum Fuel: This is worth a read, and because we think it is worth a read, we’ve recreated it here for you so you can just read that without everything else around it, if you so wish.

Is there a good way to read this?

It is a fairly unreadable document. The amount of blue and red makes it quite hard to work out what applies to you and what doesn’t. We suggest finding a way to separate the scheme that applies to you from the rest, and then read through the definitions and sections along side your current fuel policy to identify what has specifically changed.

Still totally confused?

We are too if we’re being totally honest. There are some big changes going on here and working out which fuel scheme applies to you is just step on.

EASA are holding a Webinar on this later in the year (Currently planned for July 7). You can register for it here. 

If you’re not already on it then it might be worth signing up to the EASA community network because they post updates, and folk have discussions on all things EASA on here so you might find more answers here.

There are some bits we were confused on so if you spot any errors or issues in this, please let us know at team@ops.group

KJAC/Jackson Hole will be closed to all traffic from April 11-June 28. Keep an eye out for the new KJAC Notam which has yet to be published.

What’s happening?

The runway is being replaced. Work has been happening in phases, and the first happened last year with minimal impacts. But now it’s time to get the really heavy machinery out  – the entire runway will be dug out, and the sub-base replaced.

If you’re wondering what sub-base is, it’s the granular layer that the hard stuff sits on top of. Of course, once it’s in place, the runway will also be fully re-paved. Unfortunately for traffic this means all operations will be stopped for 78 days.

Once the airport reopens, work will continue to groove the runway and apply markings, but this will happen with closures at night. The entire project will be wrapped up by August.

For more information you can view the official project website.

Is the runway being lengthened though?

Not this time. The existing runway has been in place for nearly half century, and having been re-surfaced several times it is just in need of a full replacement. There will still be 6,300′ (1920 m) of runway available when the project is finished.

Where else can I go?

There are several alternative airports that could be considered during the works. We asked OPSGROUP members what their preferred alternate is, and their answer was KDIJ/Driggs, Idaho.

It’s only 23nm away. The facilities are reportedly great, with a nice big apron that can easily fit your ride. Here is some information on the field:

Runway 04/22 7,300’/ 2,225m.

Instrument approaches: All RNAV. There is a discrete approach for 04, and an Alpha approach which will set you up for circling. Just make sure the weather is appropriate.

FBO: Teton Aviation Center. You can reach them on +1 208 354 3100, or via info@tetonaviation.com. Also it’s going to get busy – reservations are essential. Teton has put out some guidance to pilots here.

Gotchas: As you’d expect, lots of terrain and high elevation – 6231′. It’s also uncontrolled, but there is a UNICOM available on the CTAF frequency, 122.7.

Bonus: Harrison Ford may, or may not, keep a DHC-2 Beaver here. Just word on the street.

I’d prefer a side of ATC with that thanks.

The nearest controlled airport is KIDA/Idaho Falls. It’s 63 nm away, and doesn’t require any reservation of PPR (unless things start to get really crowded). It would still pay to let your FBO know you’re coming.

Runway 03/21 9002′ (2743m)

Instrument approaches: ILS available (21).

FBO: Aero Mark +1 208 524 1202 or info@aeromark.com

I’m on international ops, and need customs.

KJAC/Jackson Hole itself is not a port of entry. But if you’re looking for one with CBP nearby, the closest option is KBTM/Butte, 160nm away across the state line in Montana.

Runway 15/33 The longest option at 9000’/2743m.

Instrument approaches: ILS available (15).

FBO: Butte Aviation Inc, +1 406 494 6694 or trevor@butteaviation.com.

We welcome other suggestions!

Please get in touch with us at team@ops.group with any other recommendations, we love to hear from you!

We’ve mentioned space before because the goings on up there do impact the goings on down here. From space debris falling down, to TFRs around launch zones, to the impact of radiation on flight crew…

This post though is here to help you with Space Weather, or rather, how to monitor it and plan for it in your flight plans.

Space weather and what it does.

What we are talking about are things like geomagnetic storms and solar flares. The stuff that causes pretty Northern Lights shows, but which also causes less pretty impacts on our HF comms and our satellite navigation systems.

In general, the effects of space weather on earthbound stuff is limited to the higher latitudes and particularly the polar routes. For a whole load of information on this have our read of this post we put out a while back. For more info on radiation risk, check this one out.

Flight planning.

This post is a simple ‘where to look for info’ post so you can include (if you don’t already) some of this info into your planning process, and into the information you provide your pilots.

First up, Alerts.

We check the NOAA site daily (the Space Weather Prediction Center part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). When we see little yellow or little orange bits at the top we pop out an alert to let you know the sun might be sending something our way.

When its something more serious they tend to write up a proper little alert themselves on this.

This is just a forecast though. The R, S and G scales provide a prediction on the level of HF Radio Blackout likelihood (R), Solar radiation probability (S) and Geomagnetic storm impact (G) which would also impact your satellite navigation systems.

If you see an alert you might want to go check an official aviation source.

Official aviation sources.

Not that we’re saying NOAA isn’t official, but it does just provide a sort of heads up. For your flight planning you are probably going to want some more specific information to put into your flight plan – an actual advisory (rather than our little alerts).

One place to look is somewhere the Finnish Met Institute who put out aviation advisories on space weather. These advisories look something like this –

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology publish similar ones and even have a nice little map you can look at to see the regional risk of space weather nastiness.

If you are USA based then your go to centre is the Space Weather Prediction Center (under NOAA) and you can find official advisories on there.

What to do next.

There are various things to think about:

• If you are regularly fly at high latitudes then you need to be monitoring their cumulative radiation exposure levels
• If the radiation levels on a particular day are over a certain amount you might want to think about a re-route at a lower latitude (it is rare they are significant)
• If the HF blackout probability is much more than minor (10 minutes max) or the geomagnetic storm levels are likely to cause significant satellite navigation issues then the same applies – you might want to consider re-routes
• For any probability, alerting the flight crew to potential HF blackouts and ensuring they know the procedures for loss of HF comms if routing over HF comm dependant areas is probably a good idea
• Include the forecast in the flights plans just as you would non-space weather forecasts.

We hope that helps, but if you want more…

ICAO put out a fairly handy presentation on this a while ago which you can find here, and they published another on Space Weather Center provisions which you can read here.

The full ICAO SARPS on Space Weather are in the’ ICAO Annex 3 – Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation and ICAO Doc 10100 – Manual on Space Weather Information in Support of International Air Navigation.’

There is also a draft of their original Manual on Space Weather available here (if you want the current published version you’ll have to pay for it).

The ECA (European Cockpit Association) published this which is filled with useful advice.

You might also want to take a read of this and sign up to your local Space Weather center to receive the SWX advisories if you haven’t already.

On March 29, a large UN transport helicopter crashed in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo while operating a surveillance flight.

The DRC Government has accused (but not proven) a recently resurgent militant group of shooting down the aircraft, after renewed fighting against the government military in recent days.

The country itself has a chequered history of non-state actors actively targeting aviation assets including aircraft and airports, and there may be more to come.

This spells danger for civil aviation, and with an absence of official airspace warnings for the FZZA/Kinshasa FIR, the risks may be on the rise.

Here’s a rundown on the current situation, and what you need to know to stay safe.

What’s been going on there?

A militant group known as M23, or March 23 Movement, has recently become active again in Eastern DRC, in a province called North Kivu. It sits close to the borders of Uganda and Rwanda.

The group were previously engaged in a conflict with the government who expelled them across the border in 2013. Then just days ago, M23 unexpectedly became active again by attacking military positions in North Kivu – which is where the UN helicopter crashed. This was amidst heavy fighting.

There is potential for the skirmish to develop into a larger and longer running war. And that means risk for aviation.

A history of attacks on aviation.

If the UN helicopter was indeed shot down by M23, it wouldn’t be the first time. They, along with other militant groups, have a known history of attacking government owned aviation assets:

• 1998: a civilian 727 was shot down by a shoulder fired surface-to-air missile after it took off from FZOA/Kindu airport.
• 2013: Militia attacked FZAA/Kinshasa airport.
• 2016: FZUA/Kananga airport was attacked by armed rebels on three separate occasions.
• 2017: An air force helicopter was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery in North Kivu, which was later claimed by M23.

And there are fears that since the ceasefire in 2013, M23 have been retraining and rearming themselves with weapons that could target low flying aircraft. This includes Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) and anti-aircraft artillery which are distributed among militant groups throughout many countries of Africa – including the DRC.

What’s the actual risk?

Militant groups such as M23 tend to specifically target government and military interests. There has been no indication of desire to endanger civil aviation. But the renewed intent to attack Government owned assets also increases the chance that civil aircraft may be misidentified, or mis-targeted.

Aircraft are most at risk at low level and low speeds which means they are most vulnerable when taking off, landing or on the ground. The Eastern Provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and Katanga are particularly dangerous.

There is little risk to overflying aircraft at higher flight levels. The issue for overflights becomes the need to divert. The Democratic Republic of The Congo is a huge country, which covers almost a million square miles of Central Africa – that’s more than Alaska and Texas combined. If you’re overflying it, you’ll need somewhere to land if something goes wrong. This is when militant activity becomes more of a danger.

Diversion Planning

Security risks in Eastern DRC are very high, and special care needs to be taken right now about options for diversions.  Landings at airports in the above three regions are dangerous and should be avoided . For overflights in this region, alternates across the border are safer options – especially HRYR/Kigali in Rwanda.

In Eastern DRC, FZNA/Goma is considered to be a reliable option, along with FZQA/Lubumbashi in the south and FZIC/Kisangani to the north. Further west the best option remains FZAA/Kinshasa. It’s important to remember though that no parts of the country are fully immune to militant activity and risks may be present at varying levels throughout the country.

This means if you’re planning on operating there, it’s important to carry out a risk and security assessment using trusted sources which may include local contacts, and security services offered by companies like Medaire.

Contingencies need to be in place for ensuring crew, passenger and aircraft security in the event of both planned and unplanned landings.

We’ll keep you updated.

The ongoing situation in Eastern DRC is unpredictable. You can stay up-to-date with any changes or new risk alerts via SafeAirspace.net as they happen – it is our free Conflict Zone and Risk Database that we keep updated around the clock.

OMDB/Dubai International airport (the main one in Dubai) is closing a runway again. But that’s not all. Another UAE based airport is also closing. And it is Ramadan.

So what will all this mean for operations into there?

The Dubai Runway Closure

This happens every few years. The last one was in 2019 where they shut the Southerly runway for 45 days to fix it up. Not it is the turn of the Northerly runway again – 12L/30R.

The closure is from May 9 to June 22, and it does mean a pretty big reduction in capacity at what is the busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger numbers.

But…

The Dubai runways are actually too close together for proper simultaneous ops meaning the closure of one does not mean a halving of capacity. On top of that, the biggest operators into the airport are all planning some reduction in their flights during this period, or are sending a portion of their flights over to OMDW/Dubai Al Maktoum which is just down the road (20 miles or so).

So…

So if you operate in during peak times (the worst is between 7-11pm UTC) then take some extra fuel for holding delays. You also can’t file OMDB as an alternate during peak times (and that’s during normal ops, so definitely don’t try it during the closure period).

The other airport out in the UAE closure

OMAD/Al Bateen is a small but quite busy executive airport near OMAA/Abu Dhabi, which just caters for private jet ops. This airport will be completely closing from May 11 to July 20.

So what options do you have?

• OMAA/Abu Dhabi International is the main airport for the UAE. They generally prefer not to be used as an alternate for Dubai bound flights since they are very busy.
• OMSJ/Sharjah International is the next door neighbour to OMDB/Dubai (around 20km north and you fly past it on some Dubai arrivals). Runway 12/30 is 13,320 ft long with an ILS either end. Watch out if OMDB is getting foggy though because OMSJ won’t be far behind given it is also close to the sea, and it will fill up fast with diversions if it isn’t.
• OMDW/Dubai World is the slightly smaller international Dubai airport just next door. Mainly used for cargo flights, it offers a good alternate to OMDB. There is limited parking and fuel trucks though so if you divert here on a day a lot are diverting then expect long delays. Runway 12/30 has CAT 3 ILS both ends and is 14,764 ft long
• OMRK/Ras Al Khaimah is a decent airport to consider as an alternate with an ILS on 34, an RNAV on 16 and 12,336 ft of tarmac between the two ends. Watch out for terrain here though.
• OMAL/Al Ain has a 13,140 ft runway with ILS/RNAV approaches. Another UAE option for an alternate.
• OMFJ/Fujairah can be a good alternate (especially when the weather gets foggy as it is on the Eastern side of the peninsular and less susceptible).
• OOMS/Muscat is slightly further afield in neighbouring Oman, but included here because its often used as an alternate. 08L/26R is currently the only operational runway. It offers an ILS either end and 13,123 ft. Muscat is a decent fuel and tech stop if routing from the Far East.

Some other info on the UAE.

The UAE only became the UAE fairly recently. Before that it was seven separate emirates and a big port in Jebel Ali which the Brits took an interest in. When they got their independence from Britain, the emirates joined up, led by Abu Dhabi. Dubai is the most westernized of the all emirates.

During Ramadan, be cautious about eating and drinking in public, but beyond that there is not huge difference for foreign visitors visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, just remain respectful of their culture and customs. Sharjah is much stricter.

Conditions across the UAE (like all the Middle East) can be challenging:

• Extreme summer temperatures leading to brake temperature issues, hot fuel etc.
• Dubai can see some nasty lingering fog during the more humid months
• Cloud seeding is common and often leads to large storms building up. When it rains everywhere (including airport aprons) tend to flood.

Other challenges?

• Holding for Dubai can bring you close to the Iranian border
• Departures can enter Iran quickly so ensure you call the ADIZ early if routing that way.
• Watch out for the Burj Khalifa – World’s  tallest building. It is near the airport.
• Conflict is common across the whole Middle East region. Monitor Safeairspace for the full lowdown on risk in the region.

For more operational info on Dubai, the UAE, and the Middle East in general – check out our earlier post here.

Since the Ukraine conflict began at the end of Feb, options to overfly Europe have become increasingly complicated – especially for aircraft transiting between Western Europe and the Middle East and Asia.

We’ve talked about this a couple of times already. Here’s our article with considerations for operators now looking to route around closed airspace. And here’s a follow-up report on the spillover risks near the conflict zone in Ukraine, including undetected military drone incursions and GPS interference.

But there’s another aspect we haven’t discussed yet – the impact of increased congestion in Europe and the potential for ATC disruption.

With the winter weather fading, and Covid restrictions easing up, we’re seeing a major upturn in traffic throughout Europe. But the ongoing closure of Ukrainian airspace is shifting traffic flows across the region – especially in those FIRs to the southeast of Ukraine where traffic levels have significantly increased:

On March 25, Eurocontrol hosted a webinar looking at the impact to European aviation following the airspace closures in Ukraine and surrounding regions. This webinar covered a bunch of topics – the spiralling cost of jet fuel, the increase in flight times between Europe and Asia, and the traffic forecast for the upcoming summer season:

One thing also discussed was the impact of reroutes to Polish airspace – how increased military use is causing more reroutes for civilian traffic, plus increased workload on Polish ATC as a result.

The Poland situation

Polish controllers at Warsaw ACC are currently facing a revised contract (pay cuts and changes to working conditions), which has prompted some resignations already.

The Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination (ATCEUC) have reported that if an agreement is not reached soon, hundreds of flights will have to re-routed out of Polish airspace and into neighbouring states – mostly into Germany, which may not be able to handle all the extra flights.

The Germany situation

With Germany potentially receiving the lion’s share of traffic affected by ATC staff shortages in Poland, the problem simply becomes capacity. It is already extremely busy airspace. German ATC has reportedly announced that it could only handle no more than two hundred extra flights per day – just a portion of aircraft potentially re-routed from Poland.

The France situation

Major changes to ATC systems in the LFEE/Reims FIR are being rolled out on April 5.

For the first two weeks, capacity is likely to reduce by at least 50% leading to significant delays and other disruptions. This will be followed by a steady decrease in capacity reductions which will offer additional capacity at the rate of about 10% every four weeks or so, ending in ‘normal’ capacity resumption hopefully by the end of July.

The LFMM/Marseille FIR follows later this year, and then LFFF/Paris (Winter 2023/24) and LFBB/Bordeaux & LFRR/Brest (2024/25).

On March 31 at 1230z, Eurocontrol is holding a telcon to brief the impacts of this new ATC system. To dial in, call +44 2030 095710 and use the conference ID 5998424. We’ll hopefully get some more clarity during the telcon, but the current prognosis for the overall reduction in capacity and service doesn’t look good.

The perfect storm?

With all of these factors taken into account, we are likely to see unprecedented bottlenecks in the coming weeks in European airspace. All eyes are on Eurocontrol to provide operational updates and guidance via their Network Portal, which you can access here – it’s the best place to stay up to date.

Hi members,

It was another very busy OPSCHAT call this week.

You can catch the full replay on your Member’s Dashboard.

Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about.

• Europe – With the closure of Ukrainian airspace not going away in a hurry, there are concerns about airspace congestion as traffic is squeezed into Western Europe. To make matters worse, ongoing ATC strikes along with system upgrades in France, and potential industrial action in Poland may be brewing the perfect storm for major traffic jams.
• Russia – Ongoing sanctions against Russia are causing ongoing headaches for aviation. The rules are different in every country, and so operators need to be familiar with the jurisdictions they’re flying over. In more news, the Russian CAA website is currently down due to a cyber-attack – check out our latest article.
• Dubai – Double trouble. There are two disruptions happening at the same time in May. At OMDB/Dubai one runway is being closed from May 9 – June 11, while over at OMAD/Al Bateen, the airport will be closed from May 11 – July 20. We discuss the potential impacts to traffic, along with suitable alternates during this time.
• Saudi Arabia – Recent Houthi drone and missile attacks have caused flight disruptions at OEJN/Jeddah airport. They seem to be travelling further, and becoming more accurate. Reports of aircraft being held near the Egyptian border during these attacks, but not new Notams have been issued. We talked about ESCAT procedures, where to find them, and what alternates to use. See Safe Airspace for more info.
• South-East Asia – Several major border openings have been announced in recent weeks including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. We take a brief look at what has been changing.
• USA – The FBI has released a new warning of cyber-attacks maliciously targeting SATCOM networks. With the help of members on the call, we assess what this actually means for operators.
• Colombia – We talk about two recent non-fatal attacks on airline pilots resisting robberies in the cities of Bogota and Cali. A major carrier has released security information to its crew. The basic advice is don’t put up a fight, leave valuables in the hotel, and only carry small amounts of cash.
• Airport Spy – We’ve had a lot of new reports in the last few weeks. Don’t forget to check it out, you can access it here. Feel free to submit your own Spy Reports, any and all feedback is welcome.

As always, the team is here to help with any operational support, info or questions. You can reach us on news@ops.group, or via the slack channels #flightops and #questions.

To watch the replay of the OPS CHAT in full: head over to the dashboard. We hold a new OPSCHAT every week on Tuesdays at 2000z, click here to register and join us live.