DUBAI, 27 February 2019: Emirates Flight Operations has developed a new navigation technique that allows the airline to carry additional cargo into Kabul International airport.
The innovative missed-approach procedure developed by the airline has replaced an older technique that required cargo bound for Kabul to be offloaded in Dubai during low-cloud or poor visibility weather conditions at the destination.
Emirates operates a daily flight to Kabul International airport using its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and within the first three months of implementation, the new solution gave Emirates the capability for carrying an additional 250 tonnes of cargo into Kabul during low-cloud conditions.
In addition to increased facilitation of trade to and from Afghanistan, the procedure has also resulted in more streamlined cargo operations to Kabul, increased customer satisfaction, and enhanced fuel efficiency.
Kabul airport is situated in a wide valley at an elevation of 5,800 feet and is surrounded by mountains that are over 11,000 feet tall.
The airport has a number of constraints associated with it because of the challenging terrain, Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other security requirements.
Previously, whenever meteorological reports predicted cloud cover below this level at Kabul airport, cargo was offloaded in Dubai to make the aircraft lighter to ensure that in the event the aircraft had to execute a missed-approach* at Kabul airport, it could achieve the required climb gradient.
However, this measure often resulted in cargo not arriving on time at Kabul leading to other associated costs for both Emirates as well as the customer.
In order to optimise cargo loads without compromising on safety, Emirates Flight Operations Support developed a new missed-approach navigation procedure.
Since implementation, Emirates has been able to carry significantly more cargo into Kabul.
Emirates’ Flight Operations Support team have also used similar technology to successfully enhance operational efficiency at other airports such as Seychelles, Addis Ababa, Eldoret and Basra.
* A Missed Approach is a published procedure, which must be followed in the event that an aircraft conducting an Instrument Approach for landing is unable to continue the approach and/or achieve the required visual references to be able to complete a landing.
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