Flights to the Canaries

amen

I'v been using FlightRadar the last few nights to track flights and I noticed a lot of flights from Ireland to the Canaries that seem to be over the Sea/Ocean for a long period of time.
Are these on ETOPS ?

PapaQuebec

amen wrote: »

I'v been using FlightRadar the last few nights to track flights and I noticed a lot of flights from Ireland to the Canaries that seem to be over the Sea/Ocean for a long period of time.
Are these on ETOPS ?

They are never far enough away from a suitable airfield for ETOPS to come into play

highlydebased

Ah, the good aul T9/T16

Tenger

amen wrote: »

Are these on ETOPS ?

No, but going out over the ocean lessens interaction with ATC and other traffic. So its makes everyones life a bit easier.

Carawaystick

looking at a flat map, from going feet wet off Ireland, the only land near a straight line route to the Canaries is Finisterre or Lisbon?

drdeadlift

highlydebased wrote: »

Ah, the good aul T9/T16

was either previously t5

amen

So whats T9/T16 or T5?

whats the requirements in terms of flight time to the nearest suitable airport?

irishbloke77

T9 and T16 are sort of air routes that go from positions about 200 miles south of cork to positions off Spain's coast. They are oceanic routes meaning that there is very little, often no, radar coverage. Separation between the airplanes is put in place by shanwick oceanic control for procedural separation. More space between the planes but a more direct route saving planes time, fuel money etc.

MoeJay

Google is your friend:

http://www.worldairops.com/NAT/docs/NAT_W_T9T16routes.pdf

Edit: just to say these routes only require 1 HF radio, not 2 as the link suggests. Also the routes themselves have changed, T16 now cuts across what used to be T14, and T14 no longer exists.