Miscellaneous Airline Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

The special repatriation flight from Uruguay's MVD on Saturday 11 April 2020 to MEL took off at 0137 hours. While not shown publicly as far as I can see, my guess for arrival at Tulla is around 0600 on Easter Sunday 12 April 2020.

This flight is 5M751, operated by A343 9H-SUN.

It has attracted much publicity because many of the passengers are ex the expedition ship MV Greg Mortimer. There are 'just over' 100 Australians on this flight ex the cruise ship. Including others not on the flight, 70 per cent of the ship's passengers have tested positive for coronavirus, so there'll be a lot of effort at MEL tomorrow to assess whether each needs to go to hospital or to the 14 day isolation (quarantine) in a Victorian Government-paid for hotel.

There are also Kiwis on this flight who media reports will join 'special privately chartered flight(s)' to return to I assume AKL.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 26 April 2020, the special coronavirus repatriation flight for Pakistanis, PK8972, the 1300 hours MEL - LHE, was expected to depart instead at 1345 hours.

As with Filipino repatriation flights, this was unavailable for general booking: one had to go through the Pakistani High Commission in Canberra.

This is one of a number of airlines that have unusually visited our shores in recent weeks: El Al to MEL, LOT Polish Airlines IIRC and others such as KLM to SYD.

UPDATE: The PK flight is further delayed, officially to 1400 but that time has passed.

UPDATE: B772LR AP-BGZ took off at 1420 hours from MEL on 26 April 2020.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thursday 30 April 2020 has seen another unusual visitor to SYD, A359 EC-NBE of Iberia, the 1610 hours from SYD to BKK and on to MAD, take off at 1715 with suggested Friday 1 May arrival in the Asian large city at 0004 hours instead of 2250 hours this evening. Is this a repatriation flight for Spaniards?

 

[Melburnian1]

RA (Nepal Airlines) most unusually operated ex SYD this morning (Thursday 7 May 2020) as RA4133 and was slightly delayed in taking off but the flight doesn't seem to be on FR24 or FlightAware.

This must be the first time this tiny airline has ever been to our shores.

 

[Melburnian1]

Saudia was another (perhaps first time?) passenger airline visiting Oz this week, with SV3055, the 1030 hours SYD - DMM taking off at 1206 hours. Estimated arrival is 1907 hours, 87 late. Aircraft was B773ER HZ-AK39.

Inbound, this aircraft had operated from JED to SYD, perhaps another 'first time route', arriving this morning at 0928 hours, half an hour late.

I don't know who the passengers would be - foreigners going to LHR perhaps - as a pilgrimage wouldn't be an acceptable reason for an Australian citizen to depart during coronavirus.

 

[Rangalad]

Most probably scheduled in line with Eid Al-Fitr (end of Ramadan).

 

[Melburnian1]

Bahrain-based Gulf Air was to operate GF249 on Sunday 24 May 2020 from SYD to BAH but it has been cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Monday 25 May 2020, another Saudi Arabian visitor, B789 HZ-AR22, took off from RUH at 1255 hours, 125 minutes after scheduled pushback at 1050 hours. On Tuesday 26, SYD arrival should be 1000 hours, 90 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Nepal Airlines - on which I have travelled, despite its tiny fleet - has made another visit to MEL (perhaps for the benefit of Nepalese students studying in Oz) with RA4136, the 1250 hours MEL - KUL taking off at 1607 hours, about three hours late. Aircraft was A332 9N-ALY. I assume this aircraft would then fly on to KTM.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 28 June 2020, Gulf Air was oddly shown on SYD airport website as having two departures - GF157 at 1230 hours (lunchtime) to SIN and GF259 at 1345 to another most unusual destination ex Oz, BAH.

However both were cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

GF157, a 1230 hours SYD - SIN on Sunday 5 July 2020 has been cancelled during coronavirus.

 

[Melburnian1]

GF157 was again scheduled on Monday 20 July 2020 but in the end was also cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

A most unusual operator on Friday 25 September 2020 was Mongolian Air (flight OM7182) that was scheduled to depart SYD at 0815 hours, took off at 0859 hours and arrived (of all places) CEB in Philippines at 1454 hours.

Happy to be corrected but wouldn't this be the first time this airline has been to Oz?