The bi-annual VATSIM Cross the Pond event will be taking place on Saturday, 2nd April 2022 and will see thousands of virtual pilots cross the Atlantic Ocean on the online network. Whilst the event is still several weeks away, airport voting is now open for members to choose which airports will serve as the official departure and arrival airports for the event.
The vote this year has been adjusted to incorporate more airports and offer a tiered point system. You will be able to vote for three departure and arrival airports, with your votes carrying different weights. The ‘top’ airport of your choice will carry 5 points, whilst your third preference will carry 2 points. All the points will be counted and then the official airport list will be announced in due course. The airport selection is down below:
Departure Airports
- Brussels International Airport – BRU/EBBR
- München/Munich – MUC/EDDM
- London Gatwick – LGW/EGKK
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – AMS/EHAM
- Dublin – DUB/EIDW
- Oslo Gardermoen Airport – OSL/ENGM
- Warsaw Chopin – WAW/EPWA
- Stockholm Arlanda Airport – ARN/ESSA
- Tenerife-South – TFS/GCTS
- Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – CDG/LFPG
- Rome Fiumicino – FCO/LIRF
- Praha Ruzyně – PRG/LKPR
- Vienna International Airport – VIE/LOWW
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport – LIS/LPPT
- Istanbul Airport – IST/LTFM
- Beograd Nikola Tesla Airport – BEG/LYBE
- Moscow Sheremetyevo – SVO/UUEE
Arrival Airports
- Montréal-Trudeau – YUL/CYUL
- Vancouver International – YVR/CYVR
- Winnipeg International – YWG/CYWG
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International – ATL/KATL
- Boston Logan Intl Airport – BOS/KBOS
- Charlotte Douglas International – CLT/KCLT
- Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International – CVG/KCVG
- Newark – EWR/KEWR
- Fort Lauderdale – FLL/KFLL
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental – IAH/KIAH
- Memphis International – MEM/KMEM
- Philadelphia – PHL/KPHL
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport – RDU/KRDU
- Tampa – TPA/KTPA
- Jose Marti Intl – HAV/MUHA
- Grantley Adams International Airport – BGI/TBPB
- Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport – FDF/TFFF
- Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport – PTP/TFFR
- Piarco International Airport – POS/TTPP
The event on April 2nd is the Westbound event, meaning the event will start in the UK and Europe and simmers will fly west towards the US and Canada. The goal is to replicate at best the specific Oceanic procedures with full ATC from departure to arrival. The lack of radar coverage for traffic deconfliction above the Atlantic Ocean means that the aircraft must obtain a specific clearance, follow a given route and report their position regularly. During the event, over 1000 pilots will be taking part, whilst 200 controllers will help them safely cross the pond.
It’s worth noting that other locations may be ‘live’ during the event, but the below airports are those that are confirmed to be fully staffed and serve as the official event airports.
You can keep up to date with the event over on the official website. Which airports are you looking forward to flying to this year?
