Weather & Technical Diversions, Delays & Cancellations

[superking]

I see the rotation to MUC Saturday will be cancelled due to industrial issues at MUC.

I got my days mixed up I should have said Tuesday not Saturday. Silly me getting old is my problem.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Monday 9 April 2018

Several cancellations/diversions shown tonight on BRS website.

EZY406 from Glasgow due 1915 diverted somewhere
EZY4158 from Isle of Man due 1900 no information shown
FR 9335 from Girona due 1925 diverted somewhere with FR9336 due to depart Girona 1950 cancelled
EZY6168 from Amsterdam due 1935 no information shown
BM1827/1828 to/from Franfurt 1630/2050 cancelled
EZY407/408 to/from Glasgow 2000/2250 cancelled
EZY6075/6076 to/from Alicante 1945/0115 cancelled (but also shows expected arrival 0245)
EZY6057/6058 to/from Malaga 1940/0130 cancelled (but also shows expected arrival 0310)

I presume this is weather-related although most aircraft seem to have been landing.

 

[Jerry]

I presume this is weather-related although most aircraft seem to have been landing.

Fog i believe.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Fog i believe.

Yes, it was misty all day and evening with drizzle for much of the time in the Bristol area yesterday. With winds out of the east I presume the active runway was 09, the one with no Cat3b ILS, hence the diversions of EZY 406 from Glasgow and FR9335 from Girona. The BRS website never seems to show where diverted aircraft were sent to.

I don't know what happened to EZY4156 from Isle of Man due 1900 or EZY6168 from Amsterdam due 1935 which were still bereft of any information on the airport website when I looked after 2200 last night. I presume the non avaiability of these aircraft and the diverted Glasgow were the reasons for the cancellations of the Malaga, Alicante and later Glasgow rotations last night.

 

[forest1979]

I should probably know this but what is the deal with Cat 3b ILS? what does that actually mean and why is it not in operation on both ends of the runway? Is this normal?

 

[Severn]

An ILS stands for an Instrument Landing System and is normally fitted to both ends of a runway at most airports. I couldn't work out whether you wanted to know about just the Cat 3b bit or the whole ILS so forgive me if you already know some of this!
An ILS is a precision runway approach aid based on two radio beams which together provide pilots with both vertical and horizontal guidance during an approach to land. This is mainly to aid pilots perform an approach in weather where they might not have visual contact with the runway. Going hand-in-hand with an ILS system is the large lighting array at the end of the runways which assist pilots transition from instrument to visual flight and to help pilots align the aircraft visually with the runway on final approach.
A pilot may not normally make an approach unless the runway visual range (RVR) being reported by an airport is above the specified minimum. When an approach is flown, the pilot follows the ILS guidance until reaching the decision height (DH) published by the airport. At the DH, the approach may only be continued if the the pilots have a specified visual reference in sight (the runway approach lights for example), otherwise, a go-around must be flown.

There are three categories of ILS approach which allow suitably qualified pilots flying suitably equipped aircraft to suitably equipped runways.
For a Category I (CAT I) standard ILS Approach the DH is 200 feet above runway threshold elevation and the reported RVR required to land is at least 550 metres.
If the runway has the upgraded ILS equipment then;

• Category II permits a DH of not lower than 100 ft and an RVR not less than 300 m;
• Category IIIA permits a DH below 100 ft and an RVR not below 200 m;
• Category IIIB permits a DH below 50 ft and an RVR not less than 50 m

There are special conditions which apply for Category II and III ILS operation which cover aircraft equipment; pilot training and the airfield installations. This is why not all airlines and aircraft can land at CATIII for example (Eastern, BMI Regional)

In Bristol, Runways 09 is only rated to CAT I whereas runway 27 is rated to CAT IIIb. Therefore if the wind is favouring 09 and the weather is below CAT I minimums then aircraft will hold until conditions improve otherwise diverts are likely.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks for that detailed and easily comprehended explanation, Severn.

There is no Cat IIIB on 09 because of the topography on aproach which could give rise to misleading indications. I understand that one of the reasons that the A38 was diverted 20 years ago was to permit the installation of Cat IIIB on 27.

 

[forest1979]

Thanks both for the detailed explanation...

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thursday 12 April 2018

It was extremely murky all morning and I was expecting some diversions. First thing today the active runway seemed to be 09 because I heard departing aircraft overhead my house.

I passed through the airport bus system this morning on route to one of my walks - at one point in mid-morning I walked around Winters Lane but could barely see across the runway to the taxiway on the far side. By then 27 was being used, possibly with a small downwind component. I suspect that 09 was less than the Cat 1 550 metres.

Around half past two I returned via the airport by which time although still murky and misty the entire runway was in view and 09 seemed to be the active runway again.

I popped into the terminal to see if any diversions, cancellations or serious delays had occurred since the morning and could only find FR8262 to Bergamo operating from CWL. It had been due to depart BRS at 1225 yet at 1500 they were still loading coaches to take passengers to CWL.

I later checked the airport website and discovered that the only diversion all day (up until now) was FR8241 from Venice, due BRS at 1200 that had diverted to CWL. Presumably this is the aircraft rostered for the Bergamo flight.

Two obvious queries came to mind:

Why did this aircraft divert but no others did?

Why was the aircraft not flown back to BRS when conditions had clearly been suitable by 1330 for non Cat3 equipped aircraft to land (because two EIR and an Aurigny ATRs did so) let alone Cat3 equipped aircraft that Ryanair operate, assuming the crew was 'current'? I suspect that a number of passengers were bemused when they were being loaded into coaches to go to CWL when the runway had been available at BRS for the previous hour and a half (at least).

 

[Jerry]

Why did this aircraft divert but no others did?

Apparently it was only Cat 1 and maybe Ryanair had taken the decision to bus and essentially were already paying for it?
Still good advertisement for CWL with possibly passengers who'd never used it before.

 

[Kingshat]

A small correction to Severn’s analysis of ILS approaches: the IRVR minima for Cat 1 on 09/27 is 750m at Bristol due to the reduced length of high intensity approach lighting available.

As an aside, Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) GNSS approaches are likely to give R/w 09 a Cat 3 capability in the medium term. They are currently limited to Cat 1, but significant research is being carried out in Europe and the US to permit ‘blind landings’.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Apparently it was only Cat 1 and maybe Ryanair had taken the decision to bus and essentially were already paying for it?
Still good advertisement for CWL with possibly passengers who'd never used it before.

Yet Aurigny and Aer Lingus Regional got in and they are only Cat 1 at all times. According to the BRS website Aurigny was due to land at 1218, just after the FR from Venice. A number of aircraft landed around the time the FR from Venice was due to land including another Ryanair from Girona.

If I'd been flying to Bergamo today I'd have been furious knowing BRS had been open for all types of aircraft to land from lunchtime yet at 1500 I was just leaving BRS by coach to get to CWL. Instead of reaching Bergamo in mid afternoon it would be mid to late evening. As a customer I still wonder why the aircraft could not have flown empty across the estuary to BRS instead of waiting at CWL for several hours for the coachbound passengers to arrive.

 

[superking]

Perhaps the FR flight deck crew not cat 3 trained. I can only think rather than get new crew over to CWL to fly plane back to Bristol they sent them with one of the coaches. I have no thoughts why so late departing BRS for CWL.

 

[Kingshat]

Many of the Aer Lingus (Stobart) aircraft are now Cat 2 capable

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thursday 19 April 2018

easyJet EZY6246 due 1510 from Funchal is show on the BRS website as cancelled. The outbound EZY6245 to Funchal at 0730 is shown as departed. Another weather problem at Funchal?

Afternoon Aer Lingus regional Dublin rotation EI3284/5 also shown as cancelled.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Friday 20 April 2018

Early mist this morning (lovely sunny day now) seems to have caused one or two problems.

BRS website shows:

Ryanair FR504 due 0740 from Dublin diverted to Birmingham with the return FR505 at 0805 showing 'by road'.

Aer Lingus Regional EI3280 due 0745 from Dublin and the return EI3281 at 0810 both cancelled.

KLM Cityhopper KL1049 due 0850 from Amsterdam diverted to Cardiff with the return KL1050 at 0920 cancelled.

easyJet EZY422 due 1010 from Edinburgh shown as diverted - no indication where.

 

[Jerry]

easyJet EZY422 due 1010 from Edinburgh shown as diverted - no indication where.

According to SWAG Cardiff

 

[superking]

Had a friend on the tom Dreamliner return this morning. The captain gave an announcement to the cabin that they will be landing in BRS but they had to use computer to land as fog was just about zero.All landed ok with the autoland and I must say the captain was confident they would land in BRS what ever the conditions.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I live about seven miles from BRS just to the north of the extended 27 approach centre-line and at the moment we are experiencing a spectacular thunderstorm with lightning illuminating the gathering gloom accompanied by frequent and loud thunder claps and torrential rain. I imagine aircraft would not want to come too close although I think 09 is the active runway today.

 

[superking]

Likewise in Weston super mare thunder lightening and rain. The main looks to be over the welsh side of the Bristol channel.Whoes to know if it causes any problems to the airport.