Heavy Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
We were being vectored [for arrival] by ATC in the Dubai airspace. Lots of planes on the TCAS NAV display so we just let ATC vector us around; OPS normal. We got vectored to intercept Runway 30 ILS final. The First Officer asked 30L or 30R. The Controller said Runway 30. We were told to descend to 2;000 cleared for the ILS. The airport was behind us some 20 miles or so. The First Officer and I both looked at each other and said something's screwed up. I got on the radio and asked if we were going to get another vector because the final course was behind us. The Controller must have thought we were all screwed up on situational awareness. He asked us where we are going. I said Dubai; OMDB in phonetics. He said that he has us filed for Dubai; OMDW. We quickly looked at the paper Flight Plan and it said OMDB. Both airports have a runway that lands course 300 degrees; but OMDB has a 30L and 30R. I said just take us to Dubai; OMDB because that's where I was used to going. Ends up; the other field [has] a cargo ramp too; although I haven't been there. Bottom line is that someone entered OMDW into the ATC system; and we almost got sucked into the wrong field by ATC just doing what they thought was our destination.Somehow the wrong airport; OMDW got entered into the ATC system; but it is still in the Dubai area.
OMDB ATC attempted to vector an aircraft to OMDW vice nearby OMDB because somewhere the incorrect destination was entered in the ATC system although the flight plan was correct.