All Nippon ANA Flight Misses Frankfurt Landing by 18 Seconds Due to Curfew

A recent All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight from Tokyo to Frankfurt was forced to abort landing just 18 seconds before curfew, sparking renewed debate over Frankfurt Airport’s rigid night flight ban.

ANA Flight NH203, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Tokyo Haneda (HND), arrived ahead of schedule on July 3, 2025, thanks to favorable tailwinds. However, as it approached Frankfurt Airport (FRA), where landings are banned between 23:00 and 05:00, air traffic controllers were left with no choice. At 04:59:42—just 18 seconds before curfew ended—the tower instructed the crew to perform a mandatory go-around.

Despite the aircraft’s safe and efficient early arrival, the go-around added 16 minutes of flight time, burned an extra 1,900 kg of fuel, increased CO₂ emissions, and elevated cockpit workload for a fatigued crew. Ironically, the maneuver caused more noise than a direct landing would have.

Frankfurt’s curfew, among the strictest in Europe, allows no flexibility—even by seconds. Discover Airlines pilot Ori Gross, who witnessed the interaction via tower frequencies, criticized the system’s lack of adaptability.

ANA’s flight duration of 13 hours and 57 minutes was nearly 45 minutes shorter than scheduled due to strong tailwinds. While ATC attempted speed reductions on final approach, the timing margin was too tight—less than a minute of flexibility.

This incident follows similar cases, such as Eurowings EW8531 in 2024, which was denied landing in Berlin just 10 seconds after curfew.

Experts argue that rigid enforcement undermines environmental goals, creates operational inefficiencies, and increases passenger risk. Calls are growing for regulatory reform that allows limited, supervised curfew exceptions to prevent unnecessary fuel burn, noise, and disruption.


Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=all+nippon, https://airguide.info/?s=Frankfurt+Airport

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, aviationa2z.com