Qantas to start flights from Darwin to Singapore

[exLXCXFF]

I mean if you go back far enough, QF1 went through DRW (although it was probably EM1 back then)

You don’t need to go that far back, remember March 2020

 

[serfty]

Going back a bit when Qantas offered around Australia trips with 5 stops for 30000 points (around 2001) I remember definitely taking a Qantas flight Cairns - Darwin which then went to Sin. (You could do the domestic let on the international flight - drinks and food!)

37½K points in Business - up to 11,000Km, stops were not an issue.

 

[jb747]

It's well within the range at full payload according to the QF website (not all E190s are equal so going with their figures). 2450 NM, DRW-SIN is 1803 NM (1829 NM via the normal air routes).

I love the way that's been worded. It does not say that they can fly it with full passengers and their luggage, and cargo, and appropriate weather reserves. There is a nominated payload figure of about 16,000 kgs. Carriage of that amount, whether self loading or otherwise, is full payload. So it's going to be shared amongst the passengers, their luggage, and any payload in the hold. And any time-limited cargo will bump passengers and/or luggage. This is a normal sort of calculation, but, I don't see this aircraft as being easily capable of the trip on any days with extensive holding on the forecast. The rule for Singapore that I used, was to carry at least an hour of holding when nothing was officially required. Lots more when it was on the forecast. It was amazing how often that saved our bacon.

I think MEL-DRW is more affected by the jetstream than DRW-SIN is.

Neither are particularly affected by jet streams. The issue is one of alternates, and the need for them. Singapore, and Darwin, both have horrendous weather forecasts as a normal event. Melbourne not so much.

 

[justinbrett]

I love the way that's been worded. It does not say that they can fly it with full passengers and their luggage, and cargo, and appropriate weather reserves. There is a nominated payload figure of about 16,000 kgs. Carriage of that amount, whether self loading or otherwise, is full payload. So it's going to be shared amongst the passengers, their luggage, and any payload in the hold. And any time-limited cargo will bump passengers and/or luggage. This is a normal sort of calculation, but, I don't see this aircraft as being easily capable of the trip on any days with extensive holding on the forecast. The rule for Singapore that I used, was to carry at least an hour of holding when nothing was officially required. Lots more when it was on the forecast. It was amazing how often that saved our bacon.

Neither are particularly affected by jet streams. The issue is one of alternates, and the need for them. Singapore, and Darwin, both have horrendous weather forecasts as a normal event. Melbourne not so much.

I mean those figures would give QF (Alliance) ~1.5 hours of holding at max payload ( based on max range being 2450 and only 1829 needed, so 621 to play with). 96 seats and bags at average weights (I think about 87Kg + 23Kg = 110kg) = 10,560Kg so they have a little flex to play with. Probably more than what VA's working with to get to HND.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

We used to fly CNS-DRW-SGP route (connecting from POM) through the mid-late 2000s. It was primarily a 767-300 or A330 (depending on the timeframe)
Normally CNS-DRW were old all economy 737-400 in that period so it was a nice change.

I remember Malaysian Airlines innauguraed their KL-DRW-ADL service in 1998, can't recall when they cancelled it though. By about 2004 Royal Brunei was the only true international connection north out of Darwin to get to major hubs (Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, Frankfurt, London etc) and since they shut it down when Qantas muscled them out in the later 2000s (then left) Darwin has struggled to maintain any international routes beyond Dili and Bali.