Pilots cautioned over terrain and weather effects during approach to new Hong Kong runway

Pilot representatives are urging crews to be particularly cautious when conducting approaches to Hong Kong’s new third runway, owing to potential weather effects and the proximity of terrain. The new runway 25R/07L is located to the north of the airport. Hong Kong’s previous northern runway has been redesignated as a centre runway, 25C/07C, and is being closed for reconfiguration work. NOTAM information from the airport informs pilots that the ILS approach from the east to the new 25R is a two-part process consisting of an area navigation transition and an ILS final segment. “This is due to proximity to terrain and possible glideslope interference by terrain,” says the international pilot federation IFALPA in a safety bulletin. It points out that Hong Kong’s highest peak – Tai Mo Shan, which rises to over 3,200ft – lies on the 25R approach path. The area navigation part of the procedure takes inbound aircraft just south of the peak, requiring them to maintain a mandatory 3,800ft over the nearby waypoint SAGNI, before descending to waypoint TOPUN at around 2,700ft, and crossing a point designated VH536 – situated shortly before the final approach point – at a required 1,800ft. But the federation cautions that pilots could find they are above the glideslope at SAGNI under certain meteorological conditions, particularly if temperatures are high and during tailwinds. “Conservative configuration may be required to achieve the published profile while avoiding [ground-proximity] warnings,” it states. The ILS approach commences from the waypoint TOPUN, from where glideslope integrity can be guaranteed.<br/>