Barcelona, again...
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Location: Choroni, sometimes
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Barcelona, again...
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-DEA performing flight EI-868 from Cork (Ireland) to Barcelona,SP (Spain) with 56 passengers and 6 crew, was on approach to Barcelona when the crew aborted the approach at 10,000 feet and entered a holding because the runway visual range remained consistently below required minimum of 400 meters/1300 feet for ILS Category II approaches. Air traffic control denied the crew's request to conduct an ILS Category III approach, which permitted lower RVR minimas. After holding for 30 minutes the crew decided to divert to Valencia,SP (Spain) and set course towards Valencia when ATC reported the RVR had just increased marginally above the minimum. The crew decided to attempt one more approach to Barcelona advising that if they needed to go-around again, they had to divert to Girona,SP (Spain) and land there with just minimum fuel remaining. While on final ILS Category II approach to runway 25R the RVR decreased again below minima prompting the crew to go around and requested vectors to Girona. Air Traffic Control advised that Girona was no longer able to accept more aircraft due to congestion as a large number of flights to Barcelona had already diverted there. The crew therefore declared a Fuel PAN, after which air traffic control cleared the flight for an ILS Category III approach to Barcelona's runway 25L. The aircraft landed safely on runway 25L above minimum fuel.
"Air traffic control denied the crew's request to conduct an ILS Category III approach, which permitted lower RVR minimas."
