Countries you'd rather not land in?
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Countries you'd rather not land in?
Consider an emergency landing, where you still have a choice on where to touch down. Maybe one engine is out, like in yesterday's AF66 incident, that flew for 2 hours until touching down in Goose Bay. Are there countries that you routinely fly over that you would not want to do an emergency landing in if you could avoid it, for reasons related to war or politics, or maybe others? Are there situations where you would want to make an emergency landing, but decide to make it outside of that country?
I am asking because I've just been reading about the Hainan incident, where the ATC was uncooperative on the landing and the US had trouble getting the plane released. That was a military flight, but I was wondering if the problem would affect commercial flights, too. I imagine that you might not want to touch down in Syria, for example, but you'd probably not be routed through that airspace in the first place?
I am asking because I've just been reading about the Hainan incident, where the ATC was uncooperative on the landing and the US had trouble getting the plane released. That was a military flight, but I was wondering if the problem would affect commercial flights, too. I imagine that you might not want to touch down in Syria, for example, but you'd probably not be routed through that airspace in the first place?
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I recall when I worked for a Luxembourg Cargo Airline, we had one aircraft flying for AF Cargo when our (French) Bureau Veritas inspector decided to do a jumpseat ride around French Africa with us, this night flight (2 sectors) being close to the maximum allowable FDP terminating in Bangui.
Well Bangui had thunderstorms, with an inspector on the jumpseat we couldn't possibly make an approach so diverted to Kano, Nigeria, arriving in Kano the crew were already in to discretion.
Well the Nigerians, bless them, decided that our inspector wasn't operating crew, that he was a passenger, that he had entered Nigeria illegally and they threw him in a cell, when the First Officer eventually found a telephone back in LUX, or was it OST, we almost fell off our bar stools laughing when the F/O announced "They've banged up our inspector".
They negotiated to get him released, some $$$ were involved in the negotiations, and our inspector fully approved the crew exercising discretion to get the **** out of Nigeria, they were allowed to do an 11 or 12 hour FDP, they ended up doing something like a 30 hour FDP and all fully approved by our Flight Operations Inspector
Well Bangui had thunderstorms, with an inspector on the jumpseat we couldn't possibly make an approach so diverted to Kano, Nigeria, arriving in Kano the crew were already in to discretion.
Well the Nigerians, bless them, decided that our inspector wasn't operating crew, that he was a passenger, that he had entered Nigeria illegally and they threw him in a cell, when the First Officer eventually found a telephone back in LUX, or was it OST, we almost fell off our bar stools laughing when the F/O announced "They've banged up our inspector".
They negotiated to get him released, some $$$ were involved in the negotiations, and our inspector fully approved the crew exercising discretion to get the **** out of Nigeria, they were allowed to do an 11 or 12 hour FDP, they ended up doing something like a 30 hour FDP and all fully approved by our Flight Operations Inspector
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Muscian
I think Afghan and Congo would be my two, both of which see considerable overflight air traffic to Europe / Far East and South Africa.
Regards
Mr Mac
I think Afghan and Congo would be my two, both of which see considerable overflight air traffic to Europe / Far East and South Africa.
Regards
Mr Mac
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the Hainan incident, where the ATC was uncooperative on the landing and the US had trouble getting the plane released.
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Cazalet, I don't want to discuss the Hainan incident beyond the point that the crew sure wished they didn't have to land there.
I enjoyed Van, Harry and Mr Mac's answers, thank you!
I enjoyed Van, Harry and Mr Mac's answers, thank you!
Consider an emergency landing, where you still have a choice on where to touch down.....Are there situations where you would want to make an emergency landing, but decide to make it outside of that country?
....... I was wondering if the problem would affect commercial flights, too. I imagine that you might not want to touch down in Syria, for example, but you'd probably not be routed through that airspace in the first place?
....... I was wondering if the problem would affect commercial flights, too. I imagine that you might not want to touch down in Syria, for example, but you'd probably not be routed through that airspace in the first place?
You will sometimes overfly countries that are on your " don't land here" list but there is then usually a caveat that in dire emergency you'll go to nearest concrete and argue the politics when you are on the ground.
I work in the air ambulance industry, and with a patient in the back who 'goes off' on us, then some places are best overflown as we deal with the situation ourselves. Over Europe is no problem, just declare an emergency and divert to the nearest major airport, over parts of Africa and Asia, keep going of at all possible.
