Qantas special coronavirus charter
 

I just found out that China has been given the go-ahead for Qantas to send a special coronavirus charter flight to Wuhan tonight. Here is how the flight path will go:

SYD-HKG (operating as usual QFA128 flight)-WUH-DRW

The aircraft is a 747-400, which upon arrival at HKG, will be carefully sanitized once all passengers have alighted. Then the plane will fly to Darwin because XCH is too small to handle a 747. On arrival in DRW at 0230, they will hop on a smaller aircraft (maybe the 737, 717 or 320) to XCH, where they will be placed in quarantine for 2 weeks.

If you have any information, such as the flight on FlightAware, the rego and any other info, big or small, can be added here. Thanks!

Most likely an a320 or 737; 717 has additional diversion requirements and while DRW-XCH is within range it would need a fuel stop at ?BME/DPS if it takes a full pax load

of course complicated for QF by the fact they have no base in DRW anymore. I don’t even think anything routinely night stops there (apart from the F100)

my gut feeling is most likely an A320 up from Perth

if I hear anything more concrete than that I’ll pass it on


also I’m being told it’ll be into DRW Tuesday morning

edit: now Monday 0230 departure WUH arriving DRW 1000. Something of a fluid situation so may change again

What's the flight number?

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qantas-frequent-flyer/2006950-qantas-special-coronavi
 

QF127 the usual outbound ex-syd (128 the inbound).

FR24 still showing A380 operating the 127 and 332/333 on QF117.

News.com.au
https://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...74ac215ff07ff1

Skytraders is contracted by the government to operate flights to Christmas Island. I'd suggest they would operate the DRW-XCH flight with one of their A319s.

VH-VHP is enroute to DRW now.

Makes sense. I wonder how many takers they’ll have? Potentially at least x2 A319 runs if the 747 is full? Wonder what plans they have to house the customers in Darwin in the interim? I assume the air force base but have no confirmation of that

Qantas has done this evacuation situation before, where they evacuated Australians from Lebanon in 2006, and again in 2011, where they evacuated Australians stranded in Cairo.

They also did it with a 747 in 1974 when Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city. They managed to fit 4 people in most 3 seat clusters just to get people out ASAP.

QF6031/6032 VH-OEF
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/VHOEF

That's a flight route from MEL to SYD. What does that have to do with the Wuhan charter?

Thats the aircraft that will fly the flight to Wuhan. It's not sitting idle until then.

https://www.flightstats.com/v2/fligh...tId=1030054534
https://www.flightstats.com/v2/fligh...tId=1030099995

VH-OEE actually.

Hearing now that it’s going WUH-LEA-XCH, possibly a last minute protest from the NT government meaning it’s diverted away from a civilian airport (that part is speculation). There was briefly talk of it going via RAAF Tindal (KTR) instead but I’m not sure how realistic that was

FWIW I heard that they will not fly the 747 to Christmas Island if there's any chance of rain because the runway isn't grooved, and that the last leg will be flown by 2x RAAF C-17's.