Fuel shortage at Melbourne Airport could force flight delays, diversions

[puppysparkes]

[h=1]Fuel shortage at Melbourne Airport could force flight delays, diversions[/h]By the National Reporting Team's Sam Clark
Updated 4 minutes ago
PHOTO: An aviation expert says the shortage could start causing problems from this afternoon. (Supplied: Melbourne Airport)
MAP: Melbourne 3000
A major fuel shortage at Melbourne Airport could cause flight delays and force some international flights to divert and re-fuel.
The ABC has been told that less than 2 million litres of aviation fuel is available at the country's second busiest airport after a shipment of fuel failed quality controls following its arrival by ship in Melbourne.
An A380 can require more than 300,000 litres of fuel for a long-haul flight.
The incident is believed to be far more severe than two fuel shortages last year that forced airlines to ration fuel when flying.
Barry Abrams, executive director of the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, said the fuel shortage was particularly troubling for international airlines and was likely to cause problems from as early as this afternoon.
"International airlines were last night advised that due to shortages in the supply of jet fuel to the airport, the National Operating Committee on Jet Fuel Supply Assurance changed the fuel supply status in Melbourne to a 'black traffic light' and immediate and deep fuel rationing," Mr Abrams said.
Do you know more about this story? Email [email protected]

The fuel shortage could force international flights to stop en route to their destination to refuel.
The shortages mean that domestic flights operating into Melbourne will need to carry more fuel than normal to prevent Melbourne Airport's supplies being exhausted.
Melbourne Airport has been approached for comment

Fuel shortage at Melbourne Airport could force flight delays, diversions - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[drron]

And here we are on our QF awards flying SYD-MEL-LAX next week.
What's the bet a short hop back to SYD to load the fuel?

 

[TomVexille]

And here we are on our QF awards flying SYD-MEL-LAX next week.
What's the bet a short hop back to SYD to load the fuel?

Just tell them that you'll wait for the aircraft in the SYD F lounge.

 

[UP4014]

What happens when you import everything without a redundency. I guess the immediate plan B is to start trucking it until the next ship arrives.

If a 380 is 300,000 l then that's only about 6 or 7 aircraft.

 

[jb747]

What happens when you import everything without a redundency. I guess the immediate plan B is to start trucking it until the next ship arrives.

Truck it from where?

If a 380 is 300,000 l then that's only about 6 or 7 aircraft.

6 or 7 aircraft? Or trucks.

Load to LA will be a little less than 200,000 kgs. At a density of .7 kg per litre, that's just on 285k litres. Dubai load is similar.

 

[Pushka]

QF 35 flight MEL - SIN was cancelled. Better not do that on Boxing Day as we connect with a cruise the next day. Plus it's the flight we booked in J for the DSC offer.

 

[Melburnian1]

I am trying to keep the cancellations/ delays threads up to date with diversions. It's not as if there is no available fuel in MEL, but more that availability is down to 70 per cent of normal.

Collectively, this must be costing airlines hundreds of thousands of dollars a day if not more. Many passengers who miss connections overseas may be very annoyed, particularly if they are on a tight timetable or the frequency of the next leg is low.

Some diversions have been extremely unusual.

One CX flight from MEL on Friday 25 November deviated via CNS, another more logically via ADL. At least two more were predicted by CX tomorrow to deviate via ADL, typically adding 90 minutes to the gate-to-gate trip time.

The QF flights from MEL to HKG and SIN deviated via SYD.

A VA MEL - CHC went via SYD, so it could not have had access to a huge amount of fuel in MEL.

The late night EK flight from MEL to DXB is to deviate via PER, but the same (as I write) appears not to be true for the slightly later (close to midnight) QF flight to DXB (and LHR).

A JQ MEL - HNL went via SYD to refuel, and JQ had other diversions.

See the individual cancellations/ delays airline threads by name for further details where I have tracked them down.

Lots of other international flights did not deviate, presumably because either they had access to sufficient fuel in MEL or (as a precaution) they had taken on extra fuel in their country of origin.

As one of our pilot contributors stated elsewhere (in the 'ask the pilot' section), these deviations play havoc with crewing because of maximum hours limitations. It's the airline equivalent of fatigue management in the rail and road (freight and passenger) surface transport modes.

Engineers (train drivers) on Amtrak (passenger rail operator, government owned) in the good ol' USA have a rule that once they get to 12 hours of duty, the train stops. It's a little difficult to do that with longhaul flights.

While a rare problem, having insufficient fuel at MEL does little for Melbourne or Victoria's reputation.

 

[PLANT]

This going to be sorted by Dec?

 

[puppysparkes]

This going to be sorted by Dec?

A quick scan of related articles confirms nobody has a clue.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/11/26/fuel-shortage-melbourne-delays-flights

It's unclear how long a major fuel shortage at Melbourne airport will affect airlines which are being diverted to other Australian cities to refuel.
Source: AAP
26 NOV 2016 - 3:32 AM UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Jet fuel at Melbourne Airport is being rationed because of a supply issue, forcing some international flights to make refuelling stops at other Australian cities.

The shortage has already sent thousands of travel plans into chaos with planes delayed across the network.

Qantas and Etihad Airways on Friday confirmed some of their flights would be diverted to Sydney or Perth to refuel while other international carriers contacted by AAP are yet to respond.


Airlines on domestic and short-haul international routes have been tankering fuel, with planes taking a considerably larger load of fuel into Melbourne so only a small top-up is required before they depart the airport.

Melbourne Airport says the shortage is due to "upstream supply issues" and state Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio blamed the poor quality of the fuel being delivered to the airport.

The operator of the fuel tanks at Melbourne Airport, ExxonMobil, said it was working with airlines to manage the rations.

Airport management is advising passengers to contact their airline for up-to-date information about their flights.

 

[puppysparkes]

I'm assuming that they are referring to SIN when they state "upstream supply issues".

 

[Pushka]

It would seem to me the airlines might be able to recoup their losses from the supplier.

 

[Melburnian1]

Pushka, perhaps it may be complex because the supplier may be based overseas in SIN?

 

[puppysparkes]

Too right Pushka, I can't see them letting a standards and quality issue slide.

 

[puppysparkes]

Pushka, perhaps it may be complex because the supplier may be based overseas in SIN?

Hopefully the industry chemists would factor in all elements of manufacturing and transportation.

 

[Skyring]

I'm impressed by the complexity of solutions. As noted by jb747 in the AtP thread, limits on crew hours rule out some refuelling solutions. And he goes on to note that landing weights limit how much fuel can be tankered in.

Having aircraft divert to refuel adds time and has a knock-on effect with aircraft out of position. Cancel flights, and there's more aircraft where they shouldn't be.

There must be a lot of grey hairs appearing on the heads of those who have to juggle the normal routine, which is a complex act in its own right. Throw in a bit of fog or a storm, and it's a recipe for chaos.

At least from our perspective of careful plans laid months in advance, with seat selections and transfers plotted carefully. I'm sure the airlines will work together to keep people moving.

 

[Melburnian1]

There must be a lot of grey hairs appearing on the heads of those who have to juggle the normal routine, which is a complex act in its own right. Throw in a bit of fog or a storm, and it's a recipe for chaos.

Skyring, very perceptive observations. Talking of 'adding in', this morning there was 88 millimetres of rain that fell at BNE (the airport, but to add insult to injury, not the 'Brisbane city' weather bureau monitoring point!) between 0615 and 0830 hours. And yet this is the airport to which three mainland Chinese carriers (CZ, AC and MU) are divering three flights ex MEL that are scheduled to depart between 1030 and 'high noon' on Saturday 26 August to, for extra fuel.

Surely working in a major airline operations centre must be very, very stressful at times, just like a train controller in SYD or MEL to give a surface transport comparison.

We even have today an AI flight out of MEL planning to call in at SIN for fuel.

Those of us who are older can vaguely remember 'milk runs' on second tier carriers from Oz to Europe: I've had one. This isn't quite as complex, but it brings back memories of now mostly vanished Australian domstic triangular routing with AI, PR and JQi in recent years.

 

[Quickstatus]

supply problems of Jet fuel to MEL is easing.

Melbourne Airport jet fuel shortage begins to ease, airlines reporting no delays - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[Quickstatus]

but it brings back memories of now mostly vanished Australian domstic triangular routing with AI, PR and JQi in recent years.

Add to that MH.