VIRGIN TO DROP DELHI ROUTE

[bintoo]

Virgin will be dropping their delhi route currently operated utilising classics.Rumour has it that although the flights are nearly always full they are not making enough money.Route was aquired using Air India slots and in return Virgin has to give Air India 7 upper/57 economy seats for them to sell and keep the money on! <img src="frown.gif" border="0">

[Tan]

I don't find that surprising as the New Delhi run has high cost operational infrastructure problems for all carriers.

[twistedenginestarter]

Presumably your name comes from Tantalise? Would you care to expand? I could guess crew turn-around being expensive - but what else?

[Tan]

The long alternates and the cost of carrying all the extra fuel;unreliable nav aids;at certain times of the year some of the worse fog that I have ever experienced;no Cat 2 never mind Cat 3 and I wouldn't trust either one even if they were operational;your flight misses and ends up in Bombay or Karachi;the aircraft make take 72 hours to get back on its schedule;the flight crew could get their scheduling screwed up for the rest of the month resulting in your company running out of crews at month's end; the hopeless bureaucracy;

It goes on an on but you should get the picture...It's not like the old days when flying was filled with passion, now a days airlines have to make money in order to survive. The world of aviation has changed and IMHO not for the better....

By the way I liked the Delhi layovers, lots to do and see...

Cheers

[scroggs]

Tan, the rest of your points may be correct, but Delhi now has a Cat 3 ILS on 28. A far as Virgin's route is concerned, perhaps 747 would like to inform us as to when this decision was made, and from when it will take effect?

[joebanana]

Cat 3 not much use to the classic though is it!

[Slickster]

Don't see why not. Our Classics were Cat 3! <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

[Dan Winterland]

VS classics were Cat 2.

[Tan]

In my Delhi days there always was a Cat 2, but alas, it always had a notam on it. Unless things have improved considerably there is no way I would be comfortable doing a Cat 3 into Delhi. Even if you were able to land in Cat 3 would you have the required T/O RVR or would the whole operation come to a halt? Something that a Captain has to consider when doing Cat 3’s because it’s part of the big picture.

Speaking about Cat 3’s, did you ever wonder where some of the RVR limits came from? We were always told that London’s 75m RVR limit was the visibility the crash trucks required in order to reach a crash site. The dumb airplane can land in zero visibility and not know any better…

Always had fun in Delhi...Sorry we don’t fly there anymore.

Cheers

[Dan Winterland]

Has to be to do with the aircraft, as in VS Cat3 lims are 75 for the Airbus and 100 for the 744. Enough vis to taxt clear perhaps?

[Tan]

Sorry Dan, that's not the whole answer. Aircraft type does influence the RVR as does company (crew) certification. However there are local rules that also apply that we as flight crew never hear about. As you well know, all you see is the greens, until the gate appears out of the mist right in front of you. Quite magically actually...

London is the best all around Cat 3 operation that I have ever seen...

Cheers

[scroggs]

The Delhi Cat 3 (and 2) ILS is a new installation, which was declared operational in, I think, December last year. Can't speak for its reliability!. .Tan, I take it you're a Northwest guy? Had much fun with your people in DEL over the last couple of years, sad to see you're not there now.. .Interesting that 747 hasn't answered my questions; perhaps he's just starting the rumour....!