Big bird inbound to NZCH

[Splitpin]

The lads just picked up this guy departing JNB (Tambo) for NZCH , an A340-600, ZS-SND, ETA 1030Hrs 08092020.

[Charl]

Didn't know they did fat engines for the -600, thought it was just the -500.
This one came out of storage to do this:
Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 531
Aircraft Type Airbus A340-600
Age 16.9 Years
Test Registration F-WWCX
Production Site Toulouse (TLS)
Airframe Status Stored

Curiouser and curiouser...

[Charl]

I came across a note somewhere about this arriving in Christchurch.
It's quite a flight, 11,480 km - nigh on 12 hours.
And of course a refugee repatriation charter out of JNB.
I guess Auckland's 5 star hotels were all filled up.

Given OR Tambo is 5,500 ft. elevation although perhaps not that hot this time of year, it could not have been too full (Social distancing?)
So... I wonder what the ticket price might have been?
Desperate times, you'd sell the backpack if that's what it took.
The charter would've taken some organising too, to get a big jet in service after months being mothballed!

What really caught my eye was the Great Circle route: is there any other flight that actually clips the Antarctic coastline?

[Radar88]

Stuff News Article showing the FlightAware flight path of South African Airways (SAA) Flight SA2984 from Johannesburg via the Southern Indian Ocean Great Circle route An unusual sight in Christchurch as airport welcomes South African Airways

[hoki1185]

Re flight paths most southern.Qantas Santiago to Sydney gets way down there,

[emfrat]

Quite some time ago, having travelled the Kangaroo Route several times, I thought I might reach the UK by using a Finnair DC10 from Narita over the North Pole to Helsinki, and then SAS on to Edinburgh. That grew into a plan to complete the Oz-UK-US-Oz leg of the circle, and then do Oz-Japan-Finland to collect the North Pole, and return to Oz via Sth America using AA's polar route to complete that circumnavigation. Unfortunately they built an airport on Easter Island and banjaxed the whole plan
Such is life.

[Splitpin]

'Unfortunately, they built an airport on Easter Island and banjaxed the whole plan ' ......

[emfrat]

[Charl]

Re flight paths most southern.Qantas Santiago to Sydney gets way down there,

No... goes a bit south of Invercargill only.
Perth to Buenos Aires would cross Antarctica but I'm not sure there's ever been one.
Ditto for Christchurch - Cape Town.

Stuff News Article showing the FlightAware flight path

Assume the dashed line is what they filed?
But flew Great Circle? Why would they not?
Winds aloft don't indicate any better route, really.



Whatever, it's a hell of a long way from anywhere, down there.

[emfrat]

Another good thing spoiled by COVID-19 https://simpleflying.com/norwegian-tran ... c-flights/

[hoki1185]

Re Santiago Sydney route.Yes it generally flies across Southland but does reach 70 degrees south half way between NZ and South America.Will post track next time I see it on Flight Radar 24.