Afghanistan Contingency Routing Proposal 1

November 2014

Assumptions

• Sovereign Afghan Airspace • Require contingency plan that ensures safe

transit • No ATC service from Afghanistan. • No COM / SUR • No hazardous airspace above FL280 • Priority to overflying air traffic • All overflying aircraft capable of RNAV 10 or

better • Contingency routes within Class A airspace

Airspace User Requirements

• Safety must be assured

• Unable to avoid Afghanistan to the North due to high terrain

• Tehran FIR (OIIX) at capacity, should not divert traffic south of Kabul FIR(OAKX)

• Most airlines will not accept to operate in uncontrolled airspace (Class G) – contingency routes must be within controlled airspace (Class A / C ?)

Military Air Traffic

• State aircraft excluded from provisions of Chicago Convention

• No requirement to separate Military air traffic from civilian

• Any Military air traffic should operate with “Due Regard” to civil air traffic

AIR TRAFFIC DEMAND

Traffic Direction by Day

• Daily traffic demand relatively stable but subject to Jetstream effects

• 300 flights per day

Average Traffic by Hour

• Peak demand:

– 35 bi-directional

– 25 Westbound

– 15 eastbound

• Normal demand: 15

• Biased distribution by direction of flight

Separation Proposal FL290 and ABV

PANS ATM

• Lateral: 50 NM

• Vertical: 1000 ft

• Longitudinal: 10 minutes – Requires fixed Mach, identical

track

Contingency Plan

• Lateral: 50 NM

• Vertical: 1000 ft

• Longitudinal: 15 Minutes – Fixed Mach, identical track

– Mitigates lack of ATC intervention over Afghanistan

– ATFM metering by NMOC / BOBCAT

Proposed Track Design

ATC Procedure

• ACC delivering traffic

– Assigns M082 and FL to aircraft

– Ensures minimum longitudinal spacing of 15 minutes

– Informs receiving ACC of inbound traffic and inbound boundary waypoint estimate

– Instructs aircraft to contact receiving ACC as per agreement.

COM

• Aircraft to broadcast position and estimates as per In Flight Broadcasting Procedures (used over parts of Africa)

• Aircraft will maintain listening watch on 121.5

• Aircraft will contact receiving ACC when in range with POS and estimate for waypoint

• Optional: – CPDLC (where?)

– Satellite Voice

SUR

• Position report broadcasts

• ATC and pilots estimates for waypoints

ATFM

– BOBCAT & EUROCONTROL Network Manager provide flow metering to 15 Minutes in trail per FL

Mitigations for COM / SUR / ATM

• Assigned Mach ( M082?) • In Flight Traffic Broadcast (as per AFI Ops) • All routes laterally separated by 50 NM

– No crossing routes – No route joins or divergences

• 15 minute longitudinal separation (versus required 10 fixed Mach same track PANS ATM) – Any erosion of separation should still maintain minimum of

10 minutes – Given transit time of 50 minutes, would require sustained

closure speed of 55 knots (M05) to reduce 15 minutes to 10.

Contingencies

• In case of critical in-flight emergency (de-pressurization, etc.), follow ICAO emergency descent procedures.

• In case of medical emergency, contact receiving ACC. Diversion only after clear of Afghanistan.

Demand Capacity Balancing

• Demand: – 25 Westbound – 15 Eastbound

• Capacity: – 4 flights per flight level per track per hour (15 Minutes minimum

interval) – Flight Levels:

• Westbound: FL300, 320, 340, 360, 380 – 300 desired, 380 difficult to reach

• Eastbound: FL310, 330, 350, 370

– Tracks: 5 – Eastbound: 60+ / hour (4x3+x5) – Westbound: 80 / hour (4x4x5)

Collaboration Required

• NMOC and BOBCAT collaboration

• ATC Communications between ACCs either side of Afghanistan – ATC interphone or dedicated recorded telephone

lines

• ATC procedure agreements between ACCs adjacent to Afghanistan

• ATC Communications range charts or information

Arrivals / Departures Options

• Kabul airport is in vicinity of TAPIS.

• Arriving aircraft would be descended below overhead stream by OPLR / UTSD ACC prior to OAKX

• Departing aircraft would remain below overhead stream until entering OPLR / UTSD

• Airspace classification? – most airlines would avoid

operating in Class G (uncontrolled)