D'oh!

[Transition Layer]

Bad weather delays team arrival
October 16, 2010 - 1:42PM
The Australian Commonwealth Games team has finally touched down in Sydney after being diverted to Canberra to refuel because high winds delayed its arrival.

The team's Qantas charter flight was meant to have touched down in Sydney at 6.45am but was delayed several times.

A Qantas spokesman said heavy winds had forced Sydney Airport to operate only one runway.

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As a result, the team's flight was diverted to Canberra to refuel.

Family, friends, the media, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott have been waiting since early this morning to greet the team.

There are about 300 athletes on the plane.

"Delayed several times" - holding or missed approaches due windshear or x-wind?

What odds the 747 Fleet Manager (who was in charge) was carrying min-op?

[Wingspar]

Gillard, Abbott and numerous public, media people waiting.

If there was a time to make sure you got there and on time, it would be in this instance.
I'm sure it wasn't min op.
Please tell me it wasn't min op?

[orangepeel]

Funny - as most of the other international flights that were to arrive into SYD around the same time - seemed to land ok - or with minimal delay/s

[Jabiman]

Caution the better part of valour

I think with such a large contingent of Aussie elite sports persons onboard then they were being as cautious as possible.....

[old rope]

So the rest of us that just had mere mortals onboard were not being cautious then?

[Going Boeing]

I believe that it was a "charter" flight which would have a lower priority in the arrival sequence into Sydney than RPT. Yet another reason to order additional fuel (I don't know it the Delhi runway was a limiting factor wrt carrying extra fuel on a direct service to SYD).

[mustafagander]

Runway & TOW limitations would have had no impact at all should the crew have decided to uplift 5,000Kg.

There's a very good chance that even more fuel may have been able to be uplifted but I am unable to check that.

DEL-SYD is about 12 hours, give or take.

[Capt Fathom]

Obviously had enough fuel to divert to Canberra !