Originally Posted by
DownUnderFlyer
Why would you send a 747 to Noumea to just send a replacement crew? Why not charter an Antonov?
Maybe they were hedging their bets against the A380 going tech - if it went toes-up at least they could (in theory) transfer all or most of the pax to the 747 and fly them home. It probably wouldn't be elegant, eg I'm not sure how the luggage would get from one to the other, but at least they'd get the people home.