Volotea flight goes around after approaching French airbase for landing

A Volotea Airbus A319 began to approach the Landivisiau naval airbase in Brittany before going around and landing at the correct airport.

The aircraft registered EC-MTD was carrying out domestic flight V72820 from Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport (AJA) in Corsica to Brest Bretagne Airport (BES) in Brittany on September 10, 2022.

Two hours into the flight, as it was overflying the city of Morlaix, the aircraft seemingly modified its trajectory and started an initial approach towards Landivisiau Naval Airbase, 22 kilometers (13 miles) east of its destination airport.

At about 1,300 feet, the flight crew discontinued their approach and initiated a go-around. They eventually corrected their trajectory and landed without incident at Brest airport about 20 minutes later.

The French Aeronautical Information Service cites the proximity of Brest and Landivisiau as a potential issue during the approach.

“The proximity and orientation of the runways of the aerodromes of Brest (RWY 25) and Landivisiau (RWY 25) require verification of the position throughout the duration of the approach,” the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) for Brest reads.

AeroTime reached out to Volotea and the French Navy for comment.

What is Landivisiau Naval Airbase?
The Landivisiau Naval Airbase is the French Naval Aviation’s main airbase. It houses the entire Rafale Marine fleet, namely the flotilla 11F, 12F, and 17F.

The facility is where pilots learn and train to operate on the Charles de Gaulle, the French Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It allows for both simulating landing using arrestor wires, and flight deck operations.

Unlike the United States Navy, the French Navy does not possess a land-based catapult. Thus, several test campaigns of the Rafale Marine, the carrier-borne variant of the Dassault Rafale fighter, were carried out at the Naval Air Warfare Center Lakehurst in New Jersey for catapult takeoff, and at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland for arrested landing.