When schedules change….
This time of year always brings new different routes, more information to come in a future blog. BA LHR-TOS remains seasonal, finishing around 12 April, same goes for Aer Lingus from DUB and Norwegian from MAN. Not forgetting Virgin Atlantic’s new service to ICN and Condor’s 3xdaily FRA-LGW. There were also some anniversaries to celebrate, notably the formation of BA on 31 March 1974, Singapore’s 40 years at MAN and SAS 80 years of connecting Scandinavia to the world.
SFO – a review by the FAA has deemed the long-used arrival procedure as unsafe. Parallel approaches to 28L and 28R will now no longer happen. From 31 March, staggered approaches will be conducted in all weather conditions, not just in poor visibility. Although major construction work has started, the FAA confirmed its decision was unrelated. Two of the airport’s four runways closed for around six months. The maximum arrival rate of 54 aircraft per hour is now reduce to 36. Although the agency would not confirm the reasons why, it appears that it was not prompted by any specific incidents. An evaluation of airspace around SFO and an arriving aircraft’s ability to be established on the runway centreline far enough out to maintain safe separation. The 750ft centreline separation deemed too close for unrestricted parallel operations. It’s predicted that delays caused by the construction work will be 15%, rising to 25% with the procedural changes. United reported that in addition to the construction work delays, it would be reviewing the guidance to determine whether they need to change their flight schedule in the future.
US ATC – many pilots are becoming increasingly concerned about the practice of clearing aircraft to land before the preceding one has vacated. It’s also been noted by enthusiasts listening into transmissions and witnessing on YouTube live streams. In such situations, pilots still have the right to instigate a go around if they consider the practice is unsafe.
Atlas Air – the cargo operator recently placed an order for 20 A350F, becoming the largest customer for this aircraft. Deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2034.
IndiGo – the Indian carrier recently announced the appointment of Willie Walsh as its new CEO. As his tenure as ICAO Director General ends, he starts the new role early August, based in Delhi. Let’s see how he handles the Indian Regulator after his predecessor’s difficulties earlier this year.
Qantas – eagle-eyed spotters may have caught the Australian carrier’s A380 over the UK on 30 March, NGO-LHR QF301. Already descending over my house in Birmingham, it was a Formula 1 charter, getting teams back to the UK after the Japanese Grand Prix. The aircraft then operated LHR-SIN-SYD as QF32.
Embraer E190 – never heard an aircraft described as “nervous” before! This was the view of a recent TAP passenger who didn’t elaborate.
In other news –
NQY – now known as Cornwall Airport, recently took to social media to highlight their 2026 route network. So, here’s a reminder of who flies where. New carriers are Eurowings to DUS and Edelweiss to ZRH, seasonal only. Ryanair serving EDI, DUB, STN, FAO, AGP and ALC. Aer Lingus Regional to BHD. Whilst easyJet serves LGW and MAN, Loganair operates to GLA, NCL and MAN (onward connections to ABZ and IOM). Not forgetting Skybus to ISC. Sadly, there’s still no replacement for Eastern to SEN.
BA – it’s now the time for G-TTNA to undergo maintenance. As with G-EUPJ, this is being carried out in Malta. As she’s been there since 23 March, plenty of opportunities for spotting by islanders and visitors alike. Return to service date as yet unknown but I’m keeping my eyes open to let you and a BA Captain know…
And finally –
April Fool’s Day – as usual, they were of mixed quality. Just one day after someone announced there would be no further Emirates A380s at MAN, they continue to operate there, albeit with a reduced frequency. The other standout one was someone speculating that Condor would pull out of FNC. There’s no evidence to support this either. However, the award for best(?) overall goes to a BA A380 F/O and his announcement that he’d finally achieved Captain after 12 attempts!
FNC – as you know, Madeira is always guaranteed to provide talking points especially in severe weather. On 30 March, LS851 from MAN suffered a heavy landing and went tech. A replacement aircraft flown out to operate the return flight. It’s been suggested that a gear leg was damaged. It’s still on the ground as of 5 April.
Staying with this airport, as I’ve previously reported, it provides plenty of talking points for true enthusiasts and those who “know everything but don’t”. In the recent poor weather, many airlines chose to divert either after 2 go-around attempts or after their initial approach. Yes, there do seem to be differing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) between low-cost and legacy airlines such as TAP and BA. Low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz prefer to divert to where they have a base or even back to the airport of origin. TAP and BA will consider other diversions such as PXO, if there’s room. TUI and Jet2 often prefer TFS, ACE, etc. Again, where they have a presence. In one such instance, BA Euroflyer diverted to PXO then returned to LGW to try again the next day. The main priority is safety of crew, passengers and aircraft. Every option would be considered before making this decision. It wasn’t because BA don’t care about their passengers….
Information courtesy of Aviationweek.com, Airbus, Reuters, AustralianFrequentFlyer.com
Images courtesy of Aerospace Global News
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