There is a situation that all commanders know underlying the dismissal of the EasyJet pilot who in recent days saw his appeal rejected by the Court of Cassation. The judges of the Supreme Court, confirming the dismissal, established that the airline is right when it expects its crews to rigorously apply the company operating manual for landing maneuvers at Olbia airport. Anyone who does not do so interrupts the fiduciary relationship with the employer.
But there is a specific fact that concerns the Costa Smeralda airport and in particular runway 05. The EasyJet company contested (and the Court of Cassation ruled in favor of it) the failure to comply with the operating manual regarding a particular manoeuvre, imposed when the plane arrives on the Costa Smeralda from the director of Limbara. If the aircraft has a tailwind, a go-around (interruption of the landing maneuver) is planned which avoids the risks. Instead of implementing the countermeasure, the first officer of the flight and the commander brought the plane into a dangerous condition of instability and excessive speed, up to the Olbia airport, also making mistakes in subsequent maneuvers.
The commander from Olbia, Gigi Carbini, with a long experience at the control wheel, explains: «The companies are very careful, and rightly so, on this point, due to the orographic characteristics of the territory around Olbia airport. It must also be said that the pilots are adequately informed. I don't know the details of this case, but in general I can say that in certain weather conditions, the approach and landing in Olbia require a specific maneuver that guarantees flight safety."
