QF9- 8hrs MEL-SYD

[Hvr]

A Qantas flight from Melbourne to Dubai has back-tracked to Sydney Airport after flying halfway across the country before encountering engineering problems.


The A380 landed at Sydney Airport about 6.50am on Tuesday, more than eight hours after it left Melbourne.

The plane left Melbourne Airport at around 11pm. After turning back over South Australia, flight tracking websites showed the plane entering holding patterns over Cowra and Goulburn.

Read more: Qantas Melbourne to Dubai flight circles for hours before returning to Sydney
Follow us: @theage on Twitter | theageAustralia on Facebook
​

Whilst I understand that it would be easier to get the required maintenance in SYD and there is a curfew surely six plus hours in a holding pattern in way too much?

I reckon pax in Y would be too exhausted to then do the long journey to DXB/LHR.

 

[RooFlyer]

SMH version has a photo caption in the story "A Qantas A380 was forced into an emergency landing in Sydney".

Quality journalism.

Always.

 

[ric_melb]

SMH also has a headline regarding the article stating " Qantas passengers suffer eight hour flight nightmare". I am sure cabin service would have been available during the eight hours, so what suffering would there have been, and what nightmare also? I wonder if the eight hours, and the holding pattern, related to burning fuel or the Sydney curfew.

 

[opusman]

I'm not sure Melbourne to just past Adelaide counts as "halfway across the country".

 

[Pushka]

Also noticed on news.com.au it said the plane landed 'well after Sydney curfew'. It landed at 6.50am. I guess in some calculations that's after the curfew! Quality journalism. Not.

Hate the media propensity to dramatise everything. Making the story up as they go then publicising it as fact. When its either just their opinion or they've made it up.

 

[opusman]

Actually it seems that the flight track shown in the article was wrong, they actually turned around west of Warburton, WA:

Qantas (QF) #9 ✈ 04-Apr-2016 ✈ MEL / YMML - DXB / OMDB ✈ FlightAware

They seem to have just taken off again from SYD for DXB.

 

[BD1959]

Kudos to QF on getting this turned-around so quickly, I wonder if F enjoyed two Tasting services?!?

Regards,

BD

 

[Mattg]

Just saw the new QF9 taking off from SYD. Will be a long flight for those travellig to LHR.

It's now estimated to arrive in London around 11.30pm. Doesn't LHR have a curfew?

 

[kelvedon]

Fuel burn surely.

 

[BD1959]

It's now estimated to arrive in London around 11.30pm. Doesn't LHR have a curfew?

More a severe quota rather than curfew (from Heathrow Operations website):

[h=2]Number of flights at night[/h] Between 11:30pm and 6am Heathrow is restricted by the Government to 5,800 night-time take-offs and landings a year. There is also a night quota limit, which caps the amount of noise the airport can make at night. Around 80% of the night flights at Heathrow are between 4.30-6am with on average around 16 aircraft are scheduled to arrive each day between these hours. Heathrow also has a voluntary ban in place that prevents flights scheduled between 4:30am-6am from landing before 4:30am. We also do not schedule any departures between 11pm and 6am.



Regards,

BD

 

[jb747]

Whilst I understand that it would be easier to get the required maintenance in SYD and there is a curfew surely six plus hours in a holding pattern in way too much?

Count the holding patterns on flight radar. It only did about 4 runs around the pattern. If anything, it looks a bit like Sydney morning congestion. From Melbourne to the turnaround point, and then to the first hold is about 6 hours.

 

[turtlemichael]

jb747, where does a vibrating engine rate as an emergency?

 

[jb747]

jb747, where does a vibrating engine rate as an emergency?

Anywhere on the scale of shut it down now, to minor curiosity. It's quite possible that it was a prediction of an issue from RR...a bit like SMART status on a hard drive. Anyway, even if shut down, it's a straight forward failure on a 4 engined aircraft. Not an emergency at all.

 

[RichardMEL]

Personally I'm surprised they didn't head to SIN - surely closer, QF have staff there and there's A380 experience too.

Still, I can understand them going to SYD

I suspect the quick turn was perhaps an a/c swap?

 

[Hvr]

Count the holding patterns on flight radar. It only did about 4 runs around the pattern. If anything, it looks a bit like Sydney morning congestion. From Melbourne to the turnaround point, and then to the first hold is about 6 hours.

Thank you for providing a logical and sensible response as to the time taken to land.

A competent journalist should have presented this information in the original article so as to give a proper picture of the reason why it took the amount of time to return and land.

 

[njba]

Kudos to QF on getting this turned-around so quickly, I wonder if F enjoyed two Tasting services?!?

Regards,

BD

I wonder that too: was there any cabin service? I suppose they would have had an opportunity to reload in Sydney while they were fixing the whatsit.

 

[jb747]

Personally I'm surprised they didn't head to SIN - surely closer, QF have staff there and there's A380 experience too.

Still, I can understand them going to SYD

I suspect the quick turn was perhaps an a/c swap?

Singapore? Not even a vague consideration. The aircraft needed to be replaced, and that was only going to happen reasonably quickly in Sydney. Also crew are available there...

 

[RichardMEL]

Well the engine was vibrating above what it should have been. I'm no engineer but maybe it didn't need to be replaced. I accept that it was and maybe that was the only solution(ie a full engine change out required on the aircraft). if so then yeah SYD would be the only logical place to go.


not great at all. Still everyone was safe and well and seems QF will be down a 380 for a bit perhaps while this is sorted out

 

[jb747]

....and seems QF will be down a 380 for a bit perhaps while this is sorted out

I wouldn't be surprised to see it back in service later today. Engine changes don't take long.

 

[UP4014]

Personally I'm surprised they didn't head to SIN - surely closer, QF have staff there and there's A380 experience too.

Still, I can understand them going to SYD

I suspect the quick turn was perhaps an a/c swap?

If the flight isn't going to continue on the same day or use the same aricraft much easier to be in your friendly home where other aircraft available, as well as hotels or returning people to Melbourne.