A380 arrival & Holding Pattern Dubai
 

We were lucky enough to take our honeymoon earlier this year in the Maldives. Decided on Emirates for the method of travel. A380 from LHR via Dubai and then 777 to Male.

Very nice flights with superb in flight experience on both planes.

Couldn't get my head round the hour long ozone-carving holding pattern over Dubai though - in the largest passenger plane in the world! We were told by the Captain that this was normal due to it being peak time in Dubai. Really? In the early hours of the morning!!??

Any comments?

There are certain times of day in Dubai that you will find aircraft holding. Normally this will be for 10-20 minutes, but can be a lot longer. Throw in some fog and it can easily be an hour. Rush hour in the morning is now from around 0430 until 0700, the holding will start at about 10 minutes and will steadily increase towards the 40 minute mark.

If I'm a passenger I simply watch some more tv!

Hope you had a great honeymoon!:)

Yes, quite normal. Busiest peak of the day are in those hours. Did you not notice how busy it was when you landed? Dubai, as you know, is a major hub and indeed it has night time peaks as East meets West and v.v.

I was also told that the morning and evening are busiest as the heat is less fierce and better for takeoff and landings.

I am sure there is an aerodynamicist out there who will say its all pish ;)

I was actually talking about density altitude with my instructor recently and the best example he could give me for temperature as a major issues for RPT takeoff/landing performance was Dubai.

That being the case, I'd assume it's purely a race each day to get the flights in before the temperature rises too far.

Pish of the highest order!

I'm glad somebody said it.

Density altitude - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maybe not so much .....

Anyway, as to the holding pattern, I came to Dubai via Riyadh last week. Nominally a two hour flight, but it could have been done in just over an hour. there was a large holding pattern over the sea on the way, and then the aircraft flew right over Dubai, way inland and turned to approach from landside. Presumably to match the runway alignment, but apparently normal for the flight.

Ambient Air Temperature, Pressure and Density are all part of normal take-off calculation and can have a significant impact on aircraft performance.

Long story, but I was once trapped in Palermo on a 737-200 when the temperature made a departure to anywhere apart from Catania (also in Sicily) impossible: From Catania, the only available destination would have been Palermo. We stayed and waited a couple of hours until the temperature had dropped.

I believe that certain airfields, such as Nairobi are potentially both hot and high and that departures are scheduled accordingly.

<<Presumably to match the runway alignment, but apparently normal for the flight.>>

It is usually a good idea to "match" the runway direction!

Summer temps are very much a factor in Dubai- often flights are payload restricted in the summer months, especially when holding is also coming into play. So, no, not entirely ;pish' after all!

Same was the case for flights into rural Australia in the summertime... temps in the mid to high 40's were constantly causing delays due aircraft performance factors and the airfields being used.