Dublin has always been an airport where proximity of parallel taxiways, the sharp taxi route corners, bad inappropriate flood lighting, the number of failed markings (unable to see them in wet at night) and the length and amount of (verbal diarrhoea) ATC instructions have made it an airport where, taxiing from the moment you leave stand towards holding point or after vacating the runway towards your stand, has posed a significant risk.
Flying into DUB first time for a new FO awaiting to hear ATC taxi instructions can be daunting, not just the amount and complexity. It is many times the unprepared who have to ask ATC to reread their clearance as they simply failed to either write it down or comprehend.
Having a mental model of the airport in mind helps in this instance, but not all pilots are capable of doing so.
When ATC gives you an unexpected route, this exaggerates these problems.
IN this post I am not saying anything about who is or not at fault in the incident in DUB between these two aircraft.
What I would like to say is as a result of this incident, I'd like to see improvements to ATC clearances, a reduction of clearances given to pilots, a better taxi/airport layout with less points which need mentioning by ATC in a read back.
For example in DUB it is quite often the case to hear things like:
- "Taxi Ramp 6, Foxtrot Outer, Right on Papa 1, Cross Runway 34, Onto Papa 2, Left to Follow the A330 onto Mike 2, Join Bravo to hold short Runway 10"
- "Taxi Link 5, Fox Outer, Link 4, Foxtrot 3, Foxtrot 2, Hold Short Link 2, Give Way to the Shamrock A321 coming from the right at Bravo, Then via Alpha Continue Foxtrot 1, Echo 1 to Hold Short Runways 28 & 34"
These instructions are not unique nor uncommon.
It is such interactions with ATC that could quite easily be improved, by airport layout DESIGN and ATC being aware they do not need to always use every taxi segment and intersection block in each statement they make to pilots. Not all pilots are excellent English speakers and quite often can and will not read back clearances as per above.
That is a major threat in DUB!