Megaptera From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2001, 119 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 years 1 month 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 1517 times:
Is it true that UK commercial and/or military flights to Gib are not (or were not) allowed to overfly Spanish airspace? If so, what routing do/did they use to get round this. I'm sure someone once told me this was true but back then I was a bit gullible. Any info much appreciated.
Skytrain From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 297 posts, RR: 7 Reply 1, posted (9 years 1 month 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 1486 times:
Well I've flown to Gibraltar quite a few times and have flown over Spanish airspace before. These flights were on BA (GB Airways). I'm not sure about the military aircraft though.
Cheers - Skytrain.
At the end of the day we are likely to be punished for our kindnesses...
Capricorn1 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 16 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (9 years 1 month 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 1461 times:
When I was in the ATC (Air Cadets) I stayed at RAF Gibraltar for a week in 1992.
I remember the RAF telling us that in the event of an emergency they (as well as civil aircraft) would not be able to divert to Spain (although they did say they were sure they would be able to in a dire emergency). It's all part of the Spanish claim on the 'Rock'. The customs check point between Gib and Spain is a complete nightmare (Spanish end!).
Africa is very close, in fact you can see the coastline from the top of the Rock, so that is always an option for diversion.
I have very fond memories of that week, on the return flight I got my one and only jump seat flight, in a Dan Air 737!
Skytrain From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 297 posts, RR: 7 Reply 3, posted (9 years 1 month 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 1420 times:
It's odd - I must have been through that Customs point 100 times and sometimes it can be a 3 hour nightmare and other times it only takes 15 or 20 minutes. Usually the only really hold up is for cars. If you stay on the Spanish side of the border - I say, walk!
Cheers - Skytrain.
At the end of the day we are likely to be punished for our kindnesses...
Steve6666 From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2003, 356 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (9 years 1 month 1 week 14 hours ago) and read 1306 times:
No it's utter rubbish - you fly almost directly over Madrid. May well have been different when the border was closed but it opened almost 20 years ago. When GIB is closed (normally due to bad weather, which is quite frequent) they divert to Malaga and have to bus everyone in from Gib.
eu nasci ha dez mil anos atras, e nao tem nada nesse mundo que eu nao saiba demais
Megaptera From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2001, 119 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (9 years 1 month 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 1245 times:
Thanks guys. I did fly there once with GB Airways (I think it was in 1995) but I was more interested in the free G+Ts then than what was happening outside the window. Not much has changed.
Gilesdavies From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 2884 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (9 years 1 month 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 1207 times:
I took the route from LTN to Gibraltar back in 2002 and the flight on a Monarch A321 only took 2hrs 25mins. There is no way this flight could have taken another route in the time it took.
The landing into Gibraltar is spectacular, would highly recommend it!
ACEregular From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2003, 674 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (9 years 1 month 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1079 times:
I flew to Gibraltar in Februaryl 1996 from Newcastle on Airtours' B757 G-JALC. We definately flew over Spanish territory. I remember on the approach flying alongside a rainbow, with the Spanish coastline visable too. As a sidenote the final approach and landing at GIB are amazing. I am sure it was a full flaps affair for out heavy B757. then to see the cars waiting at the level crossing as you reverse thrust past is spectacular. A quick spin and you go back down the active again to pose for the cars waiting on the other side of the runway. Gibraltar is fascinating.
Steve6666 From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2003, 356 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (9 years 1 month 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 1019 times:
What you may be referring to is that there are no flights from GIB to other airports in Spain, which apparently IS something to do with the ongoing situation regarding British/Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar. Well, that's what the old man says, and he lives in GIB so.....must be true....
Maybe I'm just spoilt but aside from the runway=road thing in Gibraltar, I would argue Madeira (Funchal) and GCM (on a BA763) are more exciting landings for the extreme reverse thrust, and Rio de Janeiro (SDU) for the view on final.
eu nasci ha dez mil anos atras, e nao tem nada nesse mundo que eu nao saiba demais
Rutankrd From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2003, 1998 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (9 years 1 month 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 967 times:
Commercial flights from the UK certainly do over fly Spanish airspace en-route AND Spanish carriers ARE allowed in Gibraltar (Air Europe) have visited. The diversion point of choice IS Malaga.
The issue i think you may be interested in is how flights enter the Gibraltar TMA.
This is where the political debacle is played out.
Flights over Spain continue under the Malaga control and are routed out into the Med as if going to Morocco !
Then then descend whilst out of controlled airspace and contact Gibraltar for approach clearance into the TMA.
This way they are Not passed directly from Spanish control to the UK military occupied forces on the ROCK.
Military flights are known to take many convoluted routes to the ROCK over the Atlantic and south of Cadiz.
KEno From Malaysia, joined Feb 2004, 1841 posts, RR: 31 Reply 11, posted (9 years 1 month 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 915 times:
I've flown to GIB twice - once on BA (LGW-GIB) and another time with Monarch (LTN-STN). Yes the plane did fly over Spain - I even took few photos of Madrid and Bilbao which were clearly visible onboard.
I heard that mails sent from Gibraltar are first sent to the UK before being distributed to the receipients worldwide. That include sending a mail from Gibraltar to La Linea, which is the border town in Spain. I don't know if this is still the case today.
The land border control was very easy. All I have to do is to flash my Malaysian passport cover in passing to the officer, as if I'm an EU national.
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