ATCO1962, the question is are you listening??? If all the FIR's in the Middle East were strict on the flight planning issue then we wouldn't be having this conversations, as all airlines would know that if you want to fly here you do as is required in the rest of the world and file a flight plan. The UAE took a stand on the RVSM issue because the change to RVSM airspace came along at a time when the UAE was preparing to move to an advanced ATC system where the system needs flightplans to work properly, so took that opportunity to "educate" the airlines that if you want to fly in the UAE airspace at your requested level then you file a flight plan, but there are still the same old serial offenders who can't seem to manage that simple task. Gulf Air is one of those ongoing offenders. The pilots always act all offended that they are being pushed down, but they regularly fail to file a correct flight plan. The one you are referring to was a stuff up by the Gulf Air briefing people, so if you and the Gulf Air pilot want to be bamboozled then look to the airline employees, not us.
You say there is no change to you, but there is. When this first started we were getting you to push down aircraft all the time. Now as was said the maximum number of pushdowns per day is 6 (in the last 2 weeks that is the maximum, usually 4 or 5 a day), which means poor old you in Muscat will in all probability have to do one push down for the UAE per shift. If the pilot is bamboozled please tell the aircraft to call us early for a chat and we will explain that we are trying to drag the Middle East into the first world and as such expect the bare minimum, ie a bloody flight plan.
I find it amazing that you are giving the UAE grief about needing aircraft to file a correct flightplan to the correct place. I think the grief should be given to FIR's who don't take a stand against lazy and incompetent airlines (or agencies supposed to file on their behalf, like is the case out of Pakistan and Egypt for some of the big airlines, hence many of the problems for Gulf Air and the like) who can't get their **** together.
Last edited by AirNoServicesAustralia; 27th Apr 2006 at 04:42.