FR24 indicates a ferry flight of VH-ZNC as QF6116 from PER to MEL.
@Melburnian1
Does anyone have any idea what this unplanned grounding of VH-ZNC costed incl all knock-on impacts on QFi B787 network over the last few weeks. Surely, this was a costly one.
exLXCFF, many thanks as I hadn't checked ZNC for a day, so "perhaps" this indicates it's going back to operating passenger flights, not just to be further repaired in Melbourne?
TRime flies: B789 VH-ZNC has been unavailable for a month!
At a wild guess, definitely above A$1 million because several long distance flights (principally from memory QF93/94 MEL-LAX and return or QF73/74 SYD-SFO and return) have been cancelled with passengers, freight and mail having to have other arrangements made. There'd be significant costs in crew rerostering, perhaps deadheading in some instances.
Catering has to change at relatively short notice, although flight kitchens would be used to this.
Plus the significant costs in obtaining parts to repair the aircraft and undertake the work. Would specialist LAMEs (engineers) have to be flown in from SYD and put up in hotels?
There also may be an 'opportunity cost' in that because the QF operations centre would know various flights have to be cancelled, the booking engine may have had to be modified to show these flights as 'full' even if they were only booked to 80 or 85 per cent. Hence lost revenue that won't be regained, as passengers seek alternative airlines.
Then there's the cost of empty running, such as the flight you highlighted last night from PER to LHR. No change from A$30,000 for a three hour flight?
No airline or transport operator likes to have aircraft/rollingstock/vehicles out of service for longer than is necessary so QFi hasn't had ZNC for all to see on the tarmac at PER for weeks just to provide amusement.
Tonight, see the QF delays/cancellations thread: QF73/QF74 SYD-SFO-SYD have the chop, but this may also be because QF9 on Friday night was about 28 hours late, i.e delayed overnight, a separate issue to ZNC's grounding.
ZNM is the aircraft for the 1155 hours Sunday 22 MEL-LAX, not ZNC, and nor is ZNC operating as QF21, the 1300 hours MEL-DFW.
