Qantas may still need to stop in Dubai on Perth-London flights

16 replies

AvNerd5

Member since 22 Mar 2018

Total posts 2

I have recently heard that Qantas will still need to stop in Dubai en-route to London about 20-30% of the time due to weather issues. Any comments?

sgb

Emirates Airlines - Skywards

Member since 30 Nov 2015

Total posts 419

Pray for good weather!!!

John Phelan

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 28 Oct 2011

Total posts 261

It's a bit like the QF8 sometimes stops in NAN or BNE - extreme headwinds can slow you down to the extent that you don't have enough fuel to make it the whole way. A DXB stop would certainly be a possibility, but I would think it more likely that it would be somewhere only an hour or two out of London - so somewhere in Europe. Also would depend on where the delay conditions occurred - might well be after the aircraft has passed DXB anyway.

mspcooper

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 09 May 2013

Total posts 442

SYD-DFW/Reverse had a similar problem, but they ironed it out. However, the media made a big deal about poor planning etc. I would expect them to have few issues based on wind, weather etc. I would say 4-6 months after the initial flight, they would do this very professionally without any dramas even with weather events.

aniljak

Member since 15 Sep 2012

Total posts 98

I would be more concerned about return leg. Nearest suitable alternate airport for Perth is Port Headland! Not sure aircraft has capability of flying to Perth and then do a diversion. May have to land enroute if Perth forecast requies an alternate just to stay legal - Not sure of great circle route they are going to fly but likely Dubai, Male in Maldives, India or Christmas island. Africa may also come into play due winds. Not sure i would want to stop in Kenya or Ethiopia at moment! Jakarta or Singapore also may be in play.

LAX - Melbourne flights used to actually lodge plan as Lax - Syd or Nadi and then refile in flight diversion on to Melbourne. If planned to Melbourne often couldnt upload enough fuel with an alternate.
A stopover for fuel will play havoc with schedule considering short 90 min turnarounds in Perth and Melbourne before flying to LAX.
Anybody know what route the aircraft will take?

dm12

Member since 08 Feb 2018

Total posts 200

I would be more concerned about return leg. Nearest suitable alternate airport for Perth is Port Headland! Not sure aircraft has capability of flying to Perth and then do a diversion. May have to land enroute if Perth forecast requies an alternate just to stay legal - Not sure of great circle route they are going to fly but likely Dubai, Male in Maldives, India or Christmas island. Africa may also come into play due winds. Not sure i would want to stop in Kenya or Ethiopia at moment! Jakarta or Singapore also may be in play.
LAX - Melbourne flights used to actually lodge plan as Lax - Syd or Nadi and then refile in flight diversion on to Melbourne. If planned to Melbourne often couldnt upload enough fuel with an alternate.
A stopover for fuel will play havoc with schedule considering short 90 min turnarounds in Perth and Melbourne before flying to LAX.
Anybody know what route the aircraft will take?

Learmonth or Meekatharra are both available and a light-on-fuel could land at Kalgoorlie. But the dominant range issue is westbound not eastbound. Quite unlikely to occur eastbound I’d say.


They know before takeoff whether conditions will require a stop and I guess it could be anywhere depending on the route. India/Colombo come to mind. Or they’ll reduce the pax/cargo load if they need to.

aniljak

Member since 15 Sep 2012

Total posts 98

Learmonth, Meekathara and Kalgoorlie cant be pe plaanned as alternates for international flights due lack of customs and immigration. Learmonth has been used in past but passengers are not allowed to leave aircraft.

Have seen on another site route may go north over Singapore and China then Russia.

habui

Member since 19 May 2015

Total posts 9

Aniljak,



The return leg to Australia won’t have the headwinds issue. It’s the westbound direction where this problem prevails.



As someone else mentioned, this is why the flight from Dallas to Sydney occasionally diverts to Brisbane. It never diverts in the outbound leg towards Dallas.


For this new LHR route imagine the diversion option is probably Frankfurt or Helsinki?

Last editedby habui at Mar 23, 2018, 02:01 PM.

Red Cee

Member since 15 Feb 2018

Total posts 151

Qantas hVe been conducting research on the weather conditions for this route for the last two years. I think you’ll find diversions will be pretty rare. That of course isn’t to say they won’t happen, but it will be a rare event.

henrus

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 23 Oct 2013

Total posts 766

7News got access to Qantas' operation centre and took a video of the route. I had to take 4 screenshots of the video and moved them around to make the one big map (hence it's quite blury etc) but it gives a good idea of the route they plan to take.

henrus

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 23 Oct 2013

Total posts 766

There is also this map which shows Singapore, New Dehli and northern Europe as possible diversion's to that route and not that in both versions Dubai is nowhere near the planned route (again the photo comes from 7 news Perth).

dm12

Member since 08 Feb 2018

Total posts 200

Learmonth, Meekathara and Kalgoorlie cant be pe plaanned as alternates for international flights due lack of customs and immigration. Learmonth has been used in past but passengers are not allowed to leave aircraft.
Have seen on another site route may go north over Singapore and China then Russia.

They don’t need customs if they’re only refuelling though :-)

aniljak

Member since 15 Sep 2012

Total posts 98

Dm12: Be aware that if no customs then passengers required to remain on plane. Turns trip from 17 hours to over 20!


Thank you to those who posted route maps.

Not sure how a refuelling stop affects crew hours also - will be two crew operation but are they allowed to be on duty for 24 hours allowing for prep time?

patrickk

Qantas

Member since 19 Apr 2012

Total posts 731

There will be more than two flight crew, more likely four. Captain first office and two second officers. They need two two person crews to keep the hours inside the limits.

Taxman42

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 01 Dec 2011

Total posts 8

QF9, 2 hours to go to London. Over Romania currently.

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