EK421 Unusual Route PER-DXB on 17 Feb

[Jos888]

Last night EK421 took this unusual route to DXB from PER. Flight took 2 hours more than usual. Does anyone know why it would take this route? QR901 took the normal route straight out over the Indian Ocean at pretty much the same time.

 

[markis10]

They had a request from F pax to make the flight longer so they all could have a shower?

 

[SeatBackForward]

Was it due to the cyclone, that was then not a cyclone?

 

[Jos888]

Was it due to the cyclone, that was then not a cyclone?

No, nowhere near that

 

[Scarlett]

Indians doing missile launches heading south somewhere? There would likely be a NOTAM about it.
I had a UL flight take a very weird routing to avoid one.

 

[Mattg]

Looks like it's trying to stay close to land/airports. Maybe it had a MEL (Minimum Equipment List) item that allowed it to depart, but with the condition that it had to be within a certain range of a usable airport at all times?

A bit like this Qantas flight from last year:

E

Thread 'Does anyone have any idea what QF780 is doing tonight?'

Feb 16, 2024

Just came across this weird flight path (and checked on other tracking sites too). Anyone any idea what they might be doing? Couldn’t see any NOTAM’s along the way…

Maybe @jb747 ?

• exLXCXFF
• Replies: 99
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

 

[Jos888]

Looks like it's trying to stay close to land/airports. Maybe it had a MEL (Minimum Equipment List) item that allowed it to depart, but with the condition that it had to be within a certain range of a usable airport at all times?

A bit like this Qantas flight from last year:

E

Thread 'Does anyone have any idea what QF780 is doing tonight?'

Feb 16, 2024

Just came across this weird flight path (and checked on other tracking sites too). Anyone any idea what they might be doing? Couldn’t see any NOTAM’s along the way…

Maybe @jb747 ?

• exLXCXFF
• Replies: 99
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

Sounds like a good explanation, thanks Mattg

 

[docjames]

A MEL item would seem the most likely reason.

 

[jb747]

ETOPs isn’t a thing with the quads. The route they’ve chosen would be very close to 60 minutes ETOPs, though I’m not sure that the airports they’re close to are usable for a 380. The QF example for the 330 within Oz, would have been a mix of Adelaide curfew, and most likely, an APU issue. I can’t think of a similar scenario for the 380.

But, the route chosen is also interesting because it contains very little over water flight, so perhaps something to do with rafts or ditching. I don’t recall reading any MEL that might be the cause, but I’ll have a look when I get home in a few days.

 

[stm1sydney]

This one took an unusual route over water the other day. Something to do with airspace being closed.

 

[jb747]

That's just going around a small bit of closed airspace, and similar happens every day. The EK flight that the OP asked about took a very unusual route, that added about 1,000nm to the flight. Quite a difference.

 

[JohnM]

I was talking with my retired EK A380 driver mate this morning.

He indicated that the swing to inland WA was unusual, but that the rest of the track not so much - at least that's what I understood, as we were cycling at the time.

Other than that, he had no specific explanation, but we never got back to discussing it in any more detail when we pulled up for coffee with friends.