{"id":2802,"date":"2023-02-20T11:32:34","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T11:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=2802"},"modified":"2024-08-12T15:13:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T12:13:15","slug":"qantas-787-from-santiago-forced-to-divert-due-to-sydney-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=2802","title":{"rendered":"Qantas 787 From Santiago Forced To Divert Due To Sydney Storms"},"content":{"rendered":"

While\u00a0Qantas\u00a0has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, it seems the Flying Kangaroo is now held responsible for the violent storms in Sydney on Saturday night that forced one of its aircraft to divert to Newcastle.<\/p>\n

With the\u00a0Boeing\u00a0787 unable to land in Sydney, the airline took the appropriate action and yet still copped a bucket full of criticism for keeping passengers and crew safe.<\/p>\n

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\"Qantas<\/picture><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Photo: Qantas<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

To start at the start, Qantas flight QF28 departed Chile from Santiago International Airport (SCL) at 14:22 on Friday. The flight was operated by a three-year-old Boeing\u00a0787-9 Dreamliner, registered VH-ZNJ with MSN 66074, and painted in the Qantas 100-year commemorative livery.<\/p>\n

According to Flightradar24.com, it was due to touch down at\u00a0Sydney International Airport\u00a0(SYD) at 17:50 on Saturday, after a flight covering 11,363 kilometers (7,060 miles), which usually takes around fourteen hours.<\/p>\n

Stormy Sydney prevents 787 landing<\/h2>\n

However, severe storms in the Sydney area forced several aircraft to be diverted, including this one from Santiago, the only international flight affected. The Dreamliner was\u00a0diverted\u00a0north to Newcastle, where it landed at Newcastle Airport (NTL), a regional center around 100 miles from Sydney.<\/p>\n

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\"QF28<\/picture><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Data:\u00a0Flightradar24.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While that kept the passengers, crew and aircraft safe, a report from news.com.au said that Newcastle Airport lacked the necessary facilities to accommodate and refuel the widebody, so it was, in effect, stranded for the night. The aircraft is configured to carry 236 passengers who, along with the crew, faced an uncomfortable night on top of enduring extreme\u00a0turbulence\u00a0during the flight.<\/p>\n

There were no immigration services or accommodation immediately available, so passengers had to stay onboard for around seven hours while the aircraft sat on the tarmac. The news.com.au report said they were eventually allowed to leave the aircraft and spend the night in the terminal.<\/p>\n

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It’s tough being an airline<\/h2>\n

As expected nowadays, social media lit up with criticism of Qantas, although it is difficult to see what else the airline could have done in the circumstances.<\/p>\n

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