Thunderstorm
Hi.
When there is thunderstorm at the arrival airport do you go in the holding pattern to wait the thunderstorm is moving away or you go at the alternate airport ?
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Hi.
When there is thunderstorm at the arrival airport do you go in the holding pattern to wait the thunderstorm is moving away or you go at the alternate airport ?
Comments
Information provided is based on a Part 121 operation for under which most regional carriers operate.
Thunderstorms approaching the field and or for storms that are over the field the crew needs to determine if they have adequate fuel to hold based on what their dispatch release has stipulated.
If holding is not an option due to inadequate fuel on-board allowing them to wait out the passage of the storm then proceeding to your planned or unplanned alternate would be the preferred decision.
If a destination alternate was not planned, which can also be the case whereby a thunderstorm cell may popup while en-route to the destination then upon determining that landing at the destination would not be feasible, then finding a suitable destination alternate (normally coordinated with your flight dispatcher) needs to be amended to the flight release based on remaining fuel on-board (Fuel to unplanned alternate and reserve fuel of 45 min), make a verbal/electronic (if using ACARS - not simulated in MJC Q400) amendment and then proceed as directed by ATC to the destination alternate.
If this flight happens to be operated under Part 91 rules then you would also need to ensure that the airport(s) that you are researching to land at meet the part 91 alternate minimum requirements
If the criteria cannot be met then either captain or flight dispatcher would declare a fuel emergency and land at the nearest suitable airport. In most cases here in the US there are many airports along a planned route where a suitable airport is usually within miles of landing based upon fuel on-board.
Depending on the route if the flight departs from a HUB where fuel is cheaper "tankering" is usually done whereby uplifting as much fuel as possible for the route to minimize buying fuel at the out-station where fuel is in most cases more expensive. When operating under these parameters fuel options allow for longer holding, and or even returning to the point of origin where the flight could be canceled and the passengers re-accommodated on a later flight if weather conditions are not improving, or getting a new crew to operate that may have more duty time to complete the round-trip or over-night.
Hope I did not confuse you with this long-winded explanation, but these are some of the things that have to be considered as part of pre-planning or as post planning while en-route when weather which we know is not an exact science, throws a curveball at us.
Cheers