QF6001 is due to land in LHR in less than an hour operated by A380 OQL.

There is also a Qatar Airways flight QR7424 currently operating DWC-SYD by B77W which is due to arrive at 17:55 today. This is probably a repatriation flight carrying passengers from the TVL-DWC military flights. Interesting to see a Qatar Airways flight to Australia operating from Dubai Al Maktoum. Unfortunately, the flight is being operated by A7-BAL, which is not one of the ex-Virgin B777s.

I suspect OQL maybe replacing OQI on the QF1/2 rotation, not sure why. FWIW the QR flight was probably picking up the last leg of the repatriation flights, which as far as I can tell were operated out of Israel by HiFly A330/340s. I have been unable to ascertain what RAAF assets are helping, and are somewhat surprised to see no MRTT ops given that seems to be the aircraft of choice for quite a few other nations.

I've seen on another forum that the Australian repat flights from TLV to DWC were operated by one of the MRTTs (1 flight) and C-17 (2 flights).

Yes, RAAF have confirmed - good to see .

https://www.defence.gov.au/news-even...ael-departures

A39-003 is the MRTT - https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/A39003

Looks like OQL is a repatriation flight, due to leave at 9PM London time

Looks like OQL will be operating as ASY1172 via DWC.

After a four and a half stop over in DWC, A380 OQL has just departed on its continued repatriation flight to SYD with a scheduled arrival time of 20:15 this evening, at this stage.

Does anyone know what has happened to ZND as it looks like its stuck in JFK?

Can't help with the reason for the unserviceability but that is why today's QF3 was cancelled.

ZND has just ferried from JFK to LAX as QF6001 so will get some maintenance or repairs at the QANTAS facility there.

EBP is currently flying SYD-NRT as QF301, perhaps a charter?

ZNB is currently flying MEL-HKG as QF29, is it replacing ZNA which has been in maintenance in HKG since early October?

Any updates on EBD?

As you suggested Michael, ZNB has replaced ZNA in maintenance in HKG with ZNA currently operating QF30 back to MEL. BTW, QF3 is cancelled again today with ZND being unserviceable and ferrying to LAX from JFK on Wednesday.

EBP is currently ferrying back to SYD from NRT as QF6002 after operating a charter flight there.

No update on EBD, OQJ or the other two desert dwellers. Also, QPI has been in maintenance in BNE since 1/8/23.

In other QANTAS news:

SYD-HNL-SYD to be operated by B789 from 31/3/24, replacing A333.

QF191/192 SYD-POM-SYD commences on 1/4/24 twice weekly (Mon and Fri) operated by B738. Not sure whether this will affect Air Niugini's twice weekly services which also operate on the same two days per week.

EBD is in maintenance I am sure.

ZND has ferried back to JFK after maintenance and is about to depart as Friday's QF4 to AKL and SYD arriving tomorrow.

QPI is currently flying an after maintenance test flight BNE-BNE as QF6103, doing circles in the sky, and after two and a half hours is now returning to BNE.

Looks like ON will be operating some QF*Link/Network flights between BME and PER, perhaps because of strikes?

ON7817 and ON7819

Appears that NXN will operate a couple of PBO rotations tomorrow as well (QF17XX).

VH-NXD is expected to be the next B717 retired.

A fuel bladder has been fitted to increase the range.

After ferrying to MEL from BNE, QPI has reentered service, currently operating QF79 MEL HND

Dennis, just commenting on your post from early October.

There are seven QANTAS A380s currently in service with OQH having returned to LAX from PUS on 21/10/23 after its repaint. I would expect that OQJ will return to service, hopefully this month, to provide some flexibility in the NW A380 schedule. She has been in AUH for 4 months now but was one of only two A380s that didn't go to AUH for lengthy maintenance prior to recommencing service, following storage. The other was OQD who was at AUH for maintenance when COVID emerged and positioned directly to LAX (not VCV) for storage and has recently had maintenance in SIN.

The new NW schedules have increased flying for the A380s. QF127/128 SYD-HKG-SYD is being operated by A380s five days per week building up to daily from January to 23/2/24. OQL is to operate this service mostly but OQB looks to be doing it today. Also, QF93/94 MEL-LAX-MEL is commencing A380 operations twice per week for NW with the first flight QF94 from LAX arriving tomorrow in MEL.

These increases mean that QANTAS needs an extra one and a half A380s, one for HKG and the other for the two services per week to LAX. Added to the five needed for QF1/2 and QF11/12 this equals seven aircraft with some flexibility. So, QANTAS need an extra A380 in service as a replacement to meet any unserviceability or other issues that may arise. OQJ can provide this when it returns to service. Until then QANTAS would need to juggle the schedule with maybe an A330 to operate to HKG to free OQL for other A380 services at the last minute.

It looks as though OQL's refurbishment is on the back burner until after late February, 2024 at the earliest, unless either OQA or OQC make a return to service. Maybe the return to service of some of the Etihad A380s has put QANTAS maintenance down the order. Looking further ahead, in the QANTAS NS schedule QF93/94 increases to six A380 services per week from July and QF63/64 commences A380 services in early July when all ten A380s will need to be flying for QANTAS to operate this increased flying.

Thanks James.

B717 VH-NXD has left CBR for APW (5 hours) as SXI2366 on the first leg of its ferry flight to VCV. I read somewhere that a temporary fuel bladder had been fitted to increase the range of these flights, hence the more direct Pacific crossing for NXD and not over the northern Pacific or through Europe.

She's coming back to SYD after doing a few loops over NLK
No indication of why.

(side note: must be some gnarly headwinds, looking at the ground speed it has dropped by 100-150kts)

NXD landed back in CBR. No surprise, it was a technical issue but I know no more than that.

Maybe it has bladder problems! :o

It comes with old age.

B717 VH-NXD has left CBR again this morning, after fixing its technical issue, for APW as SXI2366 on the first leg of its ferry flight to VCV.

If the Flightaware stats are correct, looks like someone tapped the brakes. NXD went from 610knts to 484 knots in 3 minutes - whilst holding altitude....
Flightaware SXI2366

NXD has completed its ferry to VCV.

A380 OQK left SYD yesterday evening for SIN as QF6021 and is continuing north-west towards the middle east presumably to AUH for maintenance, possibly to replace OQJ which has been there since 5 July. Flightaware and Flightradar24 are both not showing a destination for OQK.

Further to my information above, I have found a QANTAS flight status page online and it tells me that QF6021 is flying SIN-DRS which explains why it stopped in SIN, as if flying to AUH it could have flown non-stop from SYD. This puts only six A380s in service and QANTAS needs seven to maintain its current timetable. QF127 to HKG is departing from gate 33 today which is not an A380 gate, so this flight will be operated by an A330.

From another forum, OQK has flown to DRS for a gear change. How long does this take to perform?

The next A380 to return to service from AUH (OQJ?) will perform test flights over the next few days and is due to ferry to SYD this Thursday, 16/11/23. QF127 is scheduled to be operated by an A333 today and a B789 tomorrow.

Does that mean ZNB will operate QF128 tomorrow?

Complete gear change take two weeks.

The QF schedules show an A333 on QF128 tonight which is probably the aircraft that did QF127 today, Michael. But they could swap at the last minute, although the A333 would have the greater seating capacity.

If a B789 is operating QF127 tomorrow, Michael then ZNB could operate QF128 tomorrow evening and the other B789 would replace it in maintenance. ZNB has been in HKG for just about three weeks which is how long ZNA was in maintenance there.

OQJ is currently operating a test flight AUH-AUH as QF6038 and will be the next QANTAS A380 to return to SYD.

ZND is in Sydney now and ZNH is inbound on the QF8, with ZNL inbound on the QF4.
Possibly Emily to HKG?

ZNL looks to be operating 127.

Is ZNL in for maintenance? Curious to know what work will be done as she’s quite a new frame, was only delivered a few months back in July?

Operating back as QF128