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Problem with flight plan at start up and other discrepancies...

I’ve experienced a first few days ago, when I was about to depart from Alicante to Tetuan.

Flight plan (IFR) generated with autorouter and successfully filed with RR with an EOBT scheduled at 1000Z.
Refueling took a little delay because of a prb with the pump of the truck, but we just lost 15mn or so on the schedule.
So I’ve contacted around 1013Z Alicante GND freq. to ask the startup for Tetuan; I was replied that I had to contact my company (!!) (I’m still an individual flyer so far), because my flight plan had a problem, but the guy gave me anyway a clearance and SID for departure.
After a few minutes, I ask again about the flight plan problem, but again “Contact your company to fix the problem!!”
I reply that I’m an individual and I do not have a company, that I filed the flight plan with RR and I did not received any error message or delay for it, and then the guy asks me to wait until he got a kind of explanation…
After a while, past the allowed half and hour to takeoff, GND advised me that my flight plan had been cancelled (because surely reported as not airborne), and I had to file one again.
Meanwhile, I check with the RR IPhone app, flight plan still active and no CNL message received yet, so I cancel it on my own at 1043Z.
3 seconds after that, GND allowed my start up for GMTN, and had to call back when ready to taxi!!!
I think everything back on rails, but while I’m taxiing to rwy, GND advise me the flight plan has another problem, and they are trying to fix it. At this point, I knew it was my cancellation that was the prb, and after few minutes, I was finally cleared to takeoff to my destination.

Flight was perfect, and all that departure problem had been long forgotten, but in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar rock at my right, and IF point coming fast, I ask Malaga appr to descent, they give me Casablanca appr. for coordination, which I’ve never been able to contact because maybe I was too far and too low (FL90).
After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact directly Tetuan tower who asked my parameters and what I wanted to do because they had no idea of my flight!!
After a successful landing at the destination and a warm welcome with customs, police and refueling (hand pump), I now enjoy Moroccan food at its best!!! :-)

I have submitted the whole departure prb to RR which apparently has submitted a ticket to Eurocontrol mainly because Tetuan had no idea of my flight that day, and they promised to inform me if they have some explanations.

So, has anyone already gone through something like this ( unknown flight plan prb which leads to a predictable delay) and a destination airport which is definitely unaware of your flight intentions besides the fact you filed the most regular IFR flight plan between departure and their airport ?

(Don’t expect fast answers from me as I have a very limited access to Internet)

Thx in advance

LSGL

Is Morocco part of the IFPS zone?

AFAIK, it’s not. In these cases, flightplan distribution (even IFR) is still a somwehat manual process. Probably some error was made at that time.

EDIT: it seems like Morocco now is part of the IFPZ, as shown by the current IFPS manual.
https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/nm/network-operations/HANDBOOK/ifps-users-manual-current.pdf

Last Edited by boscomantico at 19 Jul 19:17
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I have flown a lot in this part of the world and it used to be, that Morocco needed 24h advance notice of a FPL. Never had a problem, though. And yes, it’s normal that you cannot contact Casa Approach at that level in the Gib area. What I used to do (if flying further south) was to ask Tetuan tower to relay to Casa App. Worked every time (Casa can hear you once you are past the first mountain range if going to, say, Fez).

Indeed, it might have been a permit problem. The rules for private GAT in the Morocco and Tunisia are always a bit unclear and the AIPs are poorly written…

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I have never done this but my understanding is that, outside the Eurocontrol zone, and outside of “specially organised” places like the USA, IFR flight plans are addressed as VFR i.e. to each FIR and to the individual airport(s).

And, like VFR, there is no acknowledgement.

I recall reading of a trip to South America where they had to do all this, and it was very random. You never knew if the FP did anything – short of phoning up the destination.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Sounds like a flying story from Franz Kafka — nobody ever told you why there was a problem and what was the problem…

172driver wrote:

I have flown a lot in this part of the world and it used to be, that Morocco needed 24h advance notice of a FPL.

That would be difficult with IFPS because flight plans only get disseminated 12h in advance. As a member of IPFZ, you can’t impose such special rules really.

Emmanuel wrote:

Flight plan (IFR) generated with autorouter and successfully filed with RR with an EOBT scheduled at 1000Z.

Here I have a spontaneous idea what to do next time…

boscomantico wrote:

In these cases, flightplan distribution (even IFR) is still a somwehat manual process. Probably some error was made at that time.

If at least one leg is in the IFPZ under IFR, you can use Eurocontrol to file and distribute the flight plan. However, for all VFR and non IFPZ portions of the flight plan, you have to perform the addressing and give a list of AFTN addresses to Eurocontrol. That’s not an easy job to do and every solution has gaps and errors in this area. autorouter is the only product that publishes its addressing rules in the open for everybody to verify and comment on.

Emmanuel wrote:

I was replied that I had to contact my company

When I was leaving Seville, I was a bit late to contact them (at about EOBT) since security took longer than expected. They too told me to contact my company. I told them in no uncertain terms that they should fix the problem themselves. Which in the end they did.

LSZK, Switzerland

According to the Morrocan AIP there is no oveflight permission reqired, but there are two AFTN addresses provided, where the FPL should be sent to (one is Casa FIR and the other their CAA, I think). I used RR when we flew there last and RR doesn’t include these addresses automatically. I added them manually and everything was fine. Maybe autorouter does it better. The Moroccan AIP is quite good to read. The one of neighboring Algeria is French only! BTW Algeria and Tunesia require permits.

Last Edited by terbang at 20 Jul 07:25
EDFM (Mannheim), Germany

When flying to Morocco this March I filed all flights via autorouter and manually addressed them according to their AIP. I did not run into any (flightplan-related) problems at all doing so.

First I added the two addresses from their Gen 1.2.:

4.1.2 Aircraft registered abroad in a member state of the ICAO:
A previous authorization is not required. However a flight
plan shall be submitted at least 06 Hours for IFR flights and
12 Hours for VFR flights prior departure of the aircraft from
abroad to:
- Air Transport Authority by AFTN (GMMRADTA) ;
- CASABLANCA ACC (GMMMZQZX);

Additionally I had to manually address the flightplan to all FIRs and TMAs I was passing through.
I did this by looking up their addressing rules at ENR 1.11 and then checked my routing against their Map of FIRs and TMAs at ENR 6.1.1..

This system worked for all airports involved, being Granada, Fez, Marrakesh and Seville.

EDNW, Germany

Thank you for all your comments.
And maybe a slight glance of an explanation with the adressee for the filing of the flight plan.
I don’t recall if RR send automatically the flight plan to the Moroccan authorities, but it sounds like it could be why Tetuan had no idea of my flight.
I didn’t have any problems with their Air Administration nor customs or police after the landing, so I don’t think I was illegal in some sort of way, or else I would be sending these emails from a jail.

I planned to fly to Essaouira on Friday, will keep you in touch for the follow up of the flight, and be sure that I’ll address manually the Moroccan FIR with RR.

LSGL
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