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An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER declared a low-fuel mayday distress signal on Sunday morning after two failed landing attempts.
The flight had flown from Dubai to the Miami International Airport (MIA). The trip normally takes around 15 hours and 45 minutes, according to View from the Wing, but its actual flight time for this trip was 17 hours and 16 minutes due to strong headwinds across the Atlantic Ocean. When it arrived in Miami, a thunderstorm was occurring, causing poor visibility, heavy rain and windshear.
It was initially scheduled to land on runway 9, but the crew abandoned the landing due to the weather. They asked about diverting to Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) and ATC suggested they land at Runway 12. The crew accepted and warned ATC that they were on minimum fuel and could not accept any significant delay or holding.
The aircraft lined up to land on Runway 12, but when it was at less than 100 feet above the runway, ATC ordered a go-around. Another aircraft had not vacated the runway on time. The Emirates pilots immediately made a mayday call due to low fuel, according to Paddle Your Own Kanoo. ATC gave the flight priority and moved another flight out of the landing pattern so the Boeing could land on its third attempt.
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How much fuel is used on a flight depends on multiple factors, such as expected length, weight, and emissions. The pilots likely had calculated for missed approaches and re-routes, but the longer flight left only enough fuel for one missed approach and then a reroute to FLL. While the two missed approaches did not mean the aircraft was about to crash, it did remove the option to reroute somewhere else.