Frankfurt, July 19 - A recent incident at Frankfurt Airport saw an All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, operating flight NH203 from Tokyo Haneda, denied landing clearance on July 3rd, compelling the crew to execute a missed approach. The primary reason for this directive was the airport's strict night curfew, which prohibits scheduled take-offs and landings between 23:00 and 05:00 local time. The aircraft found itself in a precarious situation, approaching the runway a mere 18 seconds before the 05:00 curfew was officially lifted.
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Frankfurt Airport, managed by Fraport AG, enforces one of Europe's most stringent night flight bans. This regulation is fundamentally designed to mitigate aircraft noise for residents during sleeping hours. On this particular occasion, the ANA Dreamliner, despite departing Tokyo three minutes behind its scheduled time, made up significant time due to favorable tailwinds during its nearly 14-hour journey. Its actual flight duration was 13 hours and 57 minutes, considerably faster than the scheduled 14 hours and 40 minutes. This efficient flight performance resulted in an early arrival at Frankfurt.
As the Boeing 787-9 neared Frankfurt, air traffic control (ATC) at Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS) attempted to manage its arrival by issuing speed reductions. However, with only a limited window of flexibility in speed adjustments – estimated at approximately 48 seconds for a 20-nautical-mile final approach – it proved insufficient to delay the aircraft's touchdown beyond the 05:00 threshold. Consequently, at precisely 04:59:42, just 18 seconds before the curfew was set to end, Frankfurt Tower transmitted the mandatory go-around command: “ALLNIPPON 203, GO AROUND.” This instruction is non-negotiable for flight crews, and the pilots promptly initiated the maneuver, sending the aircraft back into the airspace for a subsequent landing attempt.
The event, while adhering to the letter of the law, highlighted a paradox within the strict application of noise abatement regulations. The forced go-around resulted in several unintended consequences. It added an additional 16 minutes to the flight time, leading to an extra 1,900 kg of jet fuel being consumed and a corresponding increase in CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, the go-around maneuver itself generated elevated noise levels over Frankfurt, arguably negating the very purpose of the curfew in that moment. The incident also contributed to a heightened workload for the flight crew, already operating after a long-haul journey, and potentially caused unnecessary stress for passengers. This situation has prompted discussions within the aviation sector regarding the practicality and adaptability of such rigid curfews in a technologically advanced and dynamically operated environment. The availability of real-time estimated time of arrival (ETA) data to both ATC and flight crews underscores the potential for better coordination and anticipatory adjustments to avoid such scenarios. This incident serves as a prominent example of how a strict adherence to regulatory frameworks, while well-intentioned, can sometimes lead to outcomes that contradict their underlying objectives, emphasizing the need for a balance between stringent rules and operational flexibility in aviation.