Emirates Delays/Cancellations

[Silvia]

Due to Sydney's weather, EK413 CHC-SYD (A380 A6-EEK) appears to be diverting to MEL. This will affect the outgoing SYD-DXB service

 

[Melburnian1]

Due to Sydney's weather, EK413 CHC-SYD (A380 A6-EEK) appears to be diverting to MEL. This will affect the outgoing SYD-DXB service

It looks like arrival in MEL at gate will be roughly 2118 hours instead of 2005 hours up in SYD. Will this aircraft have to spend the night in MEL due to (among other factors like the SYD curfew) lack of an immediately available flight (and cabin) crew?

Let's hope that Sydney hotels have sufficient spare rooms tonight for out-of-towners booked on 'the 413.'

 

[Silvia]

That's going to be interesting to see where people get accommodation in Melbourne. It's going to be a good night for hotels in Sydney and Melbourne. There aren't too many options near Melbourne Airport, so I'm assuming people will go to the CBD?

 

[Melburnian1]

That's going to be interesting to see where people get accommodation in Melbourne. It's going to be a good night for hotels in Sydney and Melbourne. There aren't too many options near Melbourne Airport, so I'm assuming people will go to the CBD?

Silvia, it would be good to have first hand reports but yes, although there's Parkroyal, the remote Mantra and two (one budget, one more expensive) option at the airport plus a few motels (at least one of which regards itself an an 'hotel') within cooee along carriageways such as Mickleham Road, to find other major hotels (apart from the new Hyatt Place at Essendon Airport or as it calls it Essendon Fields) one has to travel 21 kilometres to the Melbourne CBD (or Docklands/Southbank).

While the Australian Grand Prix is a huge loss making annual event, there must still be some visitors from interstate and overseas, plus normal weekday trade of businessmen, tourists, VFR guests and so on.

Hotels in Melbourne and Sydney must love these airline disruptions although Qantas and Virgin Australia groups would, one thinks, be expert at nailing far less than 'rack rates' as the tariff per night. It would be fascinating to know what the airlines pay per room and whether this significantly varies between hotels of a similar standard.

 

[Silvia]

If you get it through the airline, QF domestically speaking leaves you on your own to sort it out with a $200 reimbursement

EK413 ended up leaving the next day at 4 45am, the SYD-DXB leg last night didn’t run for obvious reasons. Pilot apparently thought it was just a matter of refueling and going back to SYD but with all the delays, weather and cabin crew, they decided to stay overnight

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 29 March 2019, EK440 from DXB down to ADL< the 0200 hours that took off at 0251 is arriving at 2120, half an hour late with B772LR A6-EWE.

 

[Melburnian1]

EK418, the overnight BKK down to SYD should arrive on Monday 8 April at 0818 hours, 38 late. Aircraft is B773ER A6-EGV.

 

[Melburnian1]

EK418, the Wednesday 10 redeye due to push back in BKK at 2000 took off at 2028 hours, hardly late but on Thursday 11 arrival for B773ER A6-ENZ is likely at 0818, 38 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

The overnight BKK - SYD (EK418, B773ER A6-EGJ) took off on time at 2022 (22 minutes after scheduled pushback) on Thursday 18 April but Good Friday arrival is 0818, 38 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 26 April 2019, A380 A6-EEQ on EK408 from DXB to MEL should arrive at 2232 hours, 32 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

EK412 from DXB to SYD arrived at 0654 hours, 49 late on Monday 29 April 2019. A388 A6-EUL is next on the second sector across to CHC, the 0750 hours, but this departure has been put back to an expected 0900 hours, as SmartGates around the nation apparently failed around 0600 this morning with ABF staff having to manually process passengers. The inevitable result is very long queues at both departures and arrivals.

UPDATE: The flight was airborne at 0903 hours, so a little better than predicted.

 

[Melburnian1]

First of the morning at 0600 hours ex SYD, EK415 to DXB rarely seems to be significantly late. However on Monday 6 May 2019, that's not so, with A380 A6-EDA becoming airborne at 0935 hours. Consequently, predicted arrival has become 1724 hours, 194 minutes late. This will mean many missed connections in Dubai, such as EK187, the 1545 hours to BCN and EK721, the 1600 hours to major African centre NBO.

 

[Melburnian1]

Monday 6 May's EK412, the 1015 hours DXB down and across to SYD (A380 A6-EOG) was airborne at 1127. Tuesday 7 should see arrival at 0639 hours, 34 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Saturday 11 May 2019, EK405, the 1800 hours MEL - SIN took off at 1914. B773ER A6-EPX is estimated to arrive at 0029 on Sunday 12, 39 minutes behind schedule. This will delay its second sector to DXB.

 

[Melburnian1]

EK414, the 0215 hours DXB to SYD that if I recall was once featured on a BBC program about DXB due to this flight's need to avoid breaching teh SYD2300 hours curfew took off from the Middle Eastern major airport at 0323 hours (yuk!) on Sunday 12 May. Arrival for A380 A6-EOF should be at 2235, half an hour behind.

 

[Melburnian1]

A388 A6-EUJ on EK413, the CHC - SYD - DXB (due out of SYD at 2110 hours on Thursday 23 May 2019 took off at 2131, so on time, but then diverted to DRW. It took off at 0649 on Friday 24 so must have been in DRW for some hours. DXB arrival is suggested as 1115 hours, 335 minutes late.

Normally medical emergency stops are far shorter than this. Does anyone know why it diverted?

Is this the first time an A380 (or an EK A380) has visited DRW?

 

[Quickstatus]

I have no information about this

However Military Exercise Diamond Storm is potentially causing departure delays from DRW. I’m not sure if the Exercise is occurring around the clock

As you know DRW is also an AirForce Base

Only 4 airports in Australia are subject to curfew. DRW is not one of them

 

[Quickstatus]

The other issue is this:

Did EK413's original crew operate SYD-DRW-DXB? or Was there a crew change

The flight is supposed to arrive in DXB at 1121hrs. Approx 4hr20min late. Flight time DRW-DXB estimated at 10hrs.
EK413 usually takes 14.5hrs.

Elapsed times
SYD-DRW: 4hr 23 min
Ground time at DRW: 0105am - 0650am = 5hr 45 min
DRW-DXB = 10hrs according to Flightaware)

Total time = 20hrs 8 min. (not including the time for signons and preflight briefings)

Something is not adding up. A 14.5 hrs flight delayed by 4hr 20 min would be 18hr 50min (also using Flightaware with the 10hr flight duration from DRW)

If a crew change occurred they may have come via 3K161/QF320/EK7749 from SIN arriving at 0500am
However the SIN time at the point of diversion over ASP (Alice Springs) was 2145hrs. This gave the airline only 1hr 20min to call up a spare crew as that flight from SIN-DRW departed at 2305hrs.

Wakeup to boarding = 1hr 20min
SIN-DRW = 4hr 30 min
Ground time in DRW 1hr 45 min
DRW-DXB 10 hrs

Theoretical Backup flight crew from SIN Total = 17hr 35min

 

[Melburnian1]

Quickstatus, the two assumptions you make - that a total duty time of '20 hours eight minutes' is impliedly not permitted, and that in the case of your 'wake up to boarding', time is 'one hour 20 minutes' may not be correct.

jb747 has previously stated that the normal maximum duty time for this aircraft on QF can be extended 'by agreement (of staff)' to 20 hours, but who knows if EK (not being an Australian airline) "punishes" its flight crews more?

And realistically I'd have thought anyone would struggle to be out of bed, dressed/ablute, taxi or other transport from hotel to Changi airport, walk though immigration and board a 3K flight in an hour 20. Two hours might be more realistic.

On top of that, EK must be unlikely to have spare crews in SIN. Perhaps it can reshuffle rosters but eventually wouldn't another flight then be delayed due to a minimum time 'slip' (layover) being mandated?

Did you also omit that there's an hour and a half time difference between ASP and SIN at this time of year?

 

[Quickstatus]

The 2 hr for wake up to boarding would mean that the backup crew was woken up 40minutes before EK413 actually diverted over Alice Springs.

20 hrs would be an awfully long time to stay awake even with crew rest. And that’s is just elapsed time since departure from SYD. Add in 1-2 hrs for signings and predeparture formalities.

The other assumption is that the SIN crew was legally able to go