Availability of airports
The aircraft operator provided information about airports approved for A330 operations in a Route Manual Supplement (RMS), which was carried on board for flight crew use. If an airport was approved as a ‘main’ or ‘alternate’ airport, and the weather conditions were forecast to be better than the alternate minima, the airport was classified as ‘suitable’ for that aircraft type. Learmonth was the only airport in Western Australia, other than Perth, able to be classified as suitable for A330-300 operations.
The RMS identified aerodromes that were classified as ‘adequate’ for use in event of a critical system failure during Extended Range Operation with Twin Engine Aeroplanes operations. Kalgoorlie and Port Hedland were the only airports in Western Australia nominated as adequate for A330-300 operations. The RMS also nominated Pearce and Broome as emergency airports.