Ryanair And IAA Argue About Final Clearance Leading to Go Around at ORK Sunday 6th
From the Irish Examiner:
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Pilot and aviation authority in row over aborted landing claims
By Dan Buckley
A RYANAIR pilot and the Irish Aviation Authority are at loggerheads over claims that a landing at Cork Airport had to be aborted because of an obstruction on the runway.
The pilot of the Ryanair flight, the 3.45pm from East Midlands on Sunday, told passengers on board the Boeing aircraft that an “unscheduled” plane on the runway prevented him from landing. The pilot initiated a “go-around”, which involved circling and approaching again. The plane landed safely a short time later.
However, a spokesman for Cork Airport said there was no obstruction at the point of landing and the reason the pilot had to initiate a “go-around” was because it had been advised it did not have permission to land.
Passengers were getting ready for landing in Cork at 4.50pm when the plane began to climb again without warning. “We were within about 15 to 20 seconds of landing,” said a seasoned traveller.
“We expected to land at any minute when, suddenly, the plane took off again. Five or six minutes later the captain made an announcement to explain that the reason he had to do that was because there was an unscheduled plane on the runway.”
The authority said the air traffic controller was dealing with two flights at the time, one a light aircraft about to take off and the other a helicopter. A spokeswoman said the light aircraft then departed, but Ryanair had yet to receive permission to land.
“The... pilot did not receive landing clearance because the controller was occupied with the helicopter and the light aircraft, which had just departed. The light aircraft made a long transmission and the controller was taken up with that. The pilot took the correct action in initiating a go-around but there no physical danger on the runway and no obstruction on the ground.”
A spokeswoman for Ryanair confirmed one of its aircraft operated a precautionary “go around” during its approach. This, according to a statement, was because “air traffic control failed to give the captain final clearance”.
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This sounds like arrogance from Ryanair.