Qantas mentioned it could use a Boeing Co 787 for the flight from Sydney. (File)
Sydney:
Qantas Airways Ltd mentioned it could function a seven-hour scenic flight over Australia subsequent month, including to a rising development in Asia of “flights to nowhere” that take off and land on the identical airport.
Powerful border restrictions to maintain the coronavirus beneath management have led to a 97.5% plunge in worldwide journey within the area, based on the Affiliation of Asia Pacific Airways.
Many frequent flyers miss getting on planes and airways together with Taiwan’s EVA Airways Corp and Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc, determined for income and to maintain their pilots’ licences present, have provided particular sightseeing flights.
EVA used certainly one of its iconic Howdy Kitty livery planes for a particular father’s day flight final month, whereas ANA used an Airbus SE A380 that normally flies to Honolulu for a 90-minute flight with a Hawaiian expertise on board. Tickets costing round $228 for a Tigerair Taiwan flight from Taipei that may circle over South Korea’s Jeju Island reportedly offered out in 4 minutes
The worth features a one-year voucher for round-trip tickets from Taiwan to Korea, which can be utilized after COVID-19 journey bans are lifted.
Singapore Airways Ltd can also be contemplating scenic flights, however no choice has been made, a spokesman mentioned.
Qantas mentioned it could use a Boeing Co 787 usually used for long-haul worldwide flights for the flight from Sydney that may fly at low ranges over Uluru, the Nice Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbour earlier than touchdown again in Sydney. Tickets will price between A$787 and A$three,787 ($575 and $2,765) relying on the seating class.
Simply six months in the past, it could have been unimaginable that Australians could be unable to hop on a airplane and journey overseas and even out of their very own state attributable to border controls and quarantine necessities, Chief Govt Alan Joyce mentioned. “Whereas we could not be capable to take you abroad proper now, we will actually present inspiration for future journeys to a few of Australia’s most stunning locations,” he mentioned in a press release.
The flight might be carbon offset and function on a cost-neutral foundation, Qantas mentioned, amid some issues being raised on social media over the environmental influence of such flights.The idea of scenic flights just isn’t new.
Antarctica Flights has chartered Qantas jets for scenic flights over Antarctica for 26 years.
An Air New Zealand Ltd sightseeing flight over Antarctica in 1979 crashed into Mount Erebus, killing all 257 folks on board.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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