Up close with air traffic controllers at Dubai International Airport. Gulf News spends a day with air traffic controllers and discovers what it takes to ensure the safety of planes and passengers at Dubai International Airport. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00Dubai, today we are moving around 1,000, 1,100 movements per day, that's calculated in 24
00:13hours.
00:14While a couple of years ago, maybe not far away, we were moving around 700 to 800.
00:21We are progressing very well through this area.
00:23We are aiming around 30, 34 departures per hour.
00:29And we are aiming for 32 arrivals per hour.
00:34So that's the maximum capacity that we have.
00:36Hence, we are trying to improve this capacity as well, to have more departures and more
00:42arrivals as well.
00:46I give him the code, then we take a readback from him, which is obviously confirming that
00:52he gets all the information of the airfield, he gets to know what's the departure runway,
00:58what's the weather information, we all provide that to the pilot as well.
01:03All instructions that ATC give for a pilot requires a readback as well, to confirm that
01:10he copied or he did understand what we are telling him.
01:15Once we issue, ATC issue a taxi clearance, that means specific route on a taxiway, that
01:20the aircraft shall follow as well until it reaches the holding point.
01:26The holding point is the last point before the runway, before he commences entrance into
01:32the runway and take off.
01:33So the holding point is the last point of a taxiway before approaching any runway.
01:38From there, he will be cleared for takeoff basically, and he will depart normally.
01:44The controller will always look through the window, as this is his job to do.
01:49He needs to make sure that there is nothing permitting that aircraft from taking off.
01:54And after confirming that visually and by the equipment that we have as well, we clear
02:01that particular aircraft for takeoff, and we keep monitoring that aircraft while they
02:09take off as well, in case of different issues might happen.
02:15So we make sure from beginning, like the runway is clear, we clear him for takeoff, and we
02:20make sure that is clear from the preceding aircraft.
02:24We make sure as well that succeeding aircraft are not going to catch him.
02:28And as you know, there are a couple of other activities like helicopters we have here in
02:32Dubai, we have sea wing plane operating in the creek, and we have to keep an eye on this
02:39traffic as well to assure that the pilots are aware of what is going on.
02:45We provide the small aircraft with information about the aircraft departing from the airport,
02:52and the other way around, there will be no conflict, just for your info.
02:59In the air, we provide them with information, and we separate them from each other, or from
03:06any obstacle, like Burj Khalifa, let's say, it's very close to the airport, so we have
03:12to take them around, and the designated route is automatically taking them around the obstacles.
03:19We are just making sure that we are monitoring this traffic.
03:22There are published procedures they could follow immediately when they lose any contact
03:28or something, so mostly everything is under control, and there are very few occasions
03:37because they might have a secondary, and we have radar even will show the label that any
03:44object in the air, regardless if we have the label or not, but that will be as a primary,
03:52as a backup, we have the radar will show any object in the air, and our radar actually
03:59handling both airports to make sure that the aircraft departing out of charge and Dubai are safe.
04:08Visibility is totally something else, it's an abnormal situation that we have as well
04:13here at Dubai, and we are trying with that visibility example, like fog and low visibility,
04:18we call it, but at the moment, ATC personnel make sure that all his clearances for that
04:28specific aircraft is always at a safe and ordinary manner to continue.
04:33We always insist on safety, safety is our aim, and always that's what we aim for,
04:41safety number one.