ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, December 23, 2010 – Regional airline LIAT on Thursday said it is still awaiting an approved instrument approach in order to commence scheduled night operations into the Melville Hall Airport in Dominica.
LIAT’s Director of Flight Operations, Captain George Arthurton, noted that the Company has repeatedly emphasised that although it would like to commence scheduled night operations into Dominica as soon as possible, it is unable to do so until an instrument approach has been approved by the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA).
He explained that LIAT’s operating standards require that an instrument approach is available for scheduled night operations. The current ECCAA Phase One approval only permits visual approaches into Dominica at night.
Captain Arthurton noted that the introduction of scheduled night landings into Melville Hall would bring substantial benefits both to passengers and to LIAT by eliminating the need for Dominica-bound passengers to overnight in other islands due to sunset restrictions.
LIAT has submitted a request to the ECCAA for approval of a revised instrument approach so that the airline can commence scheduled night operations into Dominica during the current Phase One process. The Company is awaiting a formal response.
hotlier your comment is on target
Am on LIAT’s side and give them much credit to take “Safety” into consideration when it comes to landing at night in DOM. The instruments involved, waiting for approval from ECCAA, would be required; especially when the visibility due to fog and rain would guide them in many ways for safe landing. I would prefer to fly with LIAT into DOM than other carrier just because of their safety records. LIAT pilots have to meet certain requirements, and periodically have to be tested to keep
up with all these prosedures and skills. Remember the phrase “Better late than never”? I will take
my chances to fly with LIAT into DOM anytime they are satisfied with all aspects of night landing that enables them to land safely there. For those who talk about flying from the sea, it really depends on
the wind direction. How can one say that it’s illegal when they don’t know of the wind direction and speed which constantly changes. For others who keep insisting about an international airport for DOM, it will have to take many years of planning and consideration; especially where the hotel spaces are concerned. Don’t tell me that these will be built after, because, where would visitors stay when the jets from all over start flying in? I’ve seen all these massive buildings in the Portsmouth area. Tell me really what would happen if “ROSS” university moves out of Dominica (just an example). Many people who post messages (I think) just repeat what others say. I also give the goverment much credit for getting the first steps of the night landing issues on the move! When one is heading to DOM, their priority is to get there safely and asap. Overnighting costs money which can be spent in Dominica instead. There is too much bitterness among us Dominicans about LIAT and the government for no reason. Stop hating and try to help with suggestions instead of constant complains. Let’s move on and be proud of our achievements so far. It will continue to progress!!!
Most of the posts are confusing Instrument landing approval and Night Landing.
– Melville Hall is approved for Night Landing. But untill the instrument approach is approved, it can only be Visual approach . ECCAA will have to approve the instrument approach and the missed approach procedures for Runway 27 (From the sea).
– Winair most probably has in their operation manuals an approval (Internal company procedure approved by their Civil Aviation Authority) for night VISUAL (VFR) landing, when LIAT PROBABLY has only an internal procedure for Instrument approach at night. If such is the case, YES, WINAIR can land visual at night in Melville, and NO, LIAT cannot. LIAT has to wait for the instrument approach procedure to be approved by ECCAA.
Now, this being said :
– LIAT did not break any rule in landing at night a visual approach with its government passengers as it was an inaugural private flight, and not a scheduled commercial flight.
– Landing Runway 27 (from the sea) has never been forbidden . Controllers generally promote landing from the mountains to the sea but the contrary is perfectly legal. I do land most of the time from the sea as I do not mind the extra speed at touchdown as the runway slopes and is long enough.
– The missed approach procedure will give a decision height high and far enough to allow for a right turn and climb .
Now a few other comments :
– Night landing in Melville Hall is a great improvement for Dominica but will always be a tricky airport; Be it day or night.
If you were LIAT or Winair or whichever other airline, why would you rush to land at night at melville Hall? What is the advantage to them? None, only risk.
Example One: Weather is bad at melville hall at 8 PM and the aircraft cannot land. They do a missed approach, may be wait a bit and have to cancel the landing. They will go back to their home airport (Antigua) or to Pointe a Pitre and will consider the flight completed. Who are you going to blame ? To whom are you going to ask for payment of the hotel room? To LIAT or the company I guess. So why do you want them to take the risk ?
– A so called International airport would bring nothing good to Dominica.
Long range or Intercontinental airlines would only land there if sufficient traffic which is not the case today. If not, and if you want these flights, Government of Dominica will have to pay for the empty seats and will be bankrupt in a few months. St Lucia, Grenada and many other islands are facing this problem.
Aviation worldwide is now becoming a HUB operation. Large aircrafts fly to a HUB with sufficient passenger market and then smaller aircrafts fly to remote places. This is fine provided you can have a connection.
– This is why I think the best solution for Dominica is AIR DOMINICA national airline using small aircrafts flying to the major hubs at the best time of the day – or night – for the Dominican traveller.
This will solve the timetable problem, will solve the night landing problem, will bring proud of Dominica throughout the Caribbean, will give nice pilots, mecchanics, engineers jobs to Dominicans both on island and in the Caribbean diaspora.
But there will be a cost for that. Far less than maintaining an so called international airport, but still a cost to compensate for the operational loss each year.
A study has been completed accordingly and is currently being presented to government, investors, stakeholders…..
Are Dominican ready to pay for that option ? I do not know. That is the Question…..
Merry Christmas to you all
This is by far the most informative, logical, and sensible post I have read on this subject in the past hour. I look forward to far reduced need to overnight in ANU traveling from Jamaica or Cayman, central and western USA.
H Nizard comment is quite intelligent ; other people comments are more ” philosophical” ; their knowledges about piloting aircrafts seem to be very basic ones.
HN does not fully agree with me, as far as landing on rwy 27 and aborted landing are concerned, but I do accept his points of view.
I agree with him for the “decision height” procedure, but I was refering to something like … a loose cow wandering on the airstrip and that you may see at the last moment, when you are very low already …
Concerning international airport and “Air Dominica”, he is quite right also, but I think that LIAT ( whose DA is a shareholder I beleive) should fullfill this need, perhaps with some kind of financial contribution from the government .
I doubt that DA could invest and run a sustainable national airline : insufficient traffic
but an economical survey ( that should’nt be too optimistic ) could tell.
Herve, the most sensible comment I’ve read so far.Thank you for educating us. We should learn to live with realities and leave “pies in the sky” for others to eat!
I shake your hand. This has been my view all along.
Has Melville Hall Airport installed a revised instrument approach system. Sounds to me it like it is required for adverse weather conditions – heavy mist , rain etc. When will it be installed and how much will it cost.
This a reflection of our planing process in Dominica. We spent so much money only to be held up by essential and fundamental coponents needded for the intended operation of the airport. Square pegs in round hole from ministers to the PS to the project planners Architects, engineers etc.
After all we went through a big hoop la ceremony and we are still here at first base. Stupsssssssssssssssssss tan
I just don’t get it; what about instrument approach? Friends, we need to swallow our pride, put our party politics behind, call mistake by name and move on. The so called Mellvillehall project was wrong from day one and it does not matter whether liat schedules night flights or not that cannot make a silly dumb political mistake right. The plan to bring in night landing was not based on development but rather to try to proove UWP wrong in attempting to build an international airport. Folks, even if we get Liat to do night landing in Dominica do you think that is going to change anything? Do you think we will have flights coming in 24/7? Will that create employment? Will Liat or Wynair schedule flights from the USA or Europe to Dominica? That’s where we have the problem, not from the caribbean. We dumped millions of $$ on Melville hall and we just need to forget about it and concentrate on building an international airport which will create employment and bring a turn about in DA. In the 2000 elections, I was a DLP supporter and close friend of Rosie Douglas. The late PM back then saw the need for an international airport and even presented Shermain Green with a place he had in mind for the Airport. Workers bought land for that purpose, Freedom party identified a sport around Woodfordhill area for one. Not too long in 2010, Skerrit told the nation that we should have had night landing 30 yrs. ago and if we did, now he would be concentrating on an international airport. Earlier this Month, Blackmoore said that under UWP the country was broke and we could not get an International airport under James’ watch. My point is now we are better off under Skerrit according to DLP and since all parties have seen the need for an International Airport, my God, why are we not going for it? Why are they thinking about how it will be paid for while we continue to suffer and lost our young brilliant brains through migration. Folks, almost all small islands in the Easten Caribbean have their international Airport and it has helped all of them. The last time I checked, DA is still bigger than Bados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St, Kitts and you name it. Yes they might be more populated but bear in mind that Dominicans contribute significantly to their porpulation and ecconomy. Let’s put our politics behind and build an airport to compliment Windsor Park. Yes we can and yes, we should!!
Very good observation follower. Unless we get off this stupid train to nowhere and start thinking international airport we will remain stagnant. As you’ve mentioned islands like St Lucia , St Kitts , Grenada have left us behind and I guarantee you that the airport facilities have had much to do with the separation or the stagnation of our country.
The Melleville Hall so called upgrade will be one of our greatest embarassment. How can we claim an upgrade when right now passengers need to gather out side in the elements to go through security. In this day and age? After spending millions of dollars ? This is a joke a total embarassment. So much money spent to bring about night landing and we are struggling to procure the basic requirements for night landing – that is a joke too.
Please Folks leave the reasoning to the experts i.e Liat, Dominica Ministry of Comm and Works and ECCAA…..An instrument approach is one where if in the worst case scenario the pilots cannot see the runway it can safely land using on board instruments….Remember Winair is a Dutch resgistered carrier and its possible that they got approval from their aviation authority. So before you compare the 2 airlines think again. Also bear in mind Winair uses a De-havilland twin otter where as Liat operates Dash 8 aircraft. Restrictions vary from aircraft to aircraft….Just some food for thought..
Correction
– Winair use Jestreams
– LIAT are using both Twin Otters and Dash-8 in/out of Melville Hall
It are not the aircraft – LIATS Dash-8’s are certified as per our minister – it are the regulations pertaining to the airfield i.e. Melville Hall we have to comply with!!
i dont’ know where you got your info from but liat has not had twin otters for over 13 years. and liat does not operate twin otters into melvillhall. they had a codeshare arrangement with carib aviation who operated service on their behalf out of canefield.
Mouth of the North East.
You are right. I let the designation DH3 on the LIAT flight schedules confuse me for a moment. It stands for the DH8-300 series of course. Blame the festive season if you will but I should have known better. Mea culpa!
Are you aware that the DAsh-8 is manufactured by Dehavilland.
they also manufacture the twin otters
If the pilot cannot see the runway, he should abort the landing and fly to anothe destination.
That’s when instruments come into play!
Landing at Melville Hall at night is very RISKY because :
– landing the opposite way, i.e on rwy 27 ( coming from the sea ) means landing with the wind from behind and that is not recommended at all ; it requires a high landing speed to counteract the wind effect
– in case of aborted landing, you find yourself flying towards mountains in full darkness ( instruments cannot help ) and that is, of course, very dangerous and even prohibited by international safety rules
If some airlines ( and some passengers) want to take the chance, it’s OK ; but I can understand the reluctance of LIAT .
Naturally, accidents will not happen everyday ; but ….
All of you just hating on de PM and Blackmore. So what if dem people make a little mistake in their announcement? We all intentionally make mistakes and hope people will give us a chance. In Dominica we no is so it it. We is a mistake country.
Passion must never supplant cold hard facts. This was not a little mistake. This was a lie. I have flown in and out of Melville Hall. Night landing is a bad idea because of where the airport is located and the mountains to the east. I love Dominica dearly, but the facts are the facts.
It can happen
Folks for most of you who dont know,let me just make known some fact………when you are approching an airport to land their are different system to aid in a smooth and safe landing.For small aircraft like those of winair they dont necessary requier an instrumnet landing system to land.They more depend on a visual landing system in which a pilot with aid of an approch lighting system if their is one and instrument in the cockpit to guile and line up the aircraft with the airport center line.Liat on the other hand which is much bigger than those winair aircraft prefer to use both visual and instrument approch or they opperate under instrument approch rules.Landing with the aid of an instrument approch is part of the requirement and standard of liat.When liat test its night landing at melville hall it did so via visual approch….So yes liat can land at melville hall at nights,but its because of their safty standards why they donot want to land at nights.Your government need to make sure that the instrument approch system at melville hall is fully functional and up to standard.
Well,well,well. You mean i still have to overnight in Antigua.
Liat is full of crap,they have there system set up so that dominicans could stayover in antigua.I have experience it ,they steal your clothes,shoes,liquor etc then they want you to overnight in there gutter island.Dominica will still move forward,why is winair landing come on.I have landed on worst airstrips so our airport is just fine for what i have seen recently.
what does liat have to do with the instrumnet approach and it not approved yet? blame your government for poor planning and forsight. they are the ones lying to you every chance they got. liat had 2 meetings with them and bother times liat told them in no uncertain terms they wont opperate scheduled night flights into dominica till they have an approved instrument approach. it was up to the government to ensure that this was done. its almost 4 months from since the first meeting and 2 months since the second meeting. both times liat said no way hosey yet blackmore and skerrit still went on radio and said they met liats concerns.
a bunch of liars
Can we spell LIAT like WIN AIR…WHICH LETTERS DO I KEEP
Come on people, we know now that Winair is operating night flights into Melville Hall. So if Winair can why not Liat?
Is the problem with the airport, the ECCA, or LIAT? Thanks to Winair I no longer have to overnight in Antigua when returning from Jamaica. Well, if LIAT gets on board I will even have a choice from Antigua after getting off Caribbean Airlines (new Beewee) from Jamaica. I will come in even at midnight once the pilot is in the cockpit and heading for runway 09!
Ok I’m confused. I’ve been seeing, from the Melville Hall arrival itinerary posted on DNO, WINAIR flight WM 7207 landing at 7:05 PM. Unless if I’m mistaken, I know it is dark in Dominica at that time, especially at that time of the year. So, unless if Flight WM 7207 is a helicopter, why are some people still saying there is no night landing going on in Dominica?
Aye, some of you can really talk sh&* eh, ofcourse nite landing is taking place…i am from the Northeast and see the WINAIR flight coming in mostly every evening, usually after 8pm….
TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 27, FROM THE SEA IS PROHIBITED… THIS HAS BEEN SO FROM THE INCEPTION OF MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT. THE PILOTS OF LIAT TAKE THE RISK WITH PASSANGERS OVER THE PASS YEARS BY LANDING FROM THE SEA, BUT THIS IS PROHIBITED.
MORNE DIABLOTIN IS ABOUT 5000FT HIGH THICK IS GIANT TREES, HIGH ROTOR MOVING WINDS FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN TO ITS BASE. THERE ARE LOW LEVEL LYING CLOUDS WHICH MAKES VISIBLITY POOR. COUPLED WITH A HIGH RAINFALL LEVEL AND FOGGY CONDITIONS.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN AIRPORT FACILITY DIRECTTLY FOR MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT…
NEVER SEEN ANY AERONAUTIC PUBLICATION DETAILING THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR RUNWAY 27 AND 09
PLEASE MAKE THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES AVAILABLE FOR BOTH RUNWAYS,,,ITS PUBLIC INFORMATION
WHERE ARE THE APPROACH AND DEPARTURE PLATES FOR RUNWAY 27 AND 09 AT MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT?????????????
WHAT ARE THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR THE RUNWAYS HON. BLACKMORE??????????????
1.”THE PILOTS OF LIAT TAKE THE RISK WITH PASSANGERS OVER THE PASS YEARS BY LANDING FROM THE SEA, BUT THIS IS PROHIBITED” ????
You should get your facts straight!!
2. “NEVER SEEN ANY AERONAUTIC PUBLICATION DETAILING THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR RUNWAY 27 AND 09”
You never tried to get any otherwise you would know that a “MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR RUNWAY 27” exist!!
I AM OF THE OPINION THAT YOU ARE MORE OF A RETARD THAN ANYONE ELSE YOU FOOL…..
WHY DONT YOU SHUT YOUR A_ _ . I AM A PRIVATE PILOT SO I KNOW WHAT THE HELL AM TALKING ABOUT…
TRUE JACK A…… WHY DONT YOU PEOPLE LET EVERYONE VIEWS BE MADE AND NOT GET UP IN OTHERS FACE…….
IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO GET AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT,,,
I FLOWN MY CESSNA 172 TO MELVILLE HALL SOME YEARS AGO AND THERE WAS WORK BEING DONE AROUND THE AIRPORT RUNWAY AND I WAS ONLY NOTIFIED OF THIS BY THE CONTROLLER WHILE AM APPROACHING THE TRAFFIC PARTERN AT ABOUT 2000FT…
THIS MY FRIENDS IS WRONG……. NO NOTAMS …. ALTHOUGHT I CALLED THE AIRPORT AND ASK BEFORE I FLOWN IN…
produce evidence that its illegal for liat to land at 27 cuz i’m a 7 year pilot with liat and you seem like a just come out of flight school. are you really listening to your thoughts or reading what you write? if there were no miss approaches for either runway do you think the FAA would permit AMERICAN to land in Dominica?
now whos trying to fool who here?
as for you kkk the areonautical staff at the melvillehall tower do send out notams daily and if their system is down they convey that to ANU PTP AND FDF. in case you didn’t know all traffic into dom have to transit the airspace of eithe guadeloupe or martinique hence they informing these guys that they can pass on the info.
seems what winair is doing in a breach of standard light landing rules….
interesting maybe safety is not a high priority by winair and they maybe he trying to be a hero with live souls on board……
folks should remember the issue of the small airline which came had that fatal incident at melville hall where souls perished and the issue with insurance and other regulations and compensations etc with regards to legal aspects were a major issue as the airline not having nesscary insurance coverage by avaition standards world wide………folks need to be smart!
it must be quite clear to the travelling public tha safety is paramount in the avaition industry and be well informed when taking and doing travel plans..
we must be alway be alert and have our thinking caps on when looking at options the two other airlines LIAT and AA have top industry safety standards etc….
so something definetly seems fishy around with one carrier smaller equipement not regarding high end night landing safety modules…….interesting…………….time will be the teller!!
They are stretching the joke too far now.
Mr. PM talk to us, Night landing or day landing?
TAKEOFF FROM RUMWAY 27 IS PROHIBITED THAT HAVE BEEN THE FROM THE TIME THE AIRPORT WAS SET UP… BUT THE LIAT PILOTS TAKE THE RISK OVER THE YEARS TO LAND FROM THE SEA. A RISK WITH PEOPLES LIVES… AND THATS A FACT
MORNE DIABLOTIN IS 5000 FEET IN ELEVATION AT THE END OF RUNWAY 27… THIS MOUNTAIN IS HIGH, HAS A DENSE VEGETATION,TALL TREES AND THE CLOUD LEVEL IS VERY LOW.
MOST TIME OF THE DAY AND YEAR DUE TO THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS THERE, AT MORNE DIABLOTIN, IS ALOT OF RAINFALL AND ROTOR DOWNWARDS HIGH VELOCITY WINDS MOVING FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN TO ITS BASE.
IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY ON APPROACH FORM THE SEA ( RUNWAY 27) AND THE PILOTS HAS TO PERFORM A MISS APPROACH FROM RUNWAY 27 THIS IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY RISKY..
THE MOUNTAIN IS TO HIGH IN ELEVATION JUST IN CASE ONE ENGINE OF AN AIRPLANE FAILS ON A MISSED APPROACH.
I AM AN AVIATION ENTHUSIAST, AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY PUBLISH MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR ANYONE OF THE RUNWAYS AT MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT..
PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY,,,,, PLEASE MAKE PUBLIC THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES FOR BOTH RUNWAYS AT MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT….
YOU FORGOT THAT MORNE DIABLOTIN INCREASES IN ELEVATION VERY STEEPLY…
ON A MISS APPROACH PROCEDURE FROM THE SEA PILOTS CANNOT TURN LEFT WHEN THEY ARE CLIMBLING THEY WILL END UP IN THE MOUNTAIN.
ON A MISS APPROACH PROCEDURE FORM THE SEA;;;;;;;;;;
THE PILOTS HAVE TO CLIMB AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TURN TO THE RIGHT HOPEING THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO MISS FLYING INTO MORNE DIABLOTIN….. WHAT ABOUT IF THE PILOTS DONT HAVE ENOUGH ENGINE POWER ??????????? WHAT ABOUT IF ONE ENGINE FAILS WHILE PERFORMING A MISS APPROACH????? WHERE WILL THE PLANE END UP?????
all procedures are public. ask for them before you talk
ANTIGUA IS RIGHT YOU IDIOT…………
HE DONT HAVE TO ASK THE AUTHORITIES FOR THE MISS APPROACH PROCEDURES….
IT SHOULD BE PUBLISH .. ONE SUPPOSE TO GO ONLINE AND ACCESS THE PLATES FOR MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT .. THIS IS NOT THE CASE…. I LIVE OVERSEAS AND AM TRYING TO FIND THE APPROACH AND MISS APPROACH PLATES FOR MELVILLE AIRPORT AND ITS NOW WHERE TO BE FOUND…
I CAN PICK UP/LOOK UP THE APPROACH AND DEPARTURE PLATES FOR ANY AIRPORT IN THE US FROM MY HOME…
SO STOP BEING A FOOL….
YOU DONT HAVE TO ASK YOU IDIOT,,, IT SUPPOSE TO BE AVAILABLE IN AERONAUTICAL PUBLICATIONS AND EVEN POSTED ONLINE……
THE PROCEDURES SUPPOSED TO BE ACESSIBLE WITHOUT ASKING YOU IDIOT……
DO PILOTS GO AROUND ASKING FOR THE PLATES FOR AIRPORTS IN THE US ????? THE PLATES CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AND IN AREONAUTICAL PUBLICATIONS… LIKE THE AFD AND STANDARD PLATES PUBLICATIONS
(A0970/10 NOTAMN
Q)TTZP/QPIXX/I/BO/A/000/999/1533N06118W005
A)TDPD B)1009081000 C)PERM
E)PILOTS OF IFR AIRCRAFT INTENDING TO LAND AT TDPD
ARE REMINDED THAT THE AIRSPACE BETWEEN THE BASE OF
THE CONTROL AIRSPACE OF THE POINT A PITRE TMA (3000FT)
AND THE DOMINICA AERODROME TRAFFIC ZONE (SFC/2000,2NM RADIUS)
IS UNCONTROLLED.THEREFORE,LE RAIZET APP WILL NOT ISSUE
AN ACTUAL CLEARANCE TO CONDUCT EITHER A VISUAL APPROACH
OR AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE. ATC PROCEDURE
SHALL,HOWEVER SEVERELY RESTRICT/PROHIBIT DEPARTURES
FROM MELVILLE HALL DURING IFR APPROACH OPERATIONS,
DUE TO THE RECIPROCAL TRACK SITUATION.)
I seriously wish that airport burn flat down to ashes. Sorry to sound harsh but I’m really fed up with the idiotic, crap that’s going on in Dominica. We are really going to the next Level. After spending all that $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on an airport, I’m not even mentioning night landing cannot commence as yet, just check how the airport front to back and down side up. Where in the world in any airport you have to come from inside to pass outside, lining up on the corridor to enter the departure lounge. Canefield airport allot much better in terms of the departure procedure. Sometimes I really do wonder where the Dominican engineers took their schooling. It must be in a foul pen. Ants would have done a better job with the airport.
I agree. While leaving home this past summer after my vacation was over, I was shocked to learn that I had to walk outside, in order to enter the departure lounge. But that’s how we do things in Dominica. Unfortunately, you can’t point that out to anyone.
Big lie…there we go again…Dominicans please wake up!!
How much did the airport renovation cost? and how long did it take? So didn’t the government authorities consulted with the ECCAA, in other to know the requirements of night landing. & I know that we have capable persons on the island that can give some advice, but as the saying goes, a king is never honored in his own country.
To many vague answers I am of the firm belief that an ivestigation into that whole project should commence. All over the world where there is airport improvement or renovation, they are are improving to increase passenger capacity, we are still trying to land at night. This shouldn’t be a POLITICAL ISSUE but a NATIONAL ISSUE. Everybody will benefit, Everybody.
It’s high time we as DOMINICANS get off our HIGH END and get NATIONAL ISSUES ADDRESSED.
If liat as the premiere regional airline, is waiting on approval for comercial night landing, well what about the other small airlines that are looking forward to do the same operations? SAFETY.
DNO, I think that some hard questions need to be ask about this whole NIGHT LANDING ISSUES. It is affecting the whole country. It is a struggle to get in or out of the country during peak travel times. Trust me I know because i’ve experienced it.
ALAS TJE(HEART) MWEN CA FHEW MWEW MAL.
LIAT has very poor customer relations. I quit flying them.
But you not accustom of flying. Only if is on broomstick you flying.
Soucouyant, leave Liat alone
One step closer to night landing. God Bless Dominica and LIAT.
My problem is if LIAT is not scheduling flights due to their stated reasons why then is winair allowed to operate. I mean God forbid you mean that one little mishap can cause us to lose the whole deal. The airport management should hold off Winair until such time. This beating of chest can land us in serious trouble. Despite what may be said night landing will be a bonus. We may not make a lot of money on it cause there may not be a greater demand for the destination but at least if not everynight but it can work. But I believe we should wait.
The government should stop reacting to the opposition and do the right thing. GET THE ALL CLEAR. The big hoopla about night landing will come and go but our reputation will last forever. I mean the head honcho of DASPA on an early flight in the other day was accusing LIAT OF sabotaging the government and while the Blackmore is saying night landing is coming the head of LIAT in Dominica is saying that the minister just saying what he wants. This night landing should be done not to gloat but to advance our development.
what skerro do he well do ..oh!oh! he 18-3 weee,wa hell night landin.we like it sow.
Empty vessels do make the loudest noise. Educate yourseves before you speak. There is a 7 pm & 8pm flight to Dominica.LIAT requirea little more but they are more than eager to follow in the footsteps of winair
Were Dominicans fooled again by Skerritt and his inefficient, TAKING-DOMINICANS-FOR- A-TREACHEROUS-RIDE DLP GOVT., in believing that everything was in place to commence Night landing at Melville Hall? Did LIAT fool the people of Dominica by conniving with Skerritt and his ROGUE DLP Govt. by participating in that inaugural Night landing flight? Some people were FOOLED, but not ALL the people. Many Dominicans could see right through their usual TRICKERY.
What PYRRHIC (Short-lived) BRAVADO. Govt. and DLP operatives BOASTED. They screamed HOORAY for days. Govt.just took our money from the Treasury without asking us, without telling us how much the trip would cost and gave their friends and supporters FREE Plane RIDE. That money could start a much needed PROJECT for some youth for sure. Total nonsense and a waste of people’s hard earned dollars.
LIAT and those others involved in that TRAVESTY, did something ILLEGAL by putting PEOPLE’S LIVES AT RISK. They knew, they knew, they knew that the APPROVED INSTRUMENT APPROACH was not in place and nothing like that was APPROVED BY THE ECCAA. Yet LIAT conducted that irresponsible flight. They and party colleagues had the guts to give Skerritt and his Govt. praise at the time. For what? For LURING LIAT into that ILLEGAL INAUGURAL FLIGHT without approval of the necessary instrument approach. Those who risked their lives and went on that flight were being used as GUINEA PIGS.
Dominicans, even the Head of STATE, President Liverpool fell for that CRAP, showing his covert PARTISAN leanings. The PENTECOSTAL PASTOR was also on that flight, praying with eyes closed from the time he boarded until the plane landed, SCARED LIKE HELL, expressing his nonsensical support for that illegal trip.
Skerritt, using his psychology and cunning ways on all of them, was playing it SAFE on the GROUND while those BLIND supporters were foolishly putting their LIVES at RISK. Now LIAT is revealing that its OPERATING STANDARDS REQUIRE that AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH IS necessary and IT IS STILL AWAITING FOR THAT APPROVED INSTRUMENT APPROACH by ECCAA for SCHEDULED NIGHT LANDING into Melville Hall AIRPORT. Mentally ENSLAVED all over again.
No more I reas these comments, the more I realise ppl can’t read and understand, hear but don’t listen.
It doesn’t make sense to me.
Does each airline wait for approval from the ECCAA or once approval is given, it is given to all?
Correct me if i am wrong, but i understand Winair has started night landing into Dominica. So they are probably doing that illegally.
This is somewhat confusing.
Somebody, anybody please enlighten me.
winair dosn’t fly under ECCAA rules its a dutch registered company. just as American can’t land from the sea cuz they fly under FAA rules and the FAA forbids landing from the sea.
I think Kamala should have a talk with liat because that news just put smelly egg on her face she put blackmore on her top ten because of night landing as a mover and shaker. I dont know what he move or shake but it was not liat them man still sleeping. What a set of jokers giving and taking praise for incomplete unreliable work
flip flop continues about night landing. there was a party on sep 20th to ausher night landing into Dominican.THEN LIAT say it will not land because of ??????????????????, what was the fan fair about?,” no lie can live for ever”, hence the truth is out and as usual we fooled the people obce again.Dominica i love with A PASSION.
No two way landing and take off no night landing for passanger air craft, that is the requirements dont be fooled, after all the big celebrations you mean nothing has nappen the only that landed in Dominica at night is a fire fly
I thought we had night landing almost 6 months ago, so did liat start it in the first place knowing fully well they wasn’t going to continued with it unless proper things put in place, i guess you all was helping liar Skerrit to save his behind but it will reflect on everyone of you who have Dominica in such a mess continued with you all stupidness only time will tell.
no my dear liat conducted its test flights in august and immediately following informed they aviation minister who was present on the airport that night that the ECCAA would have to approved the instrument approach and have it published before they would commence night operations into dominica. currently liat only do night take offs and melvillehall but once sunset time has come then they don’t operate into dominica.the ECCAA also had some concerns which 95 % of those have already been met. on every occassion that the government met with liat following those test flights liat has conveyed that to them,yet the come on radio saying the optimistic or they have met and satisfied all of liats concerns. currently guadeloupe offer them vector approach until they get to 3000 feet then theyre on their own.. in the interest of safty liat has chosen to hold back until such time the instrument approach have been approved.
But I thought they were sorting out all these issues with LIAT. Rayburn and Skerrit made statements that seem to indicate they were getting everything in place to facilitate night landing by year’s end.
Why don’t they make a firm determination as to what is required, and get a commitment from LIAT that they will commence service by a certain date once this is in place. Then the government needs to make sure they meet their end of the agreement and hold LIAT to their end of aslo.
These statements which have now been proven to be meaningless are making everybody look bad.
“LIAT has submitted a request to the ECCAA for approval of a revised instrument approach so that the airline can commence scheduled night operations into Dominica during the current Phase One process. The Company is awaiting a formal response.”
Two phrases in the above paragraph concern us. Could somebody explain what the term “Phase One process” means, in so far as securing night landing status for Melville Hall is concerned?
The next clause that we take issue with is: “revised instrument approach.” Again, what does this mean?
We hope this last does not imply a lowing of the standards and requirements for night landing systems and protocols, because is Dominica.
If anything, we should not seek to rush night landing into Melville Hall, for reasons that we all know too well.
Some have all sorts of criticisms about the new circumstance for aviation in the Nature Isle. We see it as a necessary turn of events along the whole issue of development, though we do have our questions.
We call on the authorities, Minister Blackmore, in particular, to not seek to cut corners only for government to fulfill some election promise. But to hold the line so as to ensure that, as you once stated, “The safety [and security] of Dominicans is not compromised.”
For Dominica, especially (and we all know why) night landing systems and protocols should be as transparent, stringent and as full-proof as can be.
no my dear liat is not staified with the current due to its safety record and wants something that can allow them to land safely or if they have to do a miss approach for what ever reason that the pilot has enough time to do so. currently the one in place in liats veiw dosn’t meet that.
remember i told you guys that not all was in place as liat was still awaiting ECCAA approval of the approach before liat starts night operations in dominica and that the government was aware cuz it was mentioned to them yet they tried fooling the public into beleiving that all requirements were satisfied.
I can not make sense of this. On Monday 20 Sept, 2010 Kamala Jno. Baptiste-Aaron reported for G.I.S: ” LIAT conducted inaugural night flights into Melville Hall on Monday night, officially commissioning night landing into Dominica” giving Mr. Skerrit most of the credit:”Hon. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who was instrumental in securing the new facilities for Dominica”. Then it took a subsequent visit by Mr. Skerrit to Antigua, in Nov. for direct discussions with LIAT with the aim to get these services started for real, as reported by Caricom News on 15 Nov., 20 that, “following a meeting with LIAT the previous week mr. Skerrit was optimistic that this service would start by year end”. Well, year end will be with us in exactly one week and yet we are told by the very same LIAT that we are still not approved for them to commence commercial night flights.
What is the real hold up? Is it financing- are the E.U. no longer forthcoming with funds for this final phase?Unavailability of equipment?No suitably skilled people available locally to install/calibrate the
necessary equipment?
This is becoming an embarrassment to all of us and too important an issue to be used for scoring political points. Please, let’s clear the air and get some reliable information, good or bad, let’s have it!
There continues to be a pattern of mis-speak and misleading statements coming out of government releases and out of the mouths of government officials. Unfortunately, there are too many of us who are willing to sacrifice our own integrity in order to ensure that this pattern continues. For this we should be ashamed.
Although, your intentions is needed in Dominica the current atmosphere in our country does not allow for educated debate. The reason is that, everyone is so aprehensive about anyone asking questions that they de-construct the intent in the comments to make negative comments. However, to answer your questions from an Engineering point of view is that the plans for the rehab of the airport would have to be approved by some government agency and possible a regional authority giving this is an aviation project. Therefore, I suggest that the details on the plans/specification book/Contract be made available because they would provide information about the scope of work which would include the approved instrument for the approach. If this information was not included, then we go short changed given the cost of the project would be inclusive of this equipment. The Minister for Public Works can do a lot to clarify this situation
Great question. However, I believe that your questions were already answered by the simple fact that LIAT will not land at Melville Hall at night, because of safety concerns and the failure of these upgrades to meet ECCA regulations for take off and landing procedures at night.
I’m not sure where the break down occured but, this is typical Dominica. Roads are buit with no drainage in an island that receives well over 200 inches of rainfall annually. And the list goes on and on.
Unless we have an entirely new airport, we will continue to experience these draw backs in Dominica.
Even if liat joins Wynair in scheduling night landing for Melvillehall, I still cannot see how that will help us. yes, we might have one or two extra flights a day, but how is that going to help our ecconomy? How will it help in creating employment? Is that going to be enough to keep the airport open 24/7? This administration has dumped millions of dollars on this project I cannot see how the country will get better as a result. The problem with us is leaving America and Europe where one can get a reasonable ticket to St. Lucia, BGI or Antigua. Since international airlines cannot fly to Dominica, we have and will continue to have a major problem in competing. For example, today you could get a round trip ticket from Miami to St. Lucia for $488.00 returning on Dec. 30. However, using exact dates to Dominica, the ticket is $1143.00. This is the problem we have. The Pm said that in 2011 he wants to put emphasis on Education and Health which I do not have a problem with, but unless something is done to get those educated folks a job when they return from University, education will just be a waiste. As good as Education is, unless persons can get a job they will stay in the USA or England where they stand a chance of getting a job. Don’t forget Cuba has a high level of trained and educated people but because they cannot get jobs in Cuba and off course Castro, they risk their lives on the boat to get to the USA. We need to put all politics behind and work on building an international Airport which will create employment for educated folks, farmers, hoteliers ect. and forget about how and who will pay for it. It will be paid for just as it is being paid for in Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados islands that are much smaller than DA. Some of them are more populated than us but when you look at it, Dominicans contribute significantly to their population and ecconomy.
DIDN’T I READ AN ARTICLE SOMETIME AGO WHERE MR BLACKMOORE SAID THAT THEY HAD MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS, LIAT WAS SATISFIED AND NIGHT LANDING WILL BEGIN QUITE SOON? WELL SAH!
yeah give them man what they need so our peeps can land in the night without overstaying,,,but that initiative was always a backward step,,,cause what we need for the longest while is an int’l airport,,,i know others will jump n say we don’t need it or we can’t afford it,,,hhhmmmm well is a good thing my malaway parents never said they couldn’t afford me higher education,,,,they took a chance n it pay off,,,so that’s my point,,,,how long we in d.a will keep on saying we can’t afford it,,,that lame duck excuse have been used countless times in the past n really its getting old right now,,,,
Well WinAir already has scheduled night flights landing at Melville Hall as late as 8.45pm and up to last night LIAT flights were landing after sunset and taking off using the lights, so I suppose that it will not be too long before LIAT follows WinAir.
Shame, shame, shame,
I will never go to Mexico no more, more, more,
There’s a big fat policeman at the door. door, door…
The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation authority (ECCAA) must be aware that there is an island called The Commonwealth of Dominica (commonly referred to as Dominica or DOM for LIAT)located between the French overesas departments of Guadeloupe (to the north) and Martinique (to the south) and that this island’s Melville Hall Airport was recently upgraded to accommodate night landing and that they having approved visual approached to landing for LIAT flights must now approve instrumental approaches to facilitate night flights into the island. So is not LIAT holding back the night landing but the ECCAA. Mr. Prime MInister get on your phone and demand these people approve the instrumental approach so we could see more night flights into Dominica. My hotel empty
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAABBBBOOOOOOOOOOOURRRRRRRRR POWEER NEXTTTTTTTT LEVVEL;ELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…..WINAIR LANDING…ALLU TAKE OU 27000 TO MAKE A NIGHT LANDING ALLU CANNNOT COME FOR FREE……………….NOW TO MAKE ALLU MONEY………..SKKKKKKKERRRRRRRRIT IS GOOOOOOOODDDDD
Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA).lets get this roling make it easier for LIAT and Dominica.
LIAT and the ECCAA should have an idea or know full well whether this approval can be granted. Let us hope that neither entity will put safety and the lives of Dominicans and visitors alike second to political pressure.