SYD Diversions yesterday

[reubee]

Can anyone tell me why QF44 (AKL-SYD) was diverted to Brisbane yesterday. I knew someone on the flight and they told me they were diverted due to "staff shortages". Of course there were people on board that were eventually supposed to to go Brisbane but they had to stay on board and go back to Sydney...

[make-mine-a-Coopers]

There were a number of reasons for diversions yesterday, Reubee. What were the exact times involved? ie ATD NZAA, ETA YSSY, DIV time from route.

Let me know, and I'll find out for you.

mmaC...

[reubee]

It was QF44 AKL-SYD, scheduled as 1800-1930. Person I knew on board said the reason they were given was staff shortages, but she wasn't able to say who was short of staff, QF, ATC, Customs, Ground staff?

Interestingly enough the QF website shows QF44 for yesterday as...

QF 44
Operated by: Qantas Airways
Depart:Auckland 31 Aug at 18:00
Arrive:Sydney 31 Aug at 21:50
Stopover:Brisbane for 0:30 hours
Total Time:5:50 hours
Aircraft:Boeing 767-300 - view seat map (http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/inTheAir/ourAircraft/seatMap763)

Thanks

[missy]

Perhaps the answer lies here

...chronic staff shortages that caused the holding at Sydney to blow out to 60mins yesterday and required us to stop departures out of BN and CG for SY for nearly an hour.

See this topic Working for Airservices Australia, the safety based organisation - post #19

or perhaps visit the home page of the Civil Air site
http://http://www.civilair.asn.au (http://www.civilair.asn.au)

I understand that there was an unforecast thunderstorm that swept across Sydney Airport during the early evening exacerbated things.
Sydney Airport winds (source BoM):
6:00 N 12-14 knots
6:05 W 13-18 knots
6:06 WSW 21-30 knots
6:15 W 22-30 knots
6:30 W 10-14 knots
Single runway operations (RWY 25 only) for 20+ minutes would have dramatically added to airborne holding.

Of course, it is possible that the "staff shortage" related to air crew duty time limitations.

[make-mine-a-Coopers]

One reason - as Missy said - was that there was an "unforecast(?) thunderstorm that swept across Sydney Airport during the early evening"

Just ask the RAAF 34SQN VIP CL60 that taxied for YSCB from Dom5 apron for the 34R MARUB3WOL SID. Passing TWY D they were advised "Taxi for 34L SYD2 DEP due DIV E of COT."

Subsequently, when they neared the TWY A6 holding point for RWY 34L the >24K XW westerly hit with the approaching thunderstorm.

PLAN C: "Taxi to holding point G4 RWY 25" (ie, where you started from, number 8 in the DEP sequence now). By the time they got there again the thunderstorm (and therefore the westerly) had passed through and they had <12K HW. 45 minutes after taxi time, wheels up for the nation's capital.

Add this meteorological event to the numerous staff shortages within the YSSY ATC units at that time - which obviously reduced their through rates (a situation that is ultimately caused by the Australian Government's ATC staffing number employment policies) and you'll understand why your friend on QFA 44 - and tens of thousands of other individuals - were inconvenienced on Sunday.

mmaC

[HardCorePawn]

I was onboard the aircraft...

According to the captain, the "staff shortages" were ATC-based... holding was going to be an hour or so, and we did not have sufficient fuel. So a nice 90 degree turn to the right and we headed for BNE...

Felt sorry for those who were supposed to be catching a connecting flight to BNE, they were unable to disembark (apparently the crew tried everything sort of going to jail to get them off the aircraft), and by the time we got to SYD, the curfew had kicked in, so they were staying overnight...

As the captain pointed out, the only glimmer of light in this whole saga was the fact that a flight due in to SYD had been diverted to Canberra... it too had passengers on board who were supposed to be catching connecting flights... to Canberra... including a bunch of pollies... like the Minister of Transport!! :}


ps. Don't try to catch a taxi from SYD international terminal after curfew... 45 minute wait... and I was about 8th in the queue! :ugh: Luckily I got Michael Schumacher as a driver... so it only took about 15 minutes to get into the city! :eek:

[reubee]

... the person I knew on board told me the story about the poor passengers intending to goto BNE and CBR.

For something like this, the extra expenses occured by QF in this instance would go a long way towards paying an annual extra ATC salary.

[Fris B. Fairing]

Why weren't the BNE & CBR pax allowed to disembark?

[HardCorePawn]

"Security" was the reason we were given...

I think it was more likely to be related to "Money" (ie. overtime for customs, immigration etc.)