Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Vic]

If you know the 'tail number' (registration) of an aircraft, you can usually quickly look up its activity by just typing (for instance) 'VH-OQE' into a Google (or DuckDuckGo/ Bing) search and by then accessing the link to FR24, one can see the last seven days' flights.

On the day I was tracking the flight using Flightaware app. Trouble was that was showing QF11 as the previous flight, via the track my aircraft function. I'm not a power user by any stretch of the imagination, so I don't know why QF35/36 didn't show...

 

[Melburnian1]

QF6032 departed WUH about 6 hrs late.

It departed at 0745 instead of 0200 but LEA arrival is suggested as 1609 this afternoon, 309 minutes late, so naturally within the 'window' Quickstatus calculated as the duty hours limtation.

It's possible the B744 could be given an exemption by the Federal Government's Transport Minister's delegate to land well after curfew in SYD, early tomorrow morning. However that may be academic as wouldn't QFi require a fresh crew to operate from LEA to SYD, and those staff may not be in LEA?

 

[Melburnian1]

In the last month, QF23/QF24 SYD - BKK v.v. have been much more punctual, but on Monday 3 February, the former departed SYD at 1158 hours, 88 minutes behind schedule, so arrival this afternoon local time should be 1710, an hour late. This will delay redeye QF24.

QF80 ex NRT arrived in MEL this morning just 14 late at 0809 hours but 'forming its own', the same aircraft did not depart on QF79, the 0920 hours back to NRT until 1139, 139 minutes late, and then took off at 1203 hours. However arrival is estimated as 2105 mid evening local time, 205 minutes behind the timetable. Aircraft is A333 VH-QPE. QF79/QF80 punctuality has been poor in the last few weeks, unlike previously, so it's the reverse of the '23/24' improvement. Upon arrival in japan, QF79 can form either QF62 to BNE or aforementioned QF80 to MEL, but one can't see a set pattern.

The 0935 hours SYD - HKG (QF127, A388 VH-OQL) is another with a good timekeeping record but on Monday it pushed back 65 late at 1040, meaning arrival is likely at about 1630, 40 minutes late.

QF61, the 0925 hours BNE - NRT is also normally pretty good but on Monday it departed at 1041, 76 late. Expected at gate arrival has become 2001 hours, 151 minutes late.

These estimated arrivals (taken from the QF website) for QF79 and QF61 look suspiciously like they're overestimating the delays by an hour, given Japan is two hours behind AEDT and an hour behind AEST.

On Sunday 2, the B744 on QF28 from SCL to SYD pushed back at 1517 hours mid afternoon (102 minutes behind the timetable) so SYD arrival should be 1843 early this evening (Monday 3), 53 minutes down.

 

[jb747]

Is 6052 going directly to Learmonth. The FR24 track looks like it’s going to Darwin.

 

[Quickstatus]

Is 6052 going directly to Learmonth. The FR24 track looks like it’s going to Darwin.

They seem to be flying an established air route - it was tailing a CX Flight to AU.

LEA has less facilities than DRW - especially the medical kind.

 

[Must...Fly!]

They seem to be flying an established air route - it was tailing a CX Flight to AU.

LEA has less facilities than DRW - especially the medical kind.

Look up the normal path of CX171 to Perth

That is much more relevant than a flight to Sydney.

 

[Quickstatus]

I understand. Maybe they decided someone on board required medical attention - better at DRW than LEA. Or maybe head in direction of DRW in case

It flew directly south until HKG then took a 150 heading after that.

 

[Must...Fly!]

I understand. Maybe they decided someone on board required medical attention - better at DRW than LEA

You could be right though, it would be interesting to see the plan.

Maybe there were some flight path restrictions based on where they could legally plan an alternate given all the travel restrictions. Just guessing now!

 

[Melburnian1]

In more on Monday 3 February 2020, QF43, the 1650 hours SYD - DPS that's had a bit of a chequered history timewise lately, has been altered to depart at 1855 with Bali arrival at 2150 tonight, 110 minutes tardy. This will delay the evening QF44 back down to SYD overnight.

 

[Quickstatus]

FA suggests that VH-OEE will be flown LEA-SYD this evening departing 1700 arriving into SYD at 0004hrs presumably by a different crew.
It is in transit as QF6032 and should arrive around 1600hrs into LEA.

Will the curfew delegate allow that?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Considering it needs to get to Sydney to be deep cleaned I imagine this would have been arranged long in advance and most definitely approved considering the alternative...

 

[Melburnian1]

FA suggests that VH-OEE will be flown LEA-SYD this evening departing 1700 arriving into SYD at 0004hrs presumably by a different crew.
It is in transit as QF6032 and should arrive around 1600hrs into LEA.

Will the curfew delegate allow that?

While I've not looked at every curfew dispensation report submitted to Federal Parliament every three months (with a lag!), impression is that since the Coalition was elected, far fewer flights into/out of SYD have been denied permission to land/takeoff. (For takeoff, the critical time is receiving permission prior to about 2245 hours to taxi), then once permission is granted IIRC flight crew can take off (to the south) at any time.

Although the B744 will be devoid of Wuhan 'escapees' and presumably not have medical or support staff on board - they'll be off to XCH - it wouldn't be good publicity for the National Party Leader Michael McCormack to have his delegate deny permission to land at say 0004 hours.

We'll see if I'm wrong but surely the flight will be spending more than an hour in LEA given its specialised nature and precautionary handling procedures (whether for substance or part show) that will be mandated? It isn't just a SIN QF1/2 intermediate stop. For a start, LEA must lack an aerobridge, so wheeling the steps to the plane chews up a bit of extra time.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes. I suspect VH-OEE will overnight there.
Deplaning of all passengers, officials, medics plus their equipment plus luggage plus fuel uplift will be maybe 2 hrs.

 

[jb747]

Interesting. It went quite close to Darwin, before turning southwest. I’d have expected the route would have turned much further north, near Manado.

As it’s a government charter, I’d expect the curfew issues are somewhat different to normal. Not sure whether that means easier or more difficult.

 

[Quickstatus]

I read somewhere they closed off the upstairs J cabin to passengers on VH-OEE.

Are there stairs that enable access to the 747 upperdeck doors so the pilots taking OEE back to SYD dont have to access the main deck cabin?

Ferry pilots for LEA-SYD may have been prepositioned today on the QFlink PER-LEA QF1640 which arrived at 0715hrs.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Interesting. It went quite close to Darwin, before turning southwest. I’d have expected the route would have turned much further north, near Manado.

As it’s a government charter, I’d expect the curfew issues are somewhat different to normal. Not sure whether that means easier or more difficult.

Completely avoided the more populated islands of Indonesia it seems, and Brunei. Wonder if that was forced.

 

[Quickstatus]

Would be interesting to know if there were variations/conditions to the permission to overfly certain landmasses.

I speculate that they aimed for DRW in case someone got sick on board inflight. It would be easier to offload in DRW and quicker to get there if they aimed directly for DRW??

 

[Melburnian1]

QF565 (A332 VH-EBP, the 1340 hours transcontinental SYD across to PER) on Monday 3 February) took off at 1459. At gate arrival looks like 47 minutes behind schedule at 1622 hours.

 

[woodborer]

From what I have heard, they had to go around Indonesia, rather than fly over it..

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes but they did over fly the eastern tip of Sulawesi (Manado) and also the Moluccas islands.
Perhaps they were not given permission to land at the usual major Indonesian airports, therefore they could not consider them as a diversion airport.