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Mohammed V Ground

General Provisions

The SMCGND controller’s callsign, for radio communication and coordination, is “Mohammed 5thV Ground”.

The SMCGND controller is the first station for all departing aircraft (IFR/VFR) to call and is responsible for operations on the surface of Mohammed V International Airport, such as pushback/engine start-up, repositioning and taxi.

EnIFR Route Clearance and Start-upProcedures

To

SID prevent any unnecessary delays, pilots are provided with their start-up clearance along with their en route clearance. This clearance should conform to the following format and each of the following items must be read back.

An IFR clearance shall be in the following format:

  • Callsign;
  • Destination;
  • Departure procedure;
  • Initially cleared altitude;
  • SSR code

RAM810D: "Mohammed 5th Delivery, Royal Air Maroc 810 delta, information charlie, request start-up clearance to Frankfurt"

GMMN_DEL: "Royal Air Maroc 810 delta, Mohammed 5th Delivery, start-up approved, cleared to Frankfurt, TOLSI3D departure, climb initally FL50, squawk 6403"

RAM810D: "Start-up approved, cleared to Frankfurt, TOLSI3D departure, climb initally FL50, squawk 6403, Royal Air Maroc 810 delta"

GMMN_DEL: "Royal Air Maroc 810 delta, readback correct, report ready for pushback."

Technical Start-upAssignment

If a clearance cannot be immediately granted by the controller for any reason, the pilot shall be instructed to standby for clearance. Additionally, the controller may issue 'technical start-up' approval to the pilot, indicating that their start-up request has been approved but the en route clearance is still being processed.

It is important to note that pilots are not authorised to start their engines when positioned at nose-in stands and a separate clearance for pushback is still required. The start-up clearance will be recorded as Estimated Off-Block Time (EOBT). If the start-up clearance cannot be provided within the next 5 minutes, the start-up shall not be approved, and the pilot shall be given the Target Start-Up Approval Time (TSAT).

TSAT

In situations of high traffic volume, when a pilot requests start-up, they may receive a Target Start-up Approval Time (TSAT). This TSAT indicates the anticipated time for the pilot to receive approval for start-up/pushback.

If the pilot requests start-up while also requesting the en route clearance, the TSAT will be provided simultaneously. The pilot is responsible for initiating the start-up process by informing the controller when they are ready for start-up.

GMMN_DEL: "Royal Air Maroc 810 delta, start up time at 1415 (TSAT 14:15z), report aircraft ready"

RAM810D: "Wilco, Royal Air Maroc 810 delta"

The runway will be confirmed either prior to taxi or during the pushback clearance by Ground.image.png

Pushback

The pushback direction depends on the location of the aircraft and runway configuration.

Example: "Royal Air Maroc 810 delta, pushback approved, face south, runway 35L”.

VFR Aircraft

VFR circuits shall not be permitted at the aerodrome during times of increased IFR departure or arrival activity and shall be permitted only after prior coordination with TWR.

Taxiway Usage and Restrictions

Although there are no regulated taxi routes in Casablanca, it is advised that outbound traffic use outer-taxiways and incoming traffic use apron inner-taxiways.

To ensure a smooth taxi flow and avoid conflicting routes, it is recommended to utilise entries and exits in a unidirectional manner.

Runway Crossings

To allow sufficient time for receiving clearance to cross the runway, Ground must handoff traffic well before it reaches the holding point of 17L/35R. In order to expedite the flow of traffic, Ground may, subject to coordination and agreement with Tower, issue the runway crossing clearance in the taxi clearance.

In any circumstance, it is expected that Ground will handoff traffic to Tower in advance.

Runway Change Procedure

Tower shall provide ample notice to Ground before changing runway configuration. The last departure using the old configuration shall be coordinated between Tower, Ground and Approach.

Aircraft that have already been cleared to taxi using the old configuration shall be re-cleared if they have not already reached the holding point.

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