Air China Delays/Cancellations

[Silvia]

Sunday 10th of November finds CA173 PEK-SYD (B77W B-1430) with revised arrival at 16 29, 59 min late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thursday 28 November 2019 has CA430, the evening 2140 hours SYD up to CTU that was airborne at 2229 hours with A332 B-5927 likely to arrive on Friday 29 at 0624 hours, 44 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

As the coronavirus crisis continues to bite, CA166 (Wednesday 5 February, the scheduled 2015 hours mid evening SYD - PEK) has been cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

CA173, the scheduled Friday 7 February 1530 hours arrival in SYD (ex PEK) was cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

Air China hasn't been seen much if at all IIRC in Australia since the start of COVID-19.

CA174 was to operate on Sunday 27 March 2022 from SYD at 2040 hours overnight to PEK, but it's been cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Thursday 31 March 2022, CA174 (2040 hours SYD to an otherwise unserved nonstop destination in PEK) has been cancelled, as has CA430, the 2120 hours mid evening from the same origin to CTU.

 

[Melburnian1]

That it's more than a year since the last posted delay is indicative of how few flights mainland Chinese airlines have operated to Australia in 14 months.

Frequencies are slowly ramping up given that numbers of mainland communist Chinese students are at about half what they were pre-COVID, and its government's instruction that online-only courses are out of favour. AC is still only operating thrice weekly to MEL and four nights a week to SYD, so not even daily, although historically PVG had more frequent Chinese airline flights to both, and QFi for a time tried PVG, but that ultimately failed.

On Monday 12 June 2023 - King's Birthday - CA165, the 0105 hours from the capital PEK to wannabe international city MEL took off at 0218 hours. Arrival for A359 B-1085 should be at about 1512 hours mid afternoon, 37 minutes behind the timetable.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Tuesday 25 July 2023, CA173, the 0110 hours redeye from PEK down to MEL (B773ER B-2035) was not airborne until the unpleasant hour of 0431 hours. Arrival at gate is shortly at 1730 hours, 160 minutes behind schedule. The timetabled return flight isn't fortujnately due out until 1940 hours so in theory it should be punctual.

It's good when international airlines build extra time into turnarounds at termini.