An RAF A400 droned over London earlier this morning, climbing out of Gatwick heading towards Humberside International Airport of all places!

Heard one the other day, can't mistake the sound!

I was walking up the hill and heard it passing over Biggin Hill...

KLM had a B777 in this morning to LHR, I haven't seen one of those before on the KL1007 flight.

An 'Air Tanker Ltd' A330 heading out of LHR. I wonder if it's got a cabin or just a freight hold ?

Off to Dammam in Saudi. These days it's operated by/for Titan when it's not busy Voyaging.

An Alitalia A321 just departed 09R and flew straight out over London

Some very odd departure flight tracks today. BA117F to JFK off 09R climbed straight ahead as far as Putney before starting its RH turn towards Compton.

The usual reasons for flights being so markedly off-track are either weather (e.g. storms) or conflicting traffic (for example police helicopter operations). It will be interesting to see the reason for today's infringements.

I noticed this too, very unusual. In fact I've never seen this before! Perhaps there was a fire at one of the industrial units just east of Heathrow, somewhere in Feltham ?

Seen a few of these straight out departures while things have been quiet, but yeah most unusual

Any updates ? My curiosity is, well........curious! :-)

Just saw a Vistajet Bizjet go by into LHR. Are these all LCY refugees, or simply customers to whom the landing/handling fees are immaterial ?

Reason for straight out departures LHR this week ??
 

There have been some strange survey aircraft types , around , very close to LHR this week , different types , different days , bothered to take a screen shot Tuesday ? Yesterday survey was close to East LHR.
Maybe this TFC
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f89d957631.jpg
This happening last 2 , 3 days during the day - have not checked today ..

Yes these survey flights have been going on for weeks, makes a nice change to be honest. The Islander out of Northolt has been droning about over London too in this good weather.

Being picky, FR24 have the type wrong. The aircraft pictured is a P68C, but not an Observer (which has a transparent nose for, well, observing through :O).

Spot the difference:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....80c4db123f.jpg

https://www.airteamimages.com/vulcan...te_343162.html

BA's new 787-10 G-ZBLA is currently on its way in to Heathrow

There was an A343 into LHR today, from a Spanish Operator 'Plus Ultra'. They're getting pretty rare these days. Also an A380 from China Southern, another 'rare' bird since 4 months.

Quote from HAL below.Whilst we expect the number of flight movements to increase, they will still be relatively low, and so we will continue to consolidate our operations by operating on one runway until flight movements reach around 45% of our normal operations. At this point, we’ll return to operating on two runways

Currently running at about 24% of normal - the last two days have seen the first time that there have been 300+ daily movements since the start of the lockdown.

So still some way to go.

4-holers have practically vanished from the skies these last 3 months part from the odd exotic cargo 747

Think Singapore have a daily freighter 747 late afternoon - or they did, I haven't noticed it for a while. Usual arrival via Lydd (?) and Biggin...

That said, looking at replays yesterday about 5.30, Cathay had one inbound Heathrow, no sign of the Singapore.

SQ 747Fs are 2 pw at the moment - Thursdays and Saturdays. There should be one landing in the next hour.

CX are 1/2 pw - Sundays and every other Friday (as you say, there was one yesterday).

Yep, 9V-SFO - I've seen it while out walking so often recently I thought it must be daily! :p

G-VLNM at LHR
 

Anyone know the story why VS A330 VLNM ferried DSA-LHR today? I take it this is for continued use to infill or some MX? Most of the other VS 330s including the RR powered ones have recently gone south to CIDUAD REAL presumably for further storage.
This must be cheaper storage than MAN/GLA/DSA? unless their fate is going to be otherwise part out/scrap
I see 2x VS A350 are nearing completion and handover including G-VDOT an ex Airbus Industrie demo and G-VRNB.

There are NOTAMS out saying RWY 27L/09R is closed due to WIP from 12 JUL to 01OCT.
Repair works
Long term closure and remain 27R/09R only

CSN A380 was coming in weekly scheduled service every WEDS (and then seems to dropped to every other Wednesday)
Been charter ops last couple of Monday afternoons arrival around 1445local but i think those have ceased now were one offs.
One caught me out over north London the other day and i thought i was seeing things initially then realised it was this

EK is due to resume A380 ops daily DXB-LHR very soon apparently

Wamos 747 on approach into Heathrow, actually did a couple of turns around the Epsom stack, I imagine for noise considerations - it's just 6am - rather than spacing! Strangely I didn't hear it or the BA777 immediately after, whereas the AA 787 following was quite audible despite following a track on the other side of my house, albeit a bit closer! Windows on this side are open too...

Have we been transported back to 1971 ? :O

I was in Kenya then... I kept thinking Wisley... Ockham! Had to look at a chart.

TUI 767 PH-OYI made a brief stop at Heathrow this morning arriving from somewhere across the pond, now on its way to Amsterdam...

It stopped briefly last Sunday, too, en route from AMS to the Bahamas, then went island-hopping to Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe.

TUI 767 PH-OYI sat on SXM for a few days with a good bit of BN2 shuttle to/from Anguilla so guess supplies for British dependancy.

I think I read somewhere that a few Nigerian repatriation flights are to be attempted this week into LHR using those 777's that were over (without pre-arrangement) a few weeks back.

British Airways A380 G-XLEI just arrived from Chateauroux - haven't seen one for ages.

It makes you wonder what the BA 380 might be used for ?

Emirates A380 just passed over me outbound Heathrow. Is that the first EK example for a while or have any others sneaked in while my back was turned?

Long standing twice weekly B744F Thu/Sat pm.

Someone on another thread suggested its going to Manila for maintenance

Thankyou, yes apparently to LHR for light and then Manila for heavy Mx. That must be a sign that they'll be back in service sometime in the not too distant future, unlike the beautiful, but high-houred 747's.

One went by about an hour ago from Chateauroux into LHR. The outline all too distinctive these days!

The latter with Lufthansa Technik Philippines.