Here we go again with this ‘committing’ thing. There is nothing in UK law that allows the commander of a UK registered aircraft to reduce fuel to such an extent that a go around would compromise the safety of the aircraft and its occupants. The over-riding restriction is that the commander must at all times ensure that the aircraft will land with at least final reserve remaining. I would suggest that for an aircraft with final reserve remaining on touchdown to commence a go around, you will barely have enough fuel for a visual circuit. 30 minutes holding at 1500’ is just that, not a full IFR missed approach and subsequent radar pattern, as you are required to plan (JAROPS AMC-OPS 1.255). To plan such a tight margin in a public transport aircraft in VMC would be bad enough, to routinely plan this IFR is foolhardy.
The CAA have officially promulgated the extent to which holding should be expected at LHR in AIC 36/1996. It appears that Big Airways don’t feel themselves bound by the ‘information for guidance and necessary action’that is contained therein. I would be interested to know what other items of UK legislative material that they also find themselves exempt from. You are required to have knowledge of all such AIC’s and are expected to operate with them in mind.
Perhaps we will have to institute NOTAMed holding fuel requirements for the UK like they do in Oz. What does Big do down there? I feel that like many large organisations, the interpretation of relevant legislation has been allowed to be overcome by introspective judgements and a corporate arrogance that is prepared to exclude all versions of the truth but its own.
Culture it may be, safe it is not. Nigel holds a UK licence issued by the CAA, it has conditions and responsibilities attached. The MOR process is the last line of defence to allow the Authority to review an operators’ procedures to ensure safe compliance with current legislation. Perhaps the more MOR’s that are filed, the safer our skies will become.