Emirates’ flight operations department has developed a new navigation technique which allows the airline to carry more cargo into Kabul.

According to Emirates, a new missed-approach procedure with a lower climb gradient forHamid Karzai International Airport’s Runway 29 has replaced an older technique that required cargo bound for Kabul to be offloaded in Dubai during low-cloud or poor visibility conditions at the destination.

The team worked with specialist flight design agency DFS Aviation Services to analyze the terrain around the airport and to develop the new procedure that could be implemented without delays in working with the local air traffic control.

Once the initial design was ready, it was coded into the Emirates flight management system and tested on flight simulators to confirm theoretical performance calculations as well as to ensure that the aircraft would be able to clear any obstacles in the case of a go-around. The flight operations systems team then developed detailed training guidance in order to support pilots flying to the airport.

Emirates operates a daily flight between Dubai and Kabul with a Boeing 777-300ER.

Within the first three months of implementation, the new solution gave Emirates the capability to carry an additional 250 tonnes of cargo into Kabul during low-cloud conditions. The procedure has also resulted in more streamlined cargo operations to Kabul, increased customer satisfaction and enhanced fuel efficiency.

Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is situated in a wide valley at an elevation of 5,800 feet and is surrounded by mountains that are over 11,000 feet tall. Because of the challenging terrain, as well as ATC and security requirements, there are a number of constraints at the airport. The primary runway, Runway 29, has two established missed-approach procedures, with one of them requiring that an aircraft be able to climb at a steep angle when cloud cover is lower than 1,200 feet.

Emirates previously had to offload cargo in Dubai whenever weather reports predicted cloud cover below the minimum level in Kabul so as to ensure that the aircraft could achieve the requirement climb gradient in the event of a missed approach.

Emirates has also used advanced technology to put together detailed guidance for pilots to operate on Kabul’s Runway 11, ensuring the highest possible levels of safety and efficiency.

Similar technology has also been used to enhance operational efficiency at other airports such as Seychelles, Addis Ababa, Eldoret and Basra, according to Emirates.