B747-400
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240; Flight Crew Total 24000; Flight Crew Type 5100
Other / Unknown
No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Aircraft; Procedure
RJAA ILS 16R (Y) and ILS 16R (Z). Since the advent of multiple ILS approaches to the same Runway (Y-Z) with multiple transitions; the approach IN USE (often) is NOT line selectable and ATC is NOT cooperative to our constrained system. RJAA ATC is NOT flexible and cooperative. The current ATS in the RJAA TRACON has increased the operational complexity for our operations TODAY and increased the potential for an unintentional aircrew ERROR in the TRACON's airspace. I will present the situation that confronted us. Advised ILS 16R (Y) was the approach in use we requested the (Z) 16R; feeder routings are different STARS feed the various (Y) or (Z) approaches; LOC intercept ALTS are different and the missed approach is very complex in its routing and we were concerned that the (Y) and (Z) missed approach tracks might differ. Our request for the (Z) was DENIED; we used the ILS DME to identify the (Y) fixes on the LOC. One additional observation: it is NOT helpful at all to be inhibited from obtaining RJAA DATIS until within VHF range of the field (about 200 NM). This system constraint is UNSAT especially with rapidly changing weather conditions when it is useful to monitor REALTIME rapidly changing ATIS broadcasts even if it's 200 NM from the field.
B747-400 reports that not all approaches are line selectable at RJAA in the B747 FMC. The result is that an arrival may be assigned that connects to a specific approach (Y or Z) that cannot be selected due to database limitations.