Air New Zealand

[matthew mcdonald]

Does anybody know what the flight (NZ6882) is. It is due to arrive at 9:20pm tonight from Shanghai and set to depart tomorrow at 06:00am.

[Karl M]

It is a NZ freighter flight. Operated by Atlas Air.
Arrived in MEL at about 14:00 today.
Not sure why its going to SYD as its due to go MEL-PVG?

[matthew mcdonald]

Thanks Karl

[David Ramsay]

It's the Atlas freighter.

You've got it backward, mate. It arrives ex Melbourne then departs for Shanghai.

It's a regular twice weekly freight service and normally flies AKL-MEL-PVG-GYD-FRA-ORD-HNL-AKL. No idea why it's stopping off at SYD tonight but it is showing on NZ's web site with ETA at SYD of 2130, ETD 0130 tomorrow.

Sorry, I missed the other reply while I was writing this.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

A/c is N418MC and is currently at FL170 descending into SYD.

Acars message shows MEL-PVG so bit of a mystery!

[Peter Agatsiotis]

The mystery deepens!! sighted this flight overhead St Clair (near Penrith) about 5 mins ago and it was on the SYD-Katoomba track so it is not going to Pudong.
Still NZ6882 on the radio, so maybe heading for Singapore or Bangkok.

On PlanePlotter the a/c is just overhead Bathurst.

No routing info on the acars messages.

[Grahame Hutchison]

This was the ACARS I received so she is heading for Pudong, Shanghai.

Atlas Air Boeing 747-47UF(SCD) (32840) Delivery 06.12.2002

ACARS mode: S Aircraft reg: .N418MC
Message label: H1 Block id: 8 Msg. no: D00A
Flight id: 5Y6882
Message content:-
#DFBCET.418MCANZ688YSSYZSPD280109231720
8864IC 208BKA01-01
1013 1132.0 27.5 23.50.260168264207
OFFCLSOFFOFFOPNOPN
ON-ON-ON-
YESYESYES
707000707000707000707000
111.3110.9111.0111.3
110.6110.6110.6110.
-------------------------------------[29/01/2009 10:17]

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Thanks Grahame; I didn't receive that acars message.

Usually the China bound a/c (as well as Taipei, Vietnam, Japan etc) all track via Richmond then Walgett then close to Cairns so this is a very long way round.

Can't always trust these acars messages as in my earlier post last night the acars message showed YMML-ZSPD but turned up at SYD.

I'll check the acars logs for the other main centres tomorrow to see who else tracked this flight.