Malaga Departure Routes
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Malaga Departure Routes
As a retired ATCO I still find myself looking at aeroplanes as they pass overhead.
I am wondering if any Spanish controller, or pilot that flies in to/out of Malaga, can help with this question.
Have the departure routes from Rwy 13 changed?
When using Rwy 13 any departures heading north always used to come over our house after turning back in from over the sea. We haven't seen any for the past three or four days even though the airport is open and 13 is in use.
What has changed?
I am wondering if any Spanish controller, or pilot that flies in to/out of Malaga, can help with this question.
Have the departure routes from Rwy 13 changed?
When using Rwy 13 any departures heading north always used to come over our house after turning back in from over the sea. We haven't seen any for the past three or four days even though the airport is open and 13 is in use.
What has changed?
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Just seems strange that for the 5 years I have had a house here, living permanently here for over two years, aircraft heading to UK etc always fly over the house when they are on South Easterlies. Suddenly they are not doing so. Haven't seen one for 4 days now.
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Just checked on the jeppesen website and the BAILEN1H departure (which is the one we normally have in our flight plans going to the UK) has not changed since November 2006.
It could be that they are using the VIBAS SID, which goes a few miles further from the coast.
Were do you live (radial and distance from the airport)?
It could be that they are using the VIBAS SID, which goes a few miles further from the coast.
Were do you live (radial and distance from the airport)?
Last edited by IRRenewal; 23rd May 2010 at 08:59.
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We are approx on 045 radial from the airport at approx 30kms. Looks like the Bailen1J SID to me, but I could be wrong.
The BAILEN1J changed in December 2009 but it is only the last few days that we have noticed the lack of aeroplanes. Did the routes of the SID change? Difficult to tell without having sight of the previous chart.
Looking at the SID chart our location would put us betwen the BAILEN 1H and 1J SIDS so the way our house points it would be the 1J we normally see. If the route was moved further west then that would account for why we no longer see the aircraft (hill in the way).
Also wondering if, now that the aiport is presumably on summer schedules, you have to stick to the SIDs. When quieter, were you allowed direct routings i.e. coming off the SIDS earlier. That could account for us only noticing the change recently.
The BAILEN1J changed in December 2009 but it is only the last few days that we have noticed the lack of aeroplanes. Did the routes of the SID change? Difficult to tell without having sight of the previous chart.
Looking at the SID chart our location would put us betwen the BAILEN 1H and 1J SIDS so the way our house points it would be the 1J we normally see. If the route was moved further west then that would account for why we no longer see the aircraft (hill in the way).
Also wondering if, now that the aiport is presumably on summer schedules, you have to stick to the SIDs. When quieter, were you allowed direct routings i.e. coming off the SIDS earlier. That could account for us only noticing the change recently.
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BAILEN1J does indeed show as 'completely revised' in December. Can't remember what it was before. BAILEN1H I mentioned earlier is probably wishful thinking on my behalf since it is only in use when MGA VOR is U/S.
I can't remember ever flying the full SID. Normally it's 'at pilots' discretion direct BAILEN' at some point during the departure. Could well be that due to noise and/or traffic they delay the turn (or even make you fly the whole thing). Haven't been to Malaga in the last couple of weeks so don't know what the current situation is.
I can't remember ever flying the full SID. Normally it's 'at pilots' discretion direct BAILEN' at some point during the departure. Could well be that due to noise and/or traffic they delay the turn (or even make you fly the whole thing). Haven't been to Malaga in the last couple of weeks so don't know what the current situation is.
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Euro control recently complained to Spanish ATC that not only were they allowing certain operators to depart early on slot times, but also giving large direct routings to aircraft when airborne, thus negating the flow control system. The spaniards have resolved this by making all aircraft fly full Arrival/Departure procedures, not allowing any short cuts/direct routings and restricting aircraft to the filed flight plan level. I flew the Bailen 1J departure on Fri, which takes the aircraft to 14 miles on the centreline before turning towards Granada 
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Sadly it seems that truckie is correct. Last week or so the spanish 600,000Eu club have been making all fly the entire sid & star even at midnight with no other traffic, and even though giving taxy clearances for an early departure against STD (no slot involved) then hold you at the runway for 10 mins, engines running and no warning of this stupidity at all.
OK, so they've been picked up for being a bit too helpful, (what flow control is required at midnight?) but the taxy thing is simply ludicrous.
Then thirty minutes later the French clear you from one end of the country to the other...direct.
OK, so they've been picked up for being a bit too helpful, (what flow control is required at midnight?) but the taxy thing is simply ludicrous.
Then thirty minutes later the French clear you from one end of the country to the other...direct.
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it also seems that the spanish atc have an ongoing dispute with their employer. so they are not giving any directs at all, creating delays and sector saturation. it's even been notamed somewhere. i only got a direct in the very early hours of a week end and then only because we had a very short time with barcelona between algiers and marseille.
slowing down the flow is supposed to justify their pay grade and their numbers.
so it's complete sid, planned route and full star. plus the full standard taxi route.
slowing down the flow is supposed to justify their pay grade and their numbers.
so it's complete sid, planned route and full star. plus the full standard taxi route.
I noticed a sudden change in Spain last week and the controller confirmed to another aircraft that they were no longer giving directs as it was messing up flow control. The additional fuel burn and environmental impact over the year will probably make the BP disaster pale into insignificance. We could easily be talking a couple of hundred kilos per aircraft. There really could not be a better time to push for a reduction in the number of ATC authorities. As has been widely publicised the Spanish are not the lowest cost provider. 
