In short: The situation is volatile and constantly changing, even by the hour. Military interception has been reported so the best advice is to be vigilant with sticking to assigned routes for all operations around the region.

The airspace blockade of Qatar has been ongoing since June 2017 with little end in sight.

But over the past few months, tensions have been escalating;

• A Saudi newspaper reports of a potential project to attempt to turn Qatar into an island!
• The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has lodged a complaint with ICAO after an incident last week in which two Qatari jets came “dangerously close” to two civilian aircraft from the UAE. Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) said the Emirati statement was an attempt to cover up the UAE’s multiple breaches of Qatari airspace.
• The Kingdom of Bahrain has also officially complained to ICAO alleging that “two Qatari warplanes were detected flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet above the international waters, within Bahrain Flight Information Region (FIR) without any prior authorization. The two fighters flew deliberately under a UAE Airbus A320, with ident/call sign of A6HMS, en route from Fujairah to Rome.”
• Qatar has itself complained to the UN Security Council against Bahrain, accusing a fighter jet belonging to Bahrain of violating its airspace at the weekend.
• In response, ICAO is working to organise a regional meeting for Gulf civil aviation and air traffic authorities in the next few weeks, as part of broader efforts to improve communication.

Here is the latest operational information we have:

A reminder that Qatar does not have its own FIR. It sits entirely within the Bahrain FIR- you will find Qatar airspace NOTAMs under OBBB. The Doha TMA extends SFC to FL245. Above this sits the Bahrain UIR.

Bahrain and Egypt have relaxed some of their initial restrictions. Saudi and UAE have not.

The current state of play as of 6 April 2018.

_________________________________________________________________________

Have you been through the region recently? Can you provide an update?

Extra Reading:

Some fascinating reporting about what this whole blockade is all about.

• “How a ransom for Royal falconers reshaped the Middle East” – New York Times
• “What the falcons up with Qatar?” – NPR Podcast

In short: Civil unrest has calmed and state of emergency lifted on March 22, 2018. No impact at Malé International Airport or outlying islands or resorts. #OpsNormal.

The Maldives, a country known far more as a honeymoon hotspot in the Indian Ocean than as a hub of political crisis, is back to “business as usual,” according to its president, Abdulla Yameen, following the lifting of a 45-day state of emergency on March 22.

Latest Updates:

• After the Maldivian government declared a state of emergency in February, tourists around the world are canceling their beachfront vacations in droves. The blow to the Maldives’ tourism industry is significant, as it accounts for over 30% of the country’s gross domestic product, reaching $3.5 billion in 2017. Ratings agency Moody’s has said it will lower its 4.5% growth forecast for 2018 if tourists avoid the island nation for a prolonged period.
• On 22 March 2018, the state of emergency in Maldives was lifted. There could still be further anti-government protests in the capital Malé and a number of other towns. Recent protests have resulted in pepper spray being used by the security forces. You should exercise caution and avoid any protests or rallies. There are no reports that outlying islands, resorts or Malé International Airport have been affected.
• Some local airlines have suspended flights to China due to the on-going unrest and decline in tourism numbers.

Extra Reading:

• U.S. Department of State – Maldives Travel Advisory | “Level 2: Exercise increased caution”
• British Foreign & Commonwealth Office – Foreign Travel Advice Maldives | “Exercise caution”
• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs – Maldives | “Exercise normal safety precautions”

Have you been through the Maldives lately and can you update opsgroup members on the latest?

EZZZ/Europe Normal operation has resumed after a day of disruption on Apr 3, due to a fault with the system that allocates ATC slots to flights, and therefore manages the flow of traffic across Europe. The system is now back online and working properly again.

LFZZ/France The ATC strike in the LFMM/Marseille ACC is still currently planned to go ahead – from 04z on Apr 7 to 04z on April 9. As usual, it won’t be known until the day how many controllers go on strike, but expect disruption.

LIZZ/Italy More strikes planned by ground staff at airports across the country on Apr 13. The airports expected to be worst affected are: LIMC/Milan-Linate, LIML/Pisa, and LIRQ/Florence.

UMKK/Kaliningrad Russian military exercises planned over parts of the Baltic Sea from Apr 3-7, with airspace warnings issued for 6-18z each day, SFC-FL590. Main area affected will be the UMKK/Kaliningrad FIR, where half the airways will be closed. Small bits of airspace in neighbouring FIR’s will also be affected, and Notams have been issued by EVRR/Riga, EPWW/Warsaw and ESAA/Sweden FIR’s to show where the danger areas are.

KSDM/San Diego CBP have reached an agreement with the city, so no longer plan to close Customs at the airport. GA operators can therefore continue to use SDM as a port of entry.

KIMT/Ford The airport will be completely closed for runway repairs, from Apr 30 to May 14.

EGPH/Edinburgh Due to ongoing construction work to expand the terminal, no GA overnight parking allowed until Jul 3. The Signature FBO has three stands available for quick turnarounds during the day, but landing slots will be limited if those stands are occupied.

WSSS/Singapore From Apr 23, 2018, departure clearance via datalink will become possible on certain airways: A457, B466, B469, M751, B470. Full details here.

VCBI/Colombo The strike by airport employees has been called off late on Apr 3, avoiding an indefinite strike.

VHZZ/Hong Kong In 2017, airspace safety incidents in Hong Kong airspace rose to a six-year high, following the introduction of a controversial new air traffic management system in late 2016. In 2017, there were 17 ‘loss of separation’ incidents – up from 10 in 2016 when the old system was still in use.

TTZZ/Trinidad and Tobago CPDLC outage has been extended until the end of June. All voice comms must be made via New York Radio. Aircraft are requested to log on to TTZP for ADS-C position reporting. Also, include the AFTN address KNYCZZZX when filing your flight plans.

EGZZ/UK London Terminal ATC will be switching from paper strips to manual strips (called EXCDS) from Apr 4. 20% reduction in traffic for the first 10 days, then 10% for the next 10. Some delays expected. More info at: https://www.nats.aero/excds/

YZZZ/Australia Tropical Storm Iris is siting off Queensland, forecasters uncertain as to tracking but warnings issued for Whitsunday Islands area. Max winds 40G55kts at 1800Z on Apr 5.

NFZZ/Fiji Heavy flooding on Apr 1, after Tropical Cyclone Josie passed by to the southeast of the island. The northern towns of Nadi and Ba are worst affected, where the floods killed four people. Many roads remain closed, although water levels have receded. Both NFFN/Nadi and NFNA/Nausori remain open and operational.

LFZZ/France More Air France strikes planned on Apr 7, 10 and 11. Impact likely to be similar to the ones held in March, which saw around 30% of Air France flights cancelled, with the Paris airports particularly affected.

HEZZ/Egypt The FAA has extended its airspace warning for the Sinai Peninsula by another year, due to continuing concern for flight safety. The updated Notam says US carriers should avoid overflying the Sinai Peninsula below FL260, and if planning to do so must provide 3 days notice to the FAA. More at: http://safeairspace.net/information/egypt/

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

ESZZ/Sweden Sweden introduced a new passenger tax on Apr 1, for commercial flights departing Swedish airports on aircraft with more than 10 seats. For flights to European countries, the tax rate will be 60 SEK per passenger ($7.50), and for pretty much all other destinations it will be 250 SEK per passenger ($31.50). Foreign airlines and charter operators flying to Sweden must now apply for a Swedish company registration number, and register for aviation tax as soon as possible.

HLMS/Misurata On Apr 1, the airport briefly suspended operations and redirected flights to HLLM/Mitiga, when an armed group entered the airport, demanding the release of two members of a local militia.

OTZZ/Qatar The UAE has filed another formal complaint with ICAO, claiming that on Mar 26, Qatari fighter jets once again flew dangerously close to an Emirates scheduled passenger aircraft over Bahrain. Qatar deny the claim, calling it an attempt to cover-up previous violations by UAE military aircraft of Qatari airspace.

LDZA/Zagreb The airport’s only runway will be closed to all traffic, including emergency diverts, each night from Apr 4 to May 31. The closure times will be 2035-0435z, except on Mon & Fri when it will be 2200-0435z.

LDRI/Rijeka The airport will move to H24 ops starting Apr 4, to compensate for the nightly closure of LDZA/Zagreb.

EGFF/Cardiff The airport is closed nightly Apr 5-7 from 2200-0500z, but you can get PPR either side of that closure, between 2200-2320z and 0400-0500z.

On 3rd April 2018, a failure with the central European slot computer plunged the entire ATC system into crisis mode, with multiple knock on effects. Here’s what happened:

1. The system that allocates ATC slots to flights, and therefore manages the flow of traffic across Europe, failed at 1026 UTC. It’s called the ETFMS (Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System), but aka “The Slot Computer”

2. There is a Contingency Plan for this situation. Airports are supposed to use this, which gives a quick table of departure intervals allowed according to the destination. You can view the plan here and see what it looks like for all the main airports: http://www.eurocontrol.int/publications/network-manager-atfcm-procedural-contingency-plan

3. Some airlines reported that Istanbul, amongst others, were initially holding all departures, as local authorities were not well versed in the Contingency Plan and were unclear as to how to handle the situation. Eurocontrol then started calling round the 70 main airports to make sure they knew what they were supposed to do!

4. All flight plans filed before 1026Z were lost. Operators were instructed to re-file all their FPL’s, as well as those for the rest of the day, as Eurocontrol said they would only switch back on the slot computer once they reached a critical mass of filed flight plans in the system.

5. With the Contingency Plan in place, there was around a 10% total capacity reduction across the whole of Europe. Actual delay numbers – usually available on the NOP – were impossible to verify, because of all the missing FPL’s in the system.

6. Normally, Eurocontrol will re-address your FPL to ATC Centres outside the IFPZ. During the slot computer outage, operators had to do this manually, ie. find the FIR’s they would cross, get their AFTN addresses (like HECCZQZX), and send them their FPL.

7. The actual system failure was fixed at around 1400Z, but only went back online at around 1800Z, after it had been thoroughly tested and Eurocontrol were happy there were enough FPL’s back in the system.

In over 20 years of operation, Eurocontrol said “the ETFMS has only had one other outage which occurred in 2001. The system currently manages up to 36,000 flights a day.”

German authorities confirm they have been conducting random breathalyzer tests during ramp checks since as far back as Jan 2017, despite this not being part of the official EU SAFA ramp inspection guidelines.

In Dec 2016, following the accident of the Germanwings Flight 9525, EASA published a proposal to the European Commission to better support pilot mental fitness. One of their recommendations was to introduce random alcohol screening as a part of ramp checks within the EU.

Although that proposal has still not been adopted yet, local authorities in Germany say they can still perform these tests on the basis of German national law alone.

Have you had a recent ramp check anywhere with any surprise items not part of the standard checklist? Comment below…

Further reading

• Official SAFA/SACA site at EASA
• Our advice on how to make a ramp check painless
• Opsgroup’s SAFA ramp inspection checklist

Starting April 23rd, 2018, Changi Airport (WSSS) will begin giving departure clearance (DCL) via datalink, on certain routes. The idea is to clear up voice communications when DCL can be used. Full details listed in CAAS AIP SUP 013/2018.

To use this, you’ll need ACARS, and be compliant with EUROCAE ED85-A. You’ll login to the ground system at WSSS.

The departures are as below:

– Destinations in Peninsular Malaysia via ATS Routes A457 and B466
– Destinations in Thailand via ATS Routes B466 and B469 / M751
– Destinations in Indonesia via ATS Route A457, R469 and B470
– Destinations in Australia and New Zealand via ATS Route B470
– Flights with allocated Calculated Take-Off Time (CTOT) under Bay of Bengal Cooperative Air Traffic Flow Management (BOBCAT)

A few other notes:

-The DCL message will not include requested crusing levels and final cruising levels. Your planned flight level in 15b will be used, and ATC will give cruise FL when airborne. Sounds like they won’t entertain any requests for a different FL while on the ground.

-No revisions allowed over datalink, all changes must be made by voice comms.

-Make your request with RCD message (see format in attached AIC) no more than 20 minutes before TOBT. If you’ve got a CTOT under BOBCAT, you’l need to put that in the message. If you’re routing via ANITO B470, list your FL at ANITO crossing.

If your DCL is rejected, you’ll get a “revert to voice procedures” message. A few auto-rejects:
-Flight routes not applicable.
-RCD message doesn’t comply with ED-85A or inaccurate data.
-Invalid TOBT
-When required due to flow restrictions.

Operating out of WSSS soon?  CAAS AIP SUP 013/2018 is worth a read.

1st April 2018: Clipperton Oceanic starts operations today, and is the world’s newest piece of airspace!

This one is different though – the users are in charge.

OPSGROUP take official control today of the Clipperton Flight Information Region (FIR) in the South Pacific, a 1.8 million square kilometre chunk of airspace west of the Galapagos Islands and north of Tahiti. The FIR has been unused since 1958, when the Clipperton Oceanic centre and radio service closed.

Announcing the news in an official Press Release, Francois Renard, PM of the Clipperton Government said: “We are a little island but we are proud of our history in Pacific aviation. The years from 1937-1958, when Clipperton Oceanic was a name known to all passing aircraft, are looked back on fondly here. Now, we look forward – to a resumption of traffic on these once busy routes, and we are confident that OPSGROUP is the key to making this happen”.

For the first time, regulations are set by the users. There is no requirement for PBCS, RNP, ADS-B, ADS-C, GNS, GNSS, HLA, MNPS, RLAT, RLON, SLOP, or any of the other exponentially increasing acronyms that operators struggle to keep up with. No LOA’s, no slots, no delays. And no ramp checks. There are no Notams. Although it is large, it’s a simple piece of airspace, and that allows for a simple approach.

Juergen Meyer, a Lufthansa A350 Captain, and a long standing OpsGroup member said: “We’ve seen enough. Ercan (the Cyprus based Turkish ATC centre) doesn’t officially exist, yet you have to call them every time. French Guyana seems to have abandoned their ATC centre. Several African countries have outsourced their entire Permit Department, meaning you have to pay extortionate amounts just to secure a routine overflight. Greece and Turkey continue to hijack the Notam system for a diplomatic war. CASA Australia, like many others, continues to publish absolutely unreadable Notams, endangering safety. Nobody dares to enter the Simferopol FIR. The French ATC service is on strike more often than they are not. Libya lies about the security risks at their airports. Egypt and Kenya refuse to publish safety information because it would harm their tourism.”

Jack Peterson, an Auckland based operator of 2 G550’s, said: “If all these agencies can exist with a poor service, then why not try something different? Clipperton puts the users in charge, and we get to decide whether any of these rules or procedures actually serve us. Now that we have our own airspace, we can make it safe and user-friendly rather than user-hostile. And the South Pacific is the perfect place to start.”

OPSGROUP has also banned Ramp Checks within the region, a practice where pilots are taken hostage by the local Civil Aviation Authority during routine flights, and held accountable for the mistakes of their company, not being released from the ordeal until they submit with a signature.

The Clipperton FIR has a chequered history.

The island is named after a Pirate (John Clipperton). First activated in 1937, Clipperton Oceanic Radio provided a Flight Information and Weather service to trans-Pacific flights for 21 years, until it lost funding from a French-British-American government coalition in 1958.

In 1967, the Soviet Union attempted to takeover the airspace, offering to build several Surveillance Radars on the island. That was seen by the United Nations as a cover story, with their interest being more likely centred on having additional monitoring territory proximate to the US.

Since then, the Flight Information Region has remained dormant, appearing in most Flight Planning systems as “XX04”. Until the agreement with FSB, no service of any kind was provided.

The move has been seen by some observers as similar to the delegation of control of Kosovo airspace to Hungary in 2013, under a 5-year agreement that will likely be extended. Reinhard Kettu, newly appointed Oceanic Director, FSB, commented: “It’s not really the same thing. The Kosovo thing was just a delegation of Air Traffic Control, and at that, just for civil aircraft. Here, in Clipperton, FSB is taking full control of the aviation system. That will allow us to introduce an across-the-board user-first system.

On the Notam issue, OPSGROUP founder Mark Zee commented: “We’ve made things really simple here. Critical Notams, for the most part, tell us of a binary Yes/No for availability. Runway closed, ILS unavailable, Frequency u/s. It’s basically an On/Off switch, and the existing system handles that pretty well. When it comes to everything else, they fail, badly. So much rubbish about unlit towers, cranes, birds, and the rest. That makes up the noise. So, we’ve banned them in this new airspace, while we work on a better system. We will notify operators through the DCA of any withdrawn essential service or facility, for example if our HF is broken. Nothing else.”

Operationally, there are two new airways, UN351 and UN477, with 8 associated waypoints. HF is provided on the South Pacific MWARA Network, on the same frequencies as Auckland, Brisbane, Nadi, and Tahiti – 5643 and 8867 will be the primary ones.

Flight plans should be addressed to NPCXZQZX and NPCXZOZX. Although only HF is required to enter the airspace, CPDLC is provided and the AFN logon is NPCX. To begin, only a Flight Information Service is provided; no alerting, SAR, or Air Traffic Control service is part of the agreement. The rest is detailed in Clipperton AIC 03/18.

FSB and the Clipperton Government have also partnered with Thales and the KPA Military Construction Unit in a US$27 million agreement to build an entirely new Oceanic Control Centre on the Island, to be completed by 2021. “Until then, we will rely on HF and position reporting, but from 2021 we will be able to use space-based ADS-B”, said Mr. Kettu.

Clipperton Oceanic welcomes all. If you’re passing, say hello on HF. And if you’re planning to enter the airspace, make sure to read AIC03/18.

Media contacts:

• Reinhard Kettu (FSB) – reinhard.kettu@fsbureau.org
• Francois Renard (Clipperton Government) – renard.francois@clipperton-gov.co

Further Reading:

• Clipperton Oceanic – AIC03/18 (Clipperton DCA)
• Clipperton Department of Civil Aviation website
• Clipperton Government website
• Press Release (March 2018)
• Clipperton Radio – a history (Wikipedia)

On Mar 23, the Greek CAA introduced a new rule requiring charter flights on non EU-registered aircraft with up to 19 seats to apply for an annual TCO license before operating to Greece.

This is in addition to having to obtain the standard landing permit, as well as the TCO approval from EASA.

So far, the CAA haven’t officially published an English version of the new rule anywhere, although they say that it will be updated in the AIP at some point. But as handling in Greece is mandatory, they decided to distribute the information to all handling agents & aviation service providers in Greece for them to notify their customers directly.

Click here for the translated version of that document, with all the info you need to know about how to apply.

It looks like you can’t apply for this new TCO license through the CAA directly; you can only do so through your “legal representative in Greece” – which can be your handling agent, allowing at least 5 working days to obtain the license if all submitted paperwork is correct.

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

OK. We’re done writing articles about it, and making goat jokes – we’ve moved the “Fixing Notams” job to the top of our list..

OpsGroup is all about information – getting the essential risks and changes that flight ops personnel need to know about into their hands without delay. Our group agrees – plenty of colourful comments on Notams from members.

Now we want your ideas and opinions on the fix.

Here’s our ask:

1. Rate the current system – and then click the things you would like to see.

2. If you’re in charge of a group of people – whether you are the Chief Pilot at Lufthansa, the Tower Chief in Shannon, or manage an Ops team of two – Get this out to your people and ensure everyone has their say.

Forward this to your team of ATCO’s, Pilots, Dispatchers:

We especially want to hear from pilots, controllers, and dispatchers, and if you read on, you’ll see why.

Do it like this:

• Send them the survey link: https://fsb1.typeform.com/to/irZiFM
• OR, click here for a magic pre-written email
• OR, send them a link to flightservicebureau.org/notams
• OR, share this facebook post:

The survey direct link is: https://fsb1.typeform.com/to/irZiFM

The Solution

If you took the survey, you saw this:

That part is pretty easy – presenting the Output of the system is a straightforward enough task.

The Input part – that’s where the real work is.

First, we are working on an Artificial Intelligence answer to finding Critical Notams in the current legacy system. This will allow us to present the data flow in order of what matters, and leave those cranes, birds, and grass cutters right at the bottom.

Second,

If you read my article on MH17 – a darker truth, you’ll understand why it’s important to open up the system to allow a trusted group to shape the information flow.

That begins with Pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, and Dispatchers. I have the great fortune to be all three, and it’s very clear to me that just like Trip Advisor – and our own “Airport Spy” in OpsGroup – this idea will work. We’ve already seen in OpsGroup how much we trust the information from other users in our group.

It’s key to the future trust of the Notam system. Which we should rename, but that’s another days work.

If you got this far, thank you for being part of the solution! You can always write me a note at mark@fsbureau.org

Thanks!
Mark.

The Argentinian airline Aerolineas has suspended domestic ticket sales until Mar 25. They say multiple aircraft were recently damaged by hail in SABE/Buenos Aires during a storm on Mar 14, which means they now need to reprogram their schedule until the aircraft get fixed.

The aircraft that sustained the damage were 15 Boeing 737’s in the airline’s domestic and regional fleet. Strangely, perhaps, no other airlines have reported similar damage to their aircraft from the storm.

Aerolineas say they are now assessing the aircraft damage with help from Boeing, with the hope that they will have most of the aircraft back in operation before the Easter travel weekend.

FACT/Cape Town is facing a fuel restriction, no fuel available as of now (20 MAR 2018). The reason for the restriction is not known, but we have reached out to several suppliers who have all confirmed the same information.

We’re checking up to find the reasoning, as well as an estimated date of availability.

If you have any additional information, you can reach out at team@flightservice.org

March 20, 2018: One of our biggest missions in OPSGROUP is to share risk information and keep operators aware of the current threat picture. The latest Unsafe Airspace Summary is now published, and available to members here as a PDF download (Unsafe Airspace Summary 20MAR2018, edition LIMA).

The main changes since the last summary are below. For a current risk map, refer to the Airspace Risk map in your member Dashboard.

The situation in Afghanistan remains similar. On March 13, Germany added wording to maintain FL330 or higher,  still recommending against landings at Afghan airports.

Germany also issued updated NOTAMs for Mali, Iraq, and South Sudan. All warnings remain as previous, unchanged from the prior NOTAMs.

• Full Airspace Risk Map
• Unsafe Airspace Summary 20MAR2018

Well, we’ve been up all night on this one. PBCS is a bit of a minefield right now. But, very cool to get so much OPSGROUP input on this – about 100 replies. We have straightened out the Rumours vs Facts below, and this is our best shot at the present picture of PBCS.

Don’t take any of it as total fact, but we have redacted the best picture from the various experts in the group (and there are some great people – we should say a big THANK YOU!).

Got corrections? Comments below …

Oh for the days of HF and a dodgy INS accurate to about 6 miles. Anyhow ….

Results after OPSGROUP input – updated March 16th, 2018

These aircraft have Honeywell FMS’s that have the Latency Problem:

1. All NZ-2010 Equipped Aircraft – NZ-2010 (NZ6.1)
2. Bombardier Global Express/XRS/Global 5000 – IC-810 (NZ6.1)
3. Dassault F900C/EX (Primus 2000) – IC-810 (NZ6.1)
4. Dassault F900DX/EX/LX (EASy II) – EPIC (NZ7.1.2)
5. Dassault F2000DX/EX/LX/S (EASy II) – EPIC (NZ7.1.2)
6. Dassault F7X (EASy II) – EPIC (NZ7.1.2)
7. Dornier 328-100 Turboprop – NZ (NZ6.2)
8. Gulfstream GV – IC-810 (NZ6.1)
9. Gulfstream G450 – EPIC (NZ7.1.2)
10. Gulfstream G550 – EPIC (NZ7.1.2)

Latest Links:

United States – for N-reg aircraft

• Updated Compliance Guide: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afx/afs/afs400/afs470/datacomm/media/A056_Compliance_Guide.pdf
• The Notice for new A056: Curent Notice (being updated with the new deadline of June 30, 2018): https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Notice/N_8900.446.pdf
• AC about Datalink: https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-117.pdf
• NAARMO PBCS FAQ: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/separation_standards/rvsm/documents/PBCS/PBCS_FAQ_2018_0129_v3.pdf

The Iraqi Prime Minister has lifted the government ban on international flights to the Kurdish airports ORER/Erbil and ORSU/Sulaymaniyah.

The central government will take full control of the airports, and will start allowing international flights to resume in the coming days. No international flights have operated from these airports since the end September 2017. Their closure was seen as a punitive measure taken by the Iraqi central government following the September 25th independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.

The authorities have now withdrawn the Notams that were previously in place for both of these airports advising that they were closed to international flights. Both Iran and Turkey currently still have Notams in place prohibiting flights to these airports from using their airspace – but we expect these to be updated soon to reflect the lifting of the ban.

A0661/18 NOTAMR A6765/17
Q) LTXX/QAFXX/IV/NBO/E /000/999/3901N03524E465
A) LTAA LTBB B) 1802010551 C) 1803312359 EST
E) ALL TFC FROM/TO ORSU AND ORER AERODROMES (ALSO AS ALTERNATE
AERODROME) ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE TURKISH AIRSPACE UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICE EXC EMERGENCY, AMBULANCE AND HUMANITARIAN AID FLIGHTS.

A0223/18 NOTAMR A3746/17
Q) OIIX/QAFXX/E/000/999/
A) OIIX B) 1801160610 C) 1804160600 EST
E) ALL TRAFFIC FM OR TO ORSU AND ORER ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE
TEHRAN FIR.

Further reading:

• Read the updated guidance on Iraq airspace safety at Safeairspace.
• Western countries lift bans on Iraq airspace.
• For detailed info on Iraq’s specific permit requirements, as well as every other country in the world, take a look here.

LGZZ/Greece Landing and parking fee hikes are coming on Apr 1, at all those airports in Greece that are operated by Fraport: Aktion, Chania, Corfu, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lesbos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos. Parking at all airports will now be at least twice as expensive as it used to be.

SBSP/Sao Paulo The World Economic Forum on Latin America 2018 will be taking place in Sao Paulo from Mar 13-15. For the first time since 1985, the city’s second airport SBSP/Congonhas will be open to international flights, from Mar 9-18. Only BA/GA will be accepted, nothing larger than 737BBJ / A319ACJ. This will be a trial period to check if the airport could regain its international status on a permanent basis.

VTZZ/Thailand Tropical storms are forecast across central Thailand, including in Bangkok, from Mar 8-10. Authorities have warned locals to prepare for possible flooding, as most dams and rivers in the area are already near capacity.

KZZZ/USA Travel disruption expected to continue across the Northastern states in the next few days, following the passage of Storm Quinn, which buried many areas with heavy snow. More than 2000 flights were cancelled at Northeastern airports because of the storm.

NFTF/Fua’amotu Reconstruction efforts continue, following damage caused by Cyclone Gita in Feb. The night-time curfew in central Nuku’alofa has been extended to Mar 12. The airport is open and operating, but travel to Togo is currently not advised due to damage to hotels and infrastructure across the rest of the island.

NZZZ/New Zealand Cyclone Hola is forecast to arrive sometime between Mar 11-13. The cyclone is currently building as a category 2 storm as it moves away from Vanuatu. It’s expected to intensify on Mar 8 as it moves southwest towards New Caledonia, with most forecasters saying it will then track towards the north island of New Zealand.

LGTS/Thessaloniki The hugely disruptive repair work that had been going on since early Dec 2017 has now been completed. Both runways are back in service, and the makeshift runway they were calling 10L/28R has now been re-assigned back as Taxiway F. Easyjet will re-commence their scheduled flights there from Mar 25 onwards.

LFZZ/France Potential strike by some Air France staff on Mar 23. If it goes ahead, it’s likely to be similar to the one held on Feb 22 which resulted in the carrier canceling a quarter of its flights.

VCZZ/Sri Lanka On Mar 6, the government announced a nationwide state of emergency in response to recent incidents of inter-communal violence in certain regions to the east of the capital, Colombo. There are restrictions on phone and internet access, and all the main social media platforms have been blocked. Soldiers have been deployed across the island for an initial 10-day period in a bid to prevent the unrest from spreading.

LGZZ/Greece We’ve heard reports that the Greek CAA are planning to introduce some new rules for non EU-registered aircraft with up to 19 seats intending to do charter flights to Greece. In order to pick-up or drop-off passengers, these operators will now need to apply for an annual licence from the CAA. This is quite separate from the existing requirement to get a Third Country Operator (TCO) approval from EASA. Expect an AIP update soon with more details on this.

RJZZ/Japan A volcano in southern Japan erupted on Mar 6, shooting smoke and ash up to 7,500 feet into the sky. All flights at the nearby RJFK/Kagoshima airport were grounded, though operations have since resumed. On Mar 7, an ash cloud was still being reported in the area up to FL150.

KSDM/San Diego CBP are threatening to close the Customs office at the airport from May 1, after failing to reach an agreement with the City of San Diego about a requested upgrade to the CBP facilities and equipment at the airport. If the closure goes ahead, GA will no longer be able to operate internationally to/from KSDM.

LXGB/Gibraltar On Mar 3, severe weather and a subsequent rockfall damaged some airport equipment – both the primary and secondary radar are currently out of service.

TTCP/Tobago The airport will be closed for runway repair each night between 02-10z until May 5.

MUZZ/Cuba The U.S. have claimed that some of its embassy staff in Havana have been targeted by so-called ‘health attacks’, and believe that U.S. citizens may also be at risk. They now specifically mention Hotel Nacional and Hotel Capri as hotels to avoid.

SOCA/Cayenne Due to ongoing staff shortages, the airport is unavailable from 01-11z every night now until further notice.

VIDP/Delhi Sporadic runway closures until the end of March will mean that at most times overnight, there will only be one runway available. Expect delays.

ZSPD/Shanghai The airport now has Cat-III ILS installed on RWY34L, which will enable pilots with the necessary qualification to land even when visibility is less than 175 meters / landing height less than 15 meters.

KZZZ/USA With the ADS-B deadline coming up in Jan 2020, U.S. operators can get their ADS-B equipment validated by the FAA for free – just do a flight of at least 10 minutes in ADS-B airspace above FL050, and the system will check the accuracy of the data your aircraft is transmitting, and will send you an automated report by email. Sign up here: https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx

For the first time in over twenty years, the city’s second airport, SBSP/Congonhas, will be open to international flights, from 9-18th March 2018.

This is happening as the World Economic Forum on Latin America 2018 will be taking place in Sao Paulo from Mar 13-15, and as space is limited at the main airport, SBGR/Sao Paulo International, the authorities think they’ll need extra space for attendees’ aircraft. So at SBSP/Congonhas, only BA/GA will be accepted, and nothing larger than 737BBJ / A319ACJ.

This will also serve as a trial period to check if the airport could regain its international status on a permanent basis. Scheduled international flights stopped operating from Cogonhas back in 1985, and the airport finally lost its international status in 2008.

The airport’s runways were resurfaced last resurfaced back in 2007, but were not extended because of the rapid growth of Sao Paulo, which has now completely surrounded the airport. The longest runway is 1940 meters, and the airport is open from 07-23 local time, seven days a week.

On 1st April 2018, Fraport will be increasing the rates for landing and parking fees at the 14 international airports it manages in Greece: Aktion, Chania, Corfu, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lesbos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos.

Parking charges used to be simple here: at every airport, it was free for the first five hours, and then EUR 1.08 per ton (MTOW) for every 24 hours after that. That same price applied regardless of aircraft size.

Now things are set to become a little more complicated, but effectively, parking will now be at least twice as expensive as it used to be, with even higher costs being introduced for longer stays during the summer months:

Landing fees are going up too. Aircraft below 10 tonnes have always had to pay a flat fee, and from 1st April, these are set to double. For larger aircraft, Fraport set the rate per ton (MTOW), and with the exception of LGKV/Kevala and LGSA/Chania, these are being increased across the board:

Operating to these Greek airports has become increasingly challenging since their privatisation in April 2017. Fraport initially struggled to deal with providing parking to non-scheduled and business aviation, and new slot procedures were introduced to try to better manage the volume of requests being made.

Ryanair have already complained about the price hike, as well as a new EUR 90 fee that will be charged to send a fire engine every time a plane refuels whilst passengers are being boarded – something which they say does not happen anywhere else in the world except Greece.

With the new rates set to come into force on 1st April 2018, many operators may prefer to take their business elsewhere. As the President of Corfu CAA Association, Dimitris Roussos, says – “[the price increase] is exorbitant and almost prohibitive. A lot of people will choose other airports such as Ioannina which have lower charges and where they can refuel and spend 1-2 days instead of coming to ‘expensive’ Corfu. It is quite probable that we will see the Corfu Air Club move to Ioannina as well as a significant decrease in the number of small private aircraft visiting Corfu in the summer.”

Full details of the changes to the landing and parking fees at all 14 airports can be found on Fraport’s dedicated page.

Of all the hundreds of questions we see in OPSGROUP, one region stands out as the most asked about – the NAT/North Atlantic. So, we made one of our legendary guides, to get everything into one PDF.  It’s called “My first North Atlantic Flight is tomorrow” – and now we’ve updated it for 2018!

Contents:

• 1. What’s different about the NAT?
• 2. Changes in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
• 3. NAT Quick Map – Gander boundary, Shanwick boundary
• 4. Routine Flight Example #1 – Brussels to JFK (up at 5.45am)

• 5. Non Routine-Flights: No RVSM, No RNP4, No HF, 1 LRNS, No HLA, No ETOPS, No TCAS, No Datalink – what you can do and where you can go
• 6. Diversion Airports guide: Narsarsuaq, Sondy, Kef, Glasgow, Dublin, Shannon, Lajes, Fro Bay, Goose Bay, Gander, St. Johns
• 7. Airport data
• 8. Overflight permits – routine and special

• 9. Special NAT procedures: Mach number technique, SLOP, Comms, Oceanic Transition Areas, A successful exit, Screwing it up, Departing from Close Airports
• 10. North Atlantic ATC contacts for Shanwick, Gander, Iceland, Bodo, Santa Maria, New York – ATC Phone, Radio Station Phone, AFTN, Satcom, CPDLC Logon codes; and adjoining Domestic ATC units – US, Canada, Europe.
• 11. NAT FPL Codes
• 12. NAT Flight Levels
• 13. Flight Plan Filing Addresses by FIR
• 14. Links, Questions, Guidance

Excerpt from the Routine Flight #1:

To get your copy – there are three options:

1. OPSGROUP Members, login to the Dashboard and find it under “Publications > Guides”. All FSB content like this is included in your membership, or
2. Join OPSGROUP with an individual, team, or department/airline plan, and get it free on joining (along with a whole bunch of other stuff), or
3. Purchase a copy in the Flight Service Store!

The FAA has revised its warning for Kenyan airspace – the area to ‘exercise caution’ is now limited only to that airspace east of 40 degrees East longitude below FL260 (i.e. the border region with Somalia, and 12nm off the east coast of Kenya). Prior to this, their warning applied to all airspace in Kenya below FL260.

Published on 26 Feb 2018, the warning maintains the same wording to clarify the type of weapons and phases of flight that the FAA is concerned about, specifically:

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

The scenarios considered highest risk include :

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

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

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

You can read the NOTAM in full on our Kenya page on SafeAirspace.net, a collaborative and information sharing tool used by airlines, business jet operators, state agencies, military, and private members of OPSGROUP.

Sectors of airspace over southern Germany are ahead of schedule with plans to bring in Free Route Airspace (FRA). With effect from 1st March 2018, FRA will be implemented in the EDUU/Karlsruhe UAC, EDWW/Bremen ACC , and EDMM/Munchen ACC above FL245.

By the end of 2019, most European airspace is expected to have implemented Free Route Airspace, with all airspace having this type of operations by 2021/2022.

We like the idea of Free Route Airspace – direct routing is the way of the future. We also like cool maps. Thankfully, good old Eurocontrol have provided us with some great ones, showing where Free Route Airspace currently exists, and where it will be implemented in the future:

For everything you could possibly want to know about FRA in Europe, check out Eurocontrol’s page on it here: http://www.eurocontrol.int/articles/free-route-airspace

In Jan 2018, Curacao began denying non-IATA members permission to overfly the TNCF/Curacao FIR if they have not prepaid for navigation fees. Here’s the AIC that carries the announcement.

Essentially, that means you, if you’re not an airline.

Several OPSGROUP members have since reported being denied airspace entry. Given that a lot of north-south traffic tends to use the TNCF FIR for overflights, this is important information for ad-hoc flights.

If you’re not an IATA member, you’ll want to head to https://dc-ansp.org/ get a login, and make your prepayments based on your planned route. If you don’t create an account, or don’t prepay, they’ll likely reject your flight through the FIR.

If you’d like a breakdown of the charges, you can find those in the Dutch Caribbean eAIP, Gen 4.2