Qantas flights from Damascus

[Airborne20]

I am trying to trace information to a flight I took on the 16th July 1976 from Damascus to Sydney. Would appreciate if any out there has any information related to it. Thanks in advance

[merlinxx]

Did QF serve DAM ? I was there on/off for 74/5 & only BOAC came through enroute eastabout. May have been a QF tkt, but a Speedbird VC10 :confused:

[captain.speaking]

Well, I don't have any '76 schedules, but in '72 there was a 2 x weekly service with B707's, departing DAM at 0245 on Thursdays [QF.734] and at 0115 on Sundays [QF.740]. and in 1977/78 the service was only once weekly with B747's, departing at 0135 on Tuesdays [QF.002].

By '77, the BA services via DAM don't seem to have gone much beyond India.

Ring any bells ?

R

[WHBM]

The Syrian CAA introduced a requirement in the 1970s that required overflying carriers to make some scheduled stops in the country. Believe Pan Am did the same as Qantas. It was either stop one/two a week or go around with everything, and with Israel to the south the dogleg could be substantial on long haul multi-stop sectors like Rome to the Gulf. BA had done so all along anyway believing there to be a commecial demand from London.

Now I've looked at a 1973 Pan Am timetable they did twice a week PA 119 Tehran-Damascus-Beirut-Rome (no traffic rights Damascus-Beirut) with a 707, connecting there into a 747.

[4Greens]

Óperated 707 through Damascus in 1971 and 1973. No entries for 76. It was a bit creepy, after landing an anti aircraft gun trained on you all the way to the terminal.

[merlinxx]

These were tech (pay the landing fees) & not revenue stops, I never sighted any embark/disembark, though did offer assist to crew if I & engineers were on the airport.

We did have a TWA div one night, very twitchy crew. Best mvt was the ransom AF 70 with the Transavia crew.

[Feather #3]

I was converting to the B747 at that time and subsequently operated though DAM several times.

G'day ;)

[WHBM]

I've an August 1980 timetable here and Qantas are still operating through Damascus once a week each way with a 747. Nonstop to London (only such flight of the week) and multiple stops the other way to Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.

Not well coordnated with BA as one of their twice weekly VC-10s to London leaves 2 hours after the weekly Qantas flight.

Merlinxx, these are public flights in the timetable. Whether they actually handled any paying passengers is of course another matter !

[Pom Pax]

The Syrian CAA introduced a requirement in the 1970s that required overflying carriers to make some scheduled stops in the country
Thanks WHBM, this explains why Singapore were going Rome-overhead Cairo-Bahrien. Had always imagined it was to avoid overflying numerous nearby hot spots.

[Airborne20]

Many thanks to all who responded, I actually keep as a hobby all boarding passes for all flights taken as a passenger, so far I have 504 boarding passes with the exception for that 1st flight I ever took which was from Damascus (Qantas Airline bound for Sydney) since Beirut airport was under siege at the time, all information for that flight (flight schedule, stop overs, etc are missing from my records) and thought some of you may have commanded that flight & can help me with any info on it.

Once again many thanks & good day to all
B.Regards