Runway damage at Manila 20JUL The main runway at RPLL/Manila, RWY 06/24, was closed on Monday 18JUL after heavy rain caused large chunks of asphalt to disintegrate. Read the article.

Africa Hajj routes take effect Starting tomorrow, the Africa Hajj routes for 2016 will take effect in the Algiers, Accra, Brazzaville, Dakar, Kano, Khartoum, N’Djamena, Niamey, Roberts, and Tripoli FIR’s. Read the article.

LTZZ/Turkey The FAA has cancelled KICZ Notam A0015/16, thereby lifting all the restrictions that were put in place on Friday night last. There are now no restrictions on US operators or FAA licensed crews operating to Turkey. Read full article

LIZZ/Italy The Italian ATC Strike that we’ve been listing for the last few weeks is now confirmed for Saturday 23JUL. The times vary a little for each unit – AIS and MET are out for the day, 0800-1600Z, other units are similar but some are just 1100-1500Z. As with previous strikes, overflights are unaffected, as are international arrivals. Some international departures are approved for exemption. If you are planning a flight to Italy on Saturday, expect some disruption, and check with handler/local airport in advance for specific situation for your flight.

GUZZ/Guinea has updated contact information for overflight and landing permit requests through the Air Navigation Agency (ANA) of Guinea. Primary email is now ana-dg@ana-guinee.com, and we suggest to copy diante223@yahoo.fr. Telephone is +224 622 68 44 52

LBPD/Plovdiv has fuel issues. If you need a large uplift, contact them in advance to confirm availability: operations@plovdivairport.com, or SITA PDVAPXH.

VTBB/Bangkok have an agreement with the Singapore ATFMU/Flow management unit. If operating BKK-SIN on a Saturday, then you’ll get a CTOT and must contact Bangkok ground/clearance 20 mins in advance to confirm you can make it.

To view the full International Bulletin 20JUL2016 Join OPSGROUP

Pavlof Eruption wreaking havoc 30MAR16 Volcano Pavlof erupted on Sunday and is currently on aviation colour code ‘RED’. It has caused havoc for North Pacific, Alaskan and Northern Canadian operations. The latest predictions have the ash upwards of FL400 and extending over Northern Alaska and Canada. You can find the latest information through the Alaskan VAAC.

Brussels Airport remains closed 30MAR16 EBBR is still closed with the possibility of opening later this week. Currently all commercial flights are still prohibited from operating into EBBR. Only ferry, emergency, SAR, State, general aviation and cargo flights are authorized with a slot that can be coordinated through the Belgium Slot Coordination website.

EZZZ/Europe The U.S. State Department along with numerous other countries have issued a Europe wide travel warning in response to the attack in Brussels. While extra vigilance should be exercised it is also a very generic response to a threat that has yet to fully understood from a commercial aviation perspective. If you would like to be kept up to date on specific travel alerts from the U.S. State Department you can sign up through their STEP program.

FAA/United States there have been 583 reported hazards from Aug 22/2015-Jan 31/2015 between aircraft and Drones. None of these incidents have caused any collisions or damage but extra vigilance must be exercised until the FAA can regulate the use of these drones in the terminal areas.

RPHI/Manila has issued an advisory for aircraft operating in the vicinity of the Bulusan Volcano and the Kanlaon Volcano due to an alert level 1 of activity. Flights operating in the vicinity are advised to avoid flying close to the summit.

LFXX/France a general strike has been declared for March 31st. Possible impact to airline operations. Please make sure you check with Eurocontrol or FIR NOTAMs for further restrictions.

FXXX/Nigeria The NNPC or Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has stated that steps are currently being taken to end the countries fuel shortage but may take upwards up 2 months. Please check with local handlers for the availability aviation fuel supply until the issue is resolved.

LXXX/Turkey has issued a nationwide terror alert and the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Bureau has advised for all of it’s citizens to leave the country. Extra vigilance should be exercised if operating to and from Turkey for the foreseeable future.

UXXX/Russia has stated that aviation authorities are intensifying it’s inspections of aircraft from Russian and International budget carriers in wake of the Rostov-on-Don accident.

DGAC/Ghana FIR issued NOTAM A0128/16 due to VHF freq 130.9 being not reliable for all Oceanic traffic entering ACCRA FIR from the South East due to maintenance. All traffic must contact ACCRA on HF 8903KHZ or logon to ADS-C/CPDC “DGAC” until positive VHF contact is established.

VNKT/Katmandu There have been a few reports that the Tower at VNKT has been reporting erroneous weather to pilots. One example of such a report  was “Tower informed us that there was some 3 km of visibility this morning but it to be less than 1.5 km while Kathmandu was engulfed by haze”. If you encounter any issues while operating into VNKT please send us a note to bulletins@fsbureau.org.

VIAR/Amritsar has suspended all night operations for 1 year due to the planned reconstruction of the airports runways.

VTBD/Bangkok Officials approved an expansion that will allow for more aircraft, passengers and vehicle parking. The plan also includes provisions to cut landing fees during off-peak hours at VTBD and VTBS in an effort to increase usage of both airports. The project includes plans to extend the runway, add office buildings, and create additional parking zones for aircraft. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2025.

Angola The Ministry of Health in Angola has reported an ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Luanda Province. The government of Angola requires all travelers older than 9 months to show proof of yellow fever vaccination on arrival. The CDC has a ‘Watch Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions’ advisory in place.

FAA/United States has issued Advisory Circular 00-30C. It describes the various types of CAT (Clear Air Turbulence) along with avoidance techniques and possible future forecast systems for helping Dispatchers and Pilots in the planning stages for proactive flight planning.

View the full International Bulletin for 30MAR2016

02NOV2015 HECC/Cairo has requested that traffic through PASOS point on the boundary with LCCC/Nicosia FIR be rerouted, effectively closing airway UL550 and the Sinai peninsula. Shown on radar image above, most traffic is avoiding the area that an A321 crashed in on Saturday. No definite link is being made but Authorities and Operators are naturally cautious.

02NOV2015 Conditions perfect for fog across the UK and western Europe are causing widespread delays this morning. Unusually, almost all airports from EGCC/Manchester to EDDF/Frankfurt are affected by the same conditions, with many airports down to 100 metres vis. Most not accepting diversions. See below for further.

EXXX/Europe High delays in most Airports in a square containing EGCC/Manchester, EBBR/Brussels, EDDF/Frankfurt, and EDDH/Hamburg. Total of approx 120,000 slot delay minutes in Eurocontrol system. Other high delay airports include EHAM, EGLL, EGKK, EGSS. Check NOTAMs as most are not accepting diversions either. Fog forecast to be similar again overnight.

VTBB/Bangkok FIR A minimum departure interval of 4-8 minutes between same direction departures is in force from 30OCT for aircraft departing VTCC VTCT VTUU VTUD VTSP VTSG VTSF VTSB VTSM AND VTSS. Delays during peak hours are expected.

UUBC/Grabtsevo New Russian Airport now fully operational with 2200m runway (12/30) and able to accommodate international traffic up to A320/737 size.

UHSS/Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, a common Polar alternate, is closed due runway repairs 1200-2100Z until 01DEC and therefore not available as ALTN for Flight Planning.

NTTA/Tahiti will be without radar on 03NOV after 1800Z. As with all radar outages there is potential for delays and restrictions.

KXXX/USA Runway current closures: BWI-RWY 10/28, SEA-RWY 16C/34C, LAS-RWY 7L-25R.

KSFO/San Francisco will close Taxiway Q and B on 07/08NOV to resolve a pavement issue. This will create a one-in-one-out restriction for aircraft taxiing to and from all gates west of Taxiway Q1. Specifically, this will affect United Airlines, SFOs largest customer, as a majority of its gates are west of Q1. Additionally, the proximity of the closure area to Taxiway B1 will render B1 unusable due to insufficient wing tip and jet blast clearance with the construction area. The loss of Taxiway B1 means that access to the end-around Taxiway Z will be unavailable.

HKXX/Kenya No longer possible to obtain a visa on arrival for passengers. Must now be arranged prior to arrival online at https://account.ecitizen.go.ke/register.

SOOO/Cayenne FIR, South Atlantic – Aircraft not FANS 1A equipped, east of 50W in the Cayenne FIR, can now expect a maximum level of FL310 westbound.

EXXX/Europe The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) is providing a new tool to calculate Passenger Taxes payable in EU countries. The “PaxTax” tool calculates the total passenger tax for the flight, and breaks down the cost for both departure and arrival for the respective national taxing authorities.

YBBN/Brisbane New $45m international terminal opened 28OCT after 18 months of construction. The facility can handle 7.5m pax annually.

VNxx/NEPAL Fuel supply update: China will supply fuel to Nepal for the first time ever, in response to a dire fuel shortage caused by disrupted supply lines with India. China will supply 1.3 million liters of gasoline, which will be transported to Kathmandu from the border via 100 tanker trucks. Please continue to check local NOTAMs for fuel availability.

DNxx/Nigeria FIR Widespread reports of a strike forcing the closure of Nigeria’s airspace have been deemed unreliable, per the Nigerian CAA. There is unrest and occasional industrial action, but no risk of airspace being closed.

Timezone Changes As DST ends in the Northern Hemisphere, series of clock changes completed on 01NOV as US ended Daylight Savings. Most of Europe completed theirs on 25OCT. Most northern countries are now on Standard Time.

View the complete International Operations Bulletin for 02NOV2015.