Interesting aircraft choices

[motef]

Hi all

Just looking at some flights and more out of curiosity i noticed that

- Qatar flight QR82 from BER to DOH and blocked at 5hr 45min is serviced by a 777-300ER

- Qatar flight QR676 from DOH to MLE and blocked at 5hr 10min is serviced by a A320

So very similar flight times but two very different aircraft types, understanding that many things go into aircraft choice including freight and passenger loads but thought it was interesting anyway

from AviatorJoe webiste

 

[henrus]

So very similar flight times but two very different aircraft types, understanding that many things go into aircraft choice including freight and passenger loads but thought it was interesting anyway

Two things are at play here, freight and the number of flights. Berlin has been receiving 4 flights per week operated by a 777-300 and Male has been receiving 2-4 flights per day. The two daily flights to Male are operated by 777's, a 4x weekly flight is operated by an A320 and a 3x weekly flight is operated by a 787. Male already receives more flights than Berlin so scheduling in an A320 is just them adding extra capacity to the route.

Ignoring the flights to Male, by looking at yesterday's and tomorrow's seat map the Berlin flights have had roughly 50-70 people in economy which could easily fit on an A320 however one thing that the comparison table is missing is the freight loads: The A320 has a maximum freight volume of 37.40 m3 whilst the 777's have 201.6 m³ (these don't take into account passenger baggage/load).

Qatar Airways finds itself in a similar position with the Australian flights. They could operate much smaller aircraft like 787-800s or even an A319 from DOH-CMB(fueling stop)-PER but the freight capacity of the 777's means they'd rather operate a 777 with just 30-50 passengers and fill the rest of the aircraft freight.

Whilst Qantas doesn't have any 777's in their fleet, they do have a lot of other aircraft which they list on their freight fleet page, it's interesting seeing the cubic capacity and maximum weight depending on each aircraft based on full loads:

Freight Aircraft Fleet | Equipment - Qantas Freight

Explore aircraft capacity information of Qantas and Qantas Freight's current fleet and the next generation of aircraft to be introduced.

freight.qantas.com

 

[motef]

Two things are at play here, freight and the number of flights. Berlin has been receiving 4 flights per week operated by a 777-300 and Male has been receiving 2-4 flights per day. The two daily flights to Male are operated by 777's, a 4x weekly flight is operated by an A320 and a 3x weekly flight is operated by a 787. Male already receives more flights than Berlin so scheduling in an A320 is just them adding extra capacity to the route.

Ignoring the flights to Male, by looking at yesterday's and tomorrow's seat map the Berlin flights have had roughly 50-70 people in economy which could easily fit on an A320 however one thing that the comparison table is missing is the freight loads: The A320 has a maximum freight volume of 37.40 m3 whilst the 777's have 201.6 m³ (these don't take into account passenger baggage/load).

Qatar Airways finds itself in a similar position with the Australian flights. They could operate much smaller aircraft like 787-800s or even an A319 from DOH-CMB(fueling stop)-PER but the freight capacity of the 777's means they'd rather operate a 777 with just 30-50 passengers and fill the rest of the aircraft freight.

Whilst Qantas doesn't have any 777's in their fleet, they do have a lot of other aircraft which they list on their freight fleet page, it's interesting seeing the cubic capacity and maximum weight depending on each aircraft based on full loads:

Freight Aircraft Fleet | Equipment - Qantas Freight

Explore aircraft capacity information of Qantas and Qantas Freight's current fleet and the next generation of aircraft to be introduced.

freight.qantas.com

Thanks for the great answer. Much appreciated

 

[Mattg]

As @henrus says, freight plays a very large role in this.

It's not necessarily new for airlines to use widebody aircraft on shorter flights, and narrowbody aircraft on longer flights (within the range of the aircraft), where passenger/freight demand makes this a more profitable option.

For example, Qatar Airways regularly uses 787s/A350s on short flights within the Midlde East (DOH-KWI, etc.) while using A320s on "thin" routes to Europe, such as flights to Belgrade or Pisa (when that route was still being served). DOH-PSA is over 6 hours.

Some airlines also use widebody aircraft on shorter flights to simply position the aircraft, even though using a narrowbody is more economical on routes up to approx. 4-5 hours in length (see here). E.g. some of the Qantas A330 SYD-MEL flights may serve this purpose.