My flight could not land in the Cuenca Airport, ¿becauseé Sometimes airplanes cannot land in the Marshal La Mar? I tell you in this post. Photo La Voz de Tomebamba
This topic is not new, He has been hearing it quite a lot. I remember some 9 añI want a Airbus A319 from Tame Do not landó on Cuenca While ahí lilíA and deviateó a Guayaquil, At that time social networks are not now, But the same was done algún noise due to discomfort, especially because some políTicos were on that flight.
After second attempt flight from #Tame #Quito #Cuenca It fails to land. pic.twitter.com/vvohia3FjY
— Nicolás Larenas ✈️ (@n_larenas) February 22, 2016
At that moment, This blog aún no existía, but yesí informé In my Twitter account on that situationón and alsoén I remember what time afterés some passengers «They took an avión de Tame» because this could not land in Cuenca, This in 2017. As you can see, It is not new, but in the úlast díso this topic was repeatedó and with meáS force thanks to the reach of networks and interventionón of local local authorities.
For this reason and in order to clarify from the téCnico and No Político the causes of these «Do not land» I have created this publicationón so that the entire citizeníto know and understand the reason, that is very simple: SECURITY. Understanding that not getting to your destiny is a great discomfort and affects our plans, máS Now that Cuenca is the fashion city and está growing a lotíSimo in tourism and flight frequencies, But it is better not to put the operations at risk at riskéreas.
¿Becauseé Some flights cannot land in Cuenca?
To have aún máS context, We must understand that the Cuenca Airport It is not a terminal toérea más, común o normal. This airport is known for its complexity for the operationón due to two main factors: height and short track of barely 1.898 meters long.
As reference, the new Quito airport have 4.098 meters long, so they already imagine that with a track así short in Cuenca and that additionally, It does not have security areas at the ends known as Resa (Runway End Safety Area) and be to 2.532 meters above sea level, su operationón is very complex and limited, Therefore there are also no direct international flights.
As part of our history we must remember what happenedó with the embraer accident 190 de Tame What landsó in wet track conditions, saliéNanding his límites and staying meters from a tragedy, ¿It is understood así The risk of landing in Cuenca under some conditions?
It is so complex, That this airport has the conditionón of «the soil takesán», which means that only the pilot sitting to the left of the avión, with greater range and más Cabin experience is the one that can land. As a reference and to see how tight this airport is, I leave this video that I made 15 añin a Airbus A320 of Tame:
However, It has been said a lot that only an airlineíNea is the one that cannot land. They literally say: My Avianca flight does not landó while the latam, sí. Hereí It is important to clarify that this situationón of not landing can happen to any airlineínea y así as happens to a, spaghettién has happened to the other, but ¿becauseé?
Cuenca Airport: Short track, high and can rain
In one díto sunny, At least there is low visibility, We will never see an avión deviate to the alternate that is generally Guayaquil for the nearbyía, since the track conditions are good and mainly, Eastá seca. This conditionón allows a correct braking efficacy based on the speed and weight of the aircraft added passengers, Load and Avi's ownón.
But, hornbeamán díso that the conditions are notán the óPetimas and we will have known conditions in aviationón as track Húmeda, wet track or «Contaminated track», which means that there are materials or substances outside the track like ice, Snow and in the case of Marshal La Mar, water and many times so much water that puddles are generated (Evacuation problems are knownóN water on this track) And this are not safe conditions of operationón.
When it rains in Cuenca (something we are all happy for the subjectéelectric), the aerosolsíNeas begin to perform complexes Cálulles to review if I couldán land safely within the pairámeters specíFicos for your Avi modelón. And hereí It is worth differentiating that between the two úaerol nicasíNeas that fly between Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca There are two models:
- Avianca Ecuador: Airbus A320
- LATAM Ecuador: Airbus A319
You sayán, It is the same, but no. Between one A319 and a A320 There are big differences in TamañO, Weight and capacity:
- Airbus A319:
- passengers: until 160 passengers,
- Length: 33.84 meters
- Pesos máXimo landing: 62.5 tons
- Airbus A329:
- passengers: until 195 passengers,
- Length: 37.57 meters
- Pesos máXimo landing: 66 tons
How can you see the Airbus A320 that uses Avianca It has a greater capacity of passengers in your case 180, es 3.73 metros máS long and has 3.5 tons más of weight. These are the key values, that although «They are just 3.5 tons» As for the speed and track required to stop are the key to having the reason whyé They land or not.
With these differences and for each flight we see in the air, Each of the airplanes needs to needá más or less track and dependá of many factors that are analyzed before and during the flight that can change in questionón of minutes such as intensity and directionón of the wind, braking efficacy, characteríavi staticsón, total weight of the aircraft and others.
Then, sí We take into account that an A320 weighs más that an A319, By simple lógica, your landing speed will beá greater and requireá Greater runway to stop, that if we add to a track contaminated by different amounts of water, triggerá than fricción landing train with pavement or asphalt is lower, resulting in a lower braking coefficient and therefore requiring greater extensionótrack n to stop.
Y así is cómo and whyé Sometimes airplanes cannot land in Cuenca and Claro, There are many más cáLulles and torqueácomplex meters that must be developed and taken into account, but in youésimple terms, This is the situationón at this airport, That just changeá the díIt does not rain, is wideíe your track or make a totally new airport.
