Faced with delays that in some cases exceeded one hour, they came from last Tuesday, passengers travelling to and from «Eleftherios Venizelos».
The phenomenon is not linked to an emergency or technical failure, but to controls on technical approach systems at the aerodrome; planned by the Civil Aviation Agency. The procedures mainly concern the Instrument Landing System (Institut Landing System – ILS), a critical terrestrial radio navigational system that provides pilots with accurate horizontal and vertical guidance during the final phase of approach and landing.
Checks started last Tuesday concern the country's largest airport's precision approach aids and are carried out with a special aircraft especially at times usually from 15.00 to 18.00, and Today started at 16.00. Some information indicated that controls would continue until Friday 12 June, However, they are likely to be completed today.
This selection by the Ministry of Finance in peak hours even is responsible for the delays that have occurred. Air market sources, noted in protothema.gr, However, despite the fact that the control of radio aids is extremely necessary for safety reasons and is rightly carried out (and) at this time of year, It could be night hours, to avoid disruption to air traffic and the inconvenience of travellers. The same sources point out that Bulgarian crew informed that they have training, the experience and willingness to do the work at night hours, but his request was not accepted by the Greek side for security reasons.
Due to the checks at these times and, on the basis and the relevant directive from the Civil Aviation Administration, the flow of traffic to arrivals and departures especially those scheduled at this time, with estimates of the duration of delays, reporting for 45 to 60 minutes although delays of more than one hour were recorded on some flights.
Accordingly caused domino delays and in subsequent, nearby flights which are programmed in space especially after the checks are completed especially at this time when anyway «Run» the enhanced summer schedule of airlines with more frequent routes to more destinations.
See photos flights to «El. Venizelos» which have been delayed in the last few hours:
Bulgarian Falcon type plane «Scan» the Athenian sky
It is recalled that the Civil Aviation Service leased a Dassault Falcon 2000, plane of the Bulgarian Government in order to make these checks since, both Greek aircraft, in fact, one is Cessna Citation 10, the world's fastest political plane, as it can fly at Mach speed of 0,935 or 1,145 km/h – are pinned to the ground due to damage.
The route Falcon took today over Attica
The Bulgarian Falcon checks using its special equipment, whether all the machinery available by the Hellenic Ministry of Defence is properly operated to direct the incoming, incoming and outgoing aircraft air traffic controllers safely and, where appropriate, becomes one «Calibration», that is a necessary regulation.
The route Falcon took yesterday over Attica
What is an inspection flight and why it drops the capacity
Radio aids is the «electronic eyes» with which an aircraft approaches or takes off safely when following standard procedures. In practice, the flight inspection shall check whether the notified guidance «See» the aircraft corresponds to the actual, published course and if it remains within the tolerances required by safety.
Σε ένα μεγάλο αεροδρόμιο, αυτό συνδέεται κυρίως με τα βοηθήματα προσέγγισης ακριβείας, όπως το ILS, όπου ο τοπικός υπεύθυνος δίνει πλευρική καθοδήγηση προς τον άξονα του διαδρόμου και το glide slope την κατακόρυφη κάθοδο· άλλα βοηθήματα όπως VOR και DME παρέχουν αντίστοιχα διόπτευση και απόσταση. Πρόκειται για τα συστήματα που χρησιμοποιούνται στην προσέγγιση και την απογείωση και οι έλεγχοι γίνονται σε τακτά χρονικά διαστήματα.
Ο λόγος που μια τέτοια επιθεώρηση παράγει καθυστερήσεις είναι επιχειρησιακός. Το ειδικό αεροσκάφος δεν κάνει «μια βόλτα» πάνω από το αεροδρόμιο· εκτελεί επαναλαμβανόμενα περάσματα και ελεγχόμενες διαδρομές σε συγκεκριμένα προφίλ, ενώ ταυτόχρονα η υπηρεσία εναέριας κυκλοφορίας πρέπει να προστατεύσει τον χώρο και να μειώσει τον ρυθμό αφίξεων και αναχωρήσεων.
