60 minute rule
 

OK guys
Does an "adequate"airport within the threshold time have to be open or just available?

Well our etops policy states that an etops adequate airport must have ATC, at least cat 4 firefighting equipment etc.
Having said that there are MBZ airports in Australia that qualify and they do not have ATC so its quite an ambiguous situation.

The problem with the 60 minute rule is that alternates must remain suitable, not just adequate.

jalbert,

If you are still within the 60 minute area and havent crossed the ETOPS threshold, how is this flight any different to a regular 4 engined flight?

A number of our flights are scheduled to operate 3000 nms before entering the ETOPS area of operations, we will treat this initial portion exactly the same as if the flight was terminating in LHR rather than flying over it. We are therefore not worried about adequate airports within 60 minutes, but once we start across the water any airport which was selected as an enroute alternate must remain "suitable".


Mutt.

And you don't have to be over water to be ETOPS. Parts of Africa (possibly among others) can put you more than 400nm from a suitable airfield!

Thanks very much for the replies so far.What a fabulous resource this forum can be.
To illustrate what I'm about-
Say I'm delivering a 737 from Seattle to Paris.We're obviously Non ETOPS so are constrained in our routing by the 60 minute rule.Now suppose it's a Saturday night and places used as our 60 minute "adequate" airports (Iqualuit,Kangersluaaq for example )are closed so as the locals can have a beer or two,can we still go ?
Need they be available or need they be open?
What is the legal angle ?I'd say we all know the airmanship one.
This all arises from the new LIDO planning system we've just started using which to my simple mind says an "adequate" airport just needs to exist along the route and need not be open for business.
Please forgive if I sound like a numpty.
Also I KNOW some 737's can do ETOPS.God ,don't you hate pedants (in a self loathing sort of way).

Yes Jalbert - don't forget the airmanship one!

Murphy's Law will surely come into play if you decide to go and some of your enroute alternates are actually closed!:)

IF it was a delivery flight (not a revenue flight) then under the FAR's, ETOPS would not apply, unless of course your company says otherwise.