Wikiposts
Search
Spectators Balcony (Spotters Corner) If you're not a professional pilot but want to discuss issues about the job, this is the best place to loiter. You won't be moved on by 'security' and there'll be plenty of experts to answer any questions.

RECENT NEW ACTIVITY @ LHR

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 17th Apr 2020, 10:53
  #21 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London
Age: 49
Posts: 280
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
RwandAir A330 Heathrow-Kigali today - new one on me
trident3A is offline  
Old 17th Apr 2020, 11:03
  #22 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Notts & Derbyshire border
Posts: 465
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by trident3A
RwandAir A330 Heathrow-Kigali today - new one on me
this is normally a LGW operation via BRU but hasn't LGW virtually shut down? A lot of ops are converging on LHR for the cargo connections also.

today, a Spanish A330 pax flying LAX-LHR arriving this morning EC-MII - must be a repatriation flight also was a Miami Air B737-8 that flex MIA-YQX-EMA yesterday evening- very interesting could be a pax or mx flight to EMA? Very interesting as this one was new to Varig originally.
BRISTOLRE is offline  
Old 17th Apr 2020, 12:31
  #23 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,864
Received 25 Likes on 18 Posts
I was on another flight at the next gate to the Rwandair A330 a couple of months back, got all excited until it was pointed out that it was an LGW regular. As mentioned, due to LGW on very reduced ops, LHR is the choice.
SpringHeeledJack is online now  
Old 17th Apr 2020, 16:56
  #24 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Tracy Island
Age: 61
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It will be interesting if Loganair use the SF340 into LHR, must be the smallest type in operation into this airport for quite a while. Will be good to see props mixed up with the big jets.
Fly.Buy is offline  
Old 19th Apr 2020, 22:40
  #25 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: UK
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Noticed over the last few days BA 777's operating under BA911* flight numbers, seems mostly to India and Pakistan. Not showing up on Heathrow website departures/arrivals, any ideas ?
Sunshade is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 05:56
  #26 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,618
Received 293 Likes on 161 Posts
Perhaps "rescue" flights to bring back stranded UK citizens?
treadigraph is online now  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 07:28
  #27 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,864
Received 25 Likes on 18 Posts
Talking of flight numbers, whilst looking at various flights at various times these last weeks, I've noticed that there seems to be a reasonable proportion of them flying between point 'A' and 'B', but the flight tracker lists them as from/to other airports completely different to the route shown. These aren't 4-digit special flights btw.

Is it that flight numbers have been re-allocated and the system still has them in the previous iteration ?
SpringHeeledJack is online now  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 07:58
  #28 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London
Age: 49
Posts: 280
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Back on 09L departures today, it does seem a little busier too
trident3A is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 09:17
  #29 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,818
Received 201 Likes on 93 Posts
Originally Posted by SpringHeeledJack
Talking of flight numbers, whilst looking at various flights at various times these last weeks, I've noticed that there seems to be a reasonable proportion of them flying between point 'A' and 'B', but the flight tracker lists them as from/to other airports completely different to the route shown. These aren't 4-digit special flights btw.

Is it that flight numbers have been re-allocated and the system still has them in the previous iteration ?
Yes.

The flight trackers always struggle in April and November of every year, when the airlines switch between Summer and Winter schedules.

The reason is that, while the trackers pick up the ATC callsign for a flight, the route is derived by converting the callsign into the IATA flight number. That works fine for airlines that use wholly numeric callsigns (for example US carriers), but most major European carriers use alphanumeric callsigns which typically change every season for a given flight number. To make matters worse, the new alphanumeric callsign for a particular flight number may have been used in the past for a completely different flight, so the conversion that the flight trackers are using may be out-of-date.

For example, Lufthansa has used DLH1LA in the past for LH3383 (Heathrow-Dusseldorf) and then subsequently for LH2477 (Heathrow-Munich).
DaveReidUK is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 10:00
  #30 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,864
Received 25 Likes on 18 Posts
Thanks for the very detailed explanation Dave. I've also noted this with cargo flights as well, but thought that that might be down to the last minute changes required presently with cargo flights.
SpringHeeledJack is online now  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 10:37
  #31 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,818
Received 201 Likes on 93 Posts
Originally Posted by trident3A
Back on 09L departures today, it does seem a little busier too
Yesterday was Heathrow's busiest day (using the term loosely) for the last couple of weeks, with 188 movements, albeit still only about 15% of the number on a "normal" Sunday.
DaveReidUK is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2020, 11:24
  #32 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London
Age: 49
Posts: 280
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Another Alitalia A330 doing FCO->LHR today!
trident3A is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2020, 07:27
  #33 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,864
Received 25 Likes on 18 Posts
I have noticed over the last weeks that the DHL aircraft seem to be at 3 times the altitude of similar departing passenger flights at the same relatively close to LHR point. Is this because they are much lighter, as in 'inbound full, outbound empty' ?
SpringHeeledJack is online now  
Old 21st Apr 2020, 10:53
  #34 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ethiopian B.737-800 due next hour. ET-AQO just passing Paris.
Teaboy24 is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2020, 11:22
  #35 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,864
Received 25 Likes on 18 Posts
That's an interesting flight. Perhaps it's empty (cargo only) to be able to make the flight without a fuel stop in-between ?
SpringHeeledJack is online now  
Old 23rd Apr 2020, 22:19
  #36 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,618
Received 293 Likes on 161 Posts
See there was a China Southern A380 B-6319 at Heathrow tonight - didn't realise they had them, was this a first visit?
treadigraph is online now  
Old 24th Apr 2020, 06:42
  #37 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,818
Received 201 Likes on 93 Posts
Originally Posted by treadigraph
See there was a China Southern A380 B-6319 at Heathrow tonight - didn't realise they had them, was this a first visit?
There was a (different) CSN A388 on Wednesday of last week too, departed Thursday evening. I don't know whether it's an ad-hoc substitution for the B789 or a regular weekly thing.

Last edited by DaveReidUK; 24th Apr 2020 at 08:02. Reason: typo
DaveReidUK is offline  
Old 24th Apr 2020, 07:20
  #38 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: UK
Age: 62
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Last week's flight arrived with only a handful of passengers and huge amounts of PPE which was not only in the hold, but on the seats and overhead bins. The boxes on the seats are held down with netting to stop it moving in case of turbulence. Some other flights are also doing this including a BA 777 from Singapore on Wednesday of this week.
Big Eric is offline  
Old 24th Apr 2020, 09:00
  #39 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,618
Received 293 Likes on 161 Posts
Good stuff, thank chaps!
treadigraph is online now  
Old 24th Apr 2020, 09:34
  #40 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London
Age: 49
Posts: 280
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Finnair A319 just departed 09L and flew over London on the runway heading. I've seen a few of these departures recently - I wondered in what circumstances do they ignore the SIDs?
trident3A is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.