A Qantas flight from London to Perth has been forced to make an unscheduled landing in the Western Australian mining town after encountering winds without enough fuel to complete its short-scheduled flight.
Flight 17, QF10, was scheduled to land at Perth Airport this afternoon, but was instead diverted to Karratha Airport, about 1500 kilometers north in the Pilbara region.
The 787 Dreamliner was forced to refuel after the weather changed en route, a rare occurrence that often occurs on long-haul flights.
The surprise landing comes days after Qantas revealed the timing of its biggest long-haul flight. Project Sunrise flightswhich will connect Sydney and London with flights that can last up to 22 hours non-stop. It shows how the weather can adapt to new services.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner needed more fuel to complete the final two hours of its flight after in-flight weather forced crews to reroute the flight, Qantas said.
The plane spent about an hour on the ground before continuing to Perth.
Karratha Airport, which is mainly used for flying in and out of mining workers, was approved to accept large aircraft only last month.
The site, located in the city that is home to about 25,000 people, became a restricted international airport and an alternate international airport.
The Perth-bound flight departed London Heathrow at 12:28pm UK Standard Time and landed in Karratha about 16 hours and 23 minutes later at 11.51am on Tuesday, local time.
It left Karratha at 12.58pm, local time, and arrived at 2.36pm local time (4.36pm AEST).
Melbourne’s Swinburne University aeronautics lecturer Salim Hijazeen said that for sea routes that are several hours from the airport, the flight plan clearly states the nearest diversion airports for each specific point in time.
“Pilots regularly calculate fuel in flight to ensure that their actual fuel burn matches pre-flight estimates,” he said.
Airlines typically optimize their fuel supply to ensure they have capacity for the duration of the flight, including maximum diversions or delays.
Hijazeen said pilots make decisions about avoidance very early in the flight, looking at whether the plane can land at that airport and the weather. They are assisted by air traffic control as well, he said.
“Essentially, they know where to go if anything happens. It’s not a last-minute change where they’re looking for an airport; they already know which airport they’re going to point to.”
The Perth-London route has helped demonstrate the desire for direct long-haul connections between Australia and the UK. The 17-hour time slot is seen as a step towards Qantas’ Project Sunrise flights which will connect Sydney and London 22 hour route.
Qantas said it will start flying direct Sydney-London flights from 2027 using a modified (longer-range) Airbus A350-1000ULR.
The 18,000km range of the A350-1000 ULR means that depending on the wind and airspace boundaries, the aircraft can fly east or west from Australia to London.
The London-Sydney Project Sunrise flight is expected to take between 18 and 20 hours, with Sydney to London taking around 19 hours 25 minutes at the fastest to around 21 hours at the longest.
Routes can vary greatly from day to day, meaning the plane could approach London from the north after crossing the North Pole.
Business Brief Magazine provides top stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to receive it every weekday morning.
Chris Zappone is a senior writer covering aviation and business issues. He is a former foreign digital editor.Connect through X, Facebook or email address.
