Akureyri TWR

Akureyri Tower (BIAR_TWR) provides clearance delivery, ground, and tower control.

As of 20th March 2024, all departing aircraft shall receive a standard IFR clearance; no oceanic clearances are to be issued.

This page only covers the "normal" aerodrome-level procedures for BIAR. For information on the procedural approach service which Akureyri TWR also provides, see the Procedural Approach page.

Delivery

Overview of SIDs

* Only category A and B aircraft.
** Only category A, B, and C aircraft.

As indicated above, several of BIAR’s SIDs are restricted to only aircraft of certain performance categories. Aircraft incapable of meeting the performance requirements for a given SID should be assigned an appropriate alternative, or as a last resort, may be issued a visual climb.

Ground

There is only one apron, and one taxiway (taxiway A) that leads to/from the runway. When managing a combination of departures and arrivals, it may be beneficial to tactically utilize backtracking to allow departures to line up while arrivals make a U-turn to exit the runway.

Tower

Traffic Circuit

The standard traffic circuit is a right-hand circuit for runway 01, and a left hand circuit for runway 19. I.e., the circuit is always East of the runway.

Akureyri Control Zone (BIAR CTR)

The Akureyri CTR has a lower limit of GND and an upper limit of 3000ft.

In real life, the Akureyri CTR reverts to Class G and becomes the Akureyri ATZ outside the operating hours of Akureyri TWR. On VATSIM, since we simulate that Akureyri TWR is operating whenever anyone is controlling it/covering it top-down, the Akureyri CTR is always active as Class D airspace.

The Akureyri TMA (also controlled by Akureyri Tower; see chapter 3.4) overlies the CTR.

The recreational airfield BIMM (Melgerðismelar – “Melgerdismelar”) exists within BIAR CTR, and has an associated recreational airspace area. This airfield is often used for ultralight and recreational gliding operations. Aircraft within the vicinity of BIMM shall monitor BIAR TWR’s frequency.

There are no officially defined VFR routes or reporting points.

• In real life, TWR may ask aircraft to report passing Hrafnagil (a village south of Akureyri) when entering the CTR from the South (or leaving to the South), or Svalbarðseyri (a village north of Akureyri, on the east side of the fjord) when entering the CTR from the North (or leaving to the North).
• However, VATSIM pilots may not necessarily be familiar with these locations. Therefore, Akureyri Tower on VATSIM is not expected to use these points, and may simply instruct aircraft to “report leaving/approaching the control zone.”
  

Reduced Runway Separation Minima

The use of reduced runway separation minima (RRSM) is permitted at BIAR, subject to the conditions outlined in the Tower SOP.

Due to the airport layout at BIAR often requiring backtracks, and the short length of the runway, controllers may find it difficult to obtain the necessary separation distances to apply RRSM except with light aircraft.