Divert or hold…

The financial penalties of holding and hoping for a break in the Weather are sometimes worth hanging about for over diverting. A diversion incures cost on bussing pax, handling, refuelling at an airfield possably not on a company account, positioning an aircraft back to where required, possable canx return leg = refunding pax… etc etc. For the freight flights such as mail movements companies dont get paid if they dont launch flights, unless the customer tells them otherwise. Belfast is a good evample. As one of our paper flights was about to depart at 0045 the fog came in off the lake – airfield closed, fog 100m on a Cat2 rwy = 550m RVR to land legally. Capt chose to have a crack and Divert to Dub if required so the papers could be roaded as per the customer may request. Another flight from CVT also choses to have a go – both get there around the same time, just as the RVRs pop up to 1100m, both get in and out ok. 3 hours later the fog has been up and down. We lauch another flight and hear that BFS is again fogbound with a B733 in the hold which cant land. Capt elects to have a look and divert back to LPL if required. En-route weather looks like it might be improving and as he is ready to have a crack the fog comes in (B733 already Div by this time to LPL) – so he too comes back to LPL – some its worth hanging about for – some it aint!

Originally posted by wannabe pilot
Titan and Channel Express operate QC (quick change) variants of 737-300’s, and at night time they are usually used for cargo.

The freights will become more common in the UK due to the Royal Mail contract re-jig. Incidently one of the B733QCs of Islandsflug had to come back to LPL this morning due fog at BFS (TF-ELM). This aircraft flies a daily BFS-LPL-BFS-EMA-BFS flights. G-CELP and G-CELR are 2 other aircraft that were on the Iclenadic register as TF-ELP/R due to the CAA not having approved the large freight door mod that was being put on them. Channex have a couple more at Tel Aviv atm being converted.

Jenski – TNT operate both BAe 146-200 and -300QC – OO-TAW and TAR were in LPL overnight – there are a few TNT 146 aircraft on the SPanish register too – EC-HJH was in at LPL a few weeks ago.

bmibaby – expanding – hmmm – looks more like a chopping and changing of the same 13 aircraft – they will have cut back somewhere else to operate these services!

Don’t know if this is good news really for MME – What happens if bmi pull out in a year or so? Good news for the moment though – fingers crossed!

i should hope so – they’ve been flying it for around 2 months now!

well done mate. CELV is an a/c i’ve been on LBA-BCN-LBA! Keep the posts coming in especially on LBA!