Originally Posted by
lionelhutz
What is with KLM landing right in the middle of a T10?
Add them to my list of airlines I'll never fly.
Originally Posted by
brunos
Had a colleague on that flight. He said that landing was good. The approach was turbulent though.
Some commentary on the decision to land in the SCMP
According to data from the Observatory analysed by Hong Kong pilot Jeremy Tam Man-ho, flight KL887 was facing headwinds when the pilots were trying to land, but those winds were not unfavourable for landing.
“It would have been difficult to land if the flight was facing crosswinds. The real problem was after landing the plane – you needed people to get the air bridge ready and open the door. If the wind is too strong it is possible you can’t even open the door,” said Tam, who is also a Civic Party member of Hong Kong’s legislature.
Wind speed over the airport’s airspace was 80km/h to 113km/h, which Tam said was strong. But he said what really determined whether a pilot could land a plane was the direction of the wind. He added that visibility had been 1.7km, which was “acceptable”. Visibility on the runways was between 500 metres and 800 metres, Tam said.
“There was no reason not to try and land. It was not a rash decision,” he said.
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KLM said in a statement that the pilots had “no problems landing the plane” and the aircraft had been filled up with extra fuel in case of any diversion to another airport.
“Safety is our highest priority, we never compromise on that,” the airline said. “The KLM flight landed before the wind reached its peak.”
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/h...flight-backlog