4. Tower
The section outlines the Standard Operating Procedures for Tower Operations at Kuwait International Airport (OKKK)
4.1 General Provisions
Aerodrome Control (ADC) is responsible for all aerodrome movements on runways and their associated taxiways and all operations within the Kuwait CTR below 2 000 ft. ADC shall also ensure separation between IFR aircraft that are arriving at and departing the aerodrome, as well as provide traffic information to VFR aircraft operating within the aerodrome control zone.
4.2 Preferential runway
The preferred runway configuration is 33 up to a tailwind of 5 knots.
Unless demand requires mixed operations, runway operations should remain segregated. Aircraft not parked on Terminal 1 or Terminal 4 may be assigned the runway with the shortest taxi for their apron.
4.3 Departure procedure
4.3.1 Line up clerances
A conditional clearance is a clearance issued by an air traffic controller which does not become effective until a specified condition has been satisfied. Conditional line up instructions must include the traffic that the aircraft is to follow, as well as the word “behind” at the beginning and end of the transmission. However, if the aircraft ahead is already well clear, a conditional clearance is not necessary.
Example:
"KAC243, BEHIND the Departing OMAN AIR A330, Line up and wait Runway 33L BEHIND."
4.3.2 Separation requirements
General
Aircraft shall be separated on departure in compliance with standard IFR departure wake turbulence separation requirements. Departures with the same flow point must be separated by at least 7 NM or the appropriate wake turbulence requirement, whichever is greater. A greater separation needs to be coordinated between the radar controller and ADC.
For separation of 7 NM, the proceeding traffic needs to be 3-4 NM away from the departure end of runway. If no radar screen is used, 2 minutes separation can be used in this case as well.
VFR aircraft may be instructed to maintain visual separation with preceding aircraft and given a take-off clearance if no wake turbulence separation minima exist.
LVP and IMC
During IMC or LVP, to ensure that the departing aircraft passes overhead the localizer before the inbound aircraft reaches 2 NM from touchdown, a departing aircraft must commence its take-off run before an arriving aircraft passes 5 NM from touchdown (not applicable when parallel approaches are in operation). Landing clearance must be issued no less than 2 NM from touchdown. The tower shall advise all arrivals to report 2 DME; if landing clearance cannot be issued before 2 DME, the aircraft must execute a missed approach.
4.3.3 IFR handoff procedure
Departing IFR aircraft shall be handed off to the Kuwait TMA controller or when offline to Kuwait Center instead. Aircraft shall be handed off when passing 800ft to ensure adequate time for a frequency change and avoid a level off on departure.
4.3.4 Stopping a departure
When an aircraft has commenced the take-off roll, and it is necessary for the aircraft to abandon take-off in order to avert a dangerous traffic situation, the aircraft should be instructed to stop immediately and the instruction and callsign repeated.
It must be noted though, that the instruction to stop must be given early enough such that the aircraft does not reach its decision speed. The stopping distance of the aircraft is also significant. Therefore, aerodrome controllers must be vigilant and remain aware of the location of traffic at all times as well as runway incursion hotspots.
Example:
"KAC687, Stop immediately, I say again stop immediately, Runway Incursion."
For aircraft that have been given a take-off clearance, but have not yet started the roll , they shall be instructed to hold position and the take-off clearance must be cancelled along with the reason.
Example:
"KAC687, HOLD POSITION, Cancel Take-Off, I say again Cancel Take-Off, Aircraft entering the runway".
4.4 Arrival Procedures
4.4.1 Separation Requirements
The radar controllers are responsible for establishing longitudinal separation between arrivals until touchdown. If they fall below the separation minima, ADC has to instruct the pilot to go around. In this case coordination with the responsible radar station is strongly recommended (via Topsky or verbally).
The minimum separation between two aircraft approaching the same runway is always 7 NM or wake turbulence separation, whichever is higher.
The minimum longitudinal separation between aircraft in approach sequence is 7 NM, increasing to 8 NM during single runway operations; and increasing during LVP.
The minimum longitudinal separation between aircraft on simultaneous dependent parallel approaches is 3 NM and increasing.
If it is apparent that minimum separation may not exist you may do so by applying a speed reduction in order to ensure separation.
Example:
"KAC687, Reduce to minimum approach speed".
Visual Separation
Aircraft may be instructed to maintain own separation visually, if speed control alone will not resolve the conflict. This shall only be done in VMC and in agreement with the pilot. If no other solutions are practical, the succeeding aircraft shall be instructed to go around.
4.4.2 Missed Approach
Instructions to carry out a missed approach may be given to avert an unsafe situation. When a missed approach is initiated, cockpit workload is inevitably high. Any transmissions to aircraft going around should be brief and kept to a minimum.
Once aircraft have acknowledged the instruction and are observed to be safely climbing away, they shall be handed off to the radar controller.
Example:
"KAC243, Climb to 5000 Feet via Standard Missed Approach, Contact Kuwait Approach 124.800".
4.4.3 Go-Around
In the event of a go-around with a simultaneous departure on the same runway in VMC conditions, the ADC controller shall take the following action:
- If the go-around traffic is within 5 NM of the landing threshold and there is a simultaneous departure, the go-around traffic shall continue on the standard missed approach procedure and the departure shall be instructed, after passing 1 000 ft, to turn left heading 330 for 33L; heading of 360 degrees for 33R; heading of 120 for 15L; a heading of 180 for 15R; and the departing aircraft may be given a climb restriction to ensure vertical separation
- If there are no simultaneous departures on the same runway or if the go-around traffic is further than 5 NM of the landing threshold, the go-around IFR traffic shall be instructed to climb to 5 000 ft and fly runway heading. Unless instructions are issued to the contrary, an aircraft on an instrument approach will carry out the missed approach procedure and an aircraft operating VFR will continue in the normal traffic circuit
In all cases, instructions for avoiding action shall be issued if there is a risk that the go-around aircraft will overtake the departing aircraft. Departures shall not be permitted to commence their take-off roll until separation with go-around traffic is assured.
During IMC or LVP, aircraft shall be instructed to climb 5 000 ft and to execute the standard missed approach and aircraft shall not be permitted to depart
| Runway | Go-Around Heading |
|---|---|
| 33L | 330° |
| 33R | 360° |
| 15L | 120° |
| 15R | 180° |
4.4.4 Arrival Taxi Procedure
For Runway 33L/15R and 33R/15L, after vacating the runway aircrafts will be instructed to hold short of taxiway W1 and E1 respectively and handed off to the SMC controller for further taxi to the stand.
Controller
"KAC123 Vacate W5, Hold Short W1."
It is important to not give an initial taxi on W1 or E1 as this is a single taxiway with movement in both directions.
4.5 Low-Visibility Procedures (LVP)
4.5.1 LVP Factors
The three stages of Low Visibility Procedures are:
| Factor | Preparation stage | In-force stage | Termination stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| RVR | 1 000 m or less | Less than 550 m | More than 550 m AND increasing |
| Reported Visibility | 1 200 m or less | 800 m or less | More than 800 m AND increasing |
| Cloud Base | Less than 400 ft | Less than 200 ft | More than 200 ft AND increasing |
4.5.2 Separation Requirements
Landing clearance must be issued no less than 2 NM from touchdown. The tower shall advise all arrivals to report 2 DME; if landing clearance cannot be issued before 2 DME, the aircraft must execute a missed approach.
The minimum longitudinal separation between aircraft in the approach sequence increases to 14 NM.
When simultaneous dependent parallel approaches are in operation, a minimum longitudinal separation of 6 NM shall be applied between any two flights landing on different runways.
A maximum of 3 aircraft may be in the approach sequence at a time, additional aircraft must be held. Traffic transferred to Tower do not count as being in the approach sequence.
Arriving aircraft should be given the easiest taxi route to allow them to clear the localizer-sensitive area expeditiously.
Landing clearance shall not be issued until:
- Preceding landing aircraft has vacated the localizer-sensitive area.
- Preceding departing aircraft is airborne and has passed over the localizer antenna (DER). (Not applicable when parallel approaches are in operation).
The Localizer Sensitive Area in front of an arriving aircraft shall not be infringed from the time it is 2 NM from the touchdown unit it has completed its landing roll.
During Take-off in CAT II/III condition, the Localizer Sensitive Area in front of a departure aircraft shall not be infringed from the time take-off clearance is issued until the aircraft has departed and passed over the departure end of the runway.