Ferris,
With regards to the holding closer to the field, I do agree with Granny.
Traffic @FL150+ holds with UAE. When Traffic previously transferred to DXB is observed as having left A130, then the next A/C gets cleared on the STAR and dropped to A130 and so on.
The (approach) hold (would be) published at the common point of all the STAR's.
The Arrivals controller then continues the decent of the traffic on the STAR, towards the holding facility. The fact is that the decent would be mostly continuous anyway, so the high level close to the field will not be entirely true.
The departing traffic would be kept (as present) clear of the holding areas and this would be regulated by the SID's/STAR's
Traffic approaching the holding facility will get told to expect no holding or one hold ect.. and be either vectored to final or spun a few times in the hold as appropriate.
This system works at Heathrow and other places in the world. I do not claim that our facilities, abilities or staffing levels are even close to those of Heathrow, but we are talking theory now (right?)
Regarding the 20nm/30nm through the gate
We do not make those rules, the GCAA did. OMNE was designed by and enforced by the GCAA and ... all considered it may not be the best system available but it is the only system that may be used legally to enforce the GCAA's sector capacity limitations (5/8).
Regarding the COORD H24
Subject to staffing, the COORD position is H24. There are occasions that, due to critical staff shortages and after the flow has been set, the COORD may man the Director position. This is an obvious move and it allows the arrivals controller to increase his/her sector capacity from 5 to 8.
As you have said, "I'm not sure that you guys realise how thin the staffing is at the ACC". I could bounce that straight back and tell you that we too face serious staff shortages and if the grapevine does not speak with forked tongue, then we face even more departures (staff) soon.
Regarding getting the traffic at the last minute
There my friend, you are right, but for that you will have to blame the size of the country and the insistence of the regulator that the ACC do the coordination with Muscat.
To the North I think we can agree that there is not too much problem as there is not too much traffic through DARAX. If however that route picked up, then there is a risk that that could become a nightmare.
Your suggestion regarding central Flow Management.
Spot on, except I would say that the MAESTRO (or similar) would be vastly more effective than the manual option.
So .. What to do ?
There is a good chance that the DXB approach facility will be moved to an alternate location on the airport by the end of 2006. This means that there will be new equipment. My hope is that those running the project will go the whole nine yards and get the all singing all dancing equipment, including OLDI (latest version) MAESTRO (with nodes at Muscat/UAE ACC/OMAA App) and whatever else is required.
There is also a TAAM’s project underway to streamline many aspects of the airport operation, including airspace and routings; I hope that this will produce more cost effective and less stressful solutions for all concerned.
Immediately however, You, I and everyone else will be best served by accepting the fact that the other ATC unit has problems that we may not fully understand and restrictions that are not clear to us and, as such, just try to keep our suggestions and comments constructive and non-personal.
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