- Joined
- Oct 13, 2013
- Posts
- 16,359
The weak link in Australia, with regards to low visibility operations, is the airports. With a couple of recent exceptions, the required equipment simply does not exist. I would expect that pretty well all of the jet aircraft would be capable, though I don't know if the domestic operators would bother qualifying pilots for operations that simply don't happen....it wouldn't seem to be a good way to spend training dollars.
Beyond that though, there is another issue. Any time we operate in foggy conditions, we also require an alternate that isn't affected. In Europe acceptable alternates are pretty common, and not normally all that far away. In Australia most alternates for heavy operations are in excess of an hours flying time away...and that is fuel that ultra long haul ops simply won't have. So, quite often, even though the conditions at my destination would allow me to fly an approach and land, unless I can find the fuel for that alternate, I can't continue. That's why, every now and then, you'll see flights like QF94 turn back to Sydney from around Albury.
One of the benefits of flying QF94 with a final connection into SYD is fog in MEL.
As JB747 says when MEL is fogged out QF94 then diverts to Sydney and SYD bound passengers may be able to disembark. Their luggage comes 1 day later.
Happened to us in January. Was bussed from A380 to terminal. Got immediate refund for MEL-SYD leg and did not even have to wait for luggage and haul it through customs and quarantine. Luggage delivered to door 1 day later.