JTE458

Is there any factor of emergency landing ability to try to stay near land?

mvoight

Where do you see them taking the same route?

JDiver

That depends on the aircraft (and pilots) ETOPS* rating. As an example, an aircraft with ETOPS 120 rating would need to avoid routing through the darker blue area because there are no emergency landing strips within 120 minutes of flying with one engine operative.

*”The ICAO coined the acronym for Extended Twin Operations for twin-engine aircraft operation further than one hour from a diversion airport at the one-engine inoperative cruise speed, over water or remote lands, on routes previously restricted to three- and four-engine aircraft.”

There also designated transatlantic flight corridors aircraft flying west- or east-bound are assigned. “North Atlantic Tracks, officially titled the North Atlantic Organized Track System (NAT-OTS).”