WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Yes, Solomon stopped paying the contract. One of the main reasons for this was because a significant amount of the money meant for skyairworld was going into getting cargo that should have come with the e170 onto the islands by other means. I think the same could happen if vb start flying to cocos with a ejet. The only way for it to work would be for vb to be a pax flight only.

Agree about the q400s

timS wrote:Yes, Solomon stopped paying the contract. One of the main reasons for this was because a significant amount of the money meant for skyairworld was going into getting cargo that should have come with the e170 onto the islands by other means. I think the same could happen if vb start flying to cocos with a ejet. The only way for it to work would be for vb to be a pax flight only.

Agree about the q400s

The main reason is what not you state... Why do you think they are running their own airline now?

timS wrote:The only way for it to work would be for vb to be a pax flight only.

I would really like to see your figures on this one - why a E190 - could not carry the fuel load/pax load and freight - compared to a Q400 lets say ??

You must know something that others dont ....

the q400 comment was just the fact that its a nicer plane, not that it would be economical on a cocos run. I'm not sure of exact figures of the top of my head, but the front hold of a e190 is rated to hold just over 1600kg, the rear just over 1100kg. 1200kg of bags (working on 1 bag for every passenger minus 20, the route I am referring to many people go hand luggage only) and the entire plane was full. All the lockers packed out. The cabins are also very small, meaning that the air hosties have to be way more vigilante with making sure there is no oversize hand luggage, as it simply doesn't fit. This is a very short route with minimal luggage and minimal fuel, and there are problems already.

A question for anyone that knows (numloxx??) what is the largest aircraft cocos can handle?

Alliance run F100's up there

Since when do VB fly up there, i never see their EMB's over at INTL, and every one else that run up there leave from the INTL terminal, Alliance had 2 flight's one after the other leave the other day

Alliance run F100's up there

Since when do VB fly up there, i never see their EMB's over at INTL, and every one else that run up there leave from the INTL terminal, Alliance had 2 flight's one after the other leave the other day

We are only speculating about VB flying up there, they don't at the moment. Although I believe that technically it would be Pacific Blue, not Virgin Blue. Something to do with licenses.

Technically VB can fly up there as it is Australian teratory, and they have australian ICAO codes, eg, YPXM the only resion that they leave from the INLT terminal is because customs like to know who is out there

TimS - it has nothing to do with "Licences" - what "Licence" does VB have ??!!??

The AOC that VB have - includes an aera international aoc - but cocos is not international - and even if it was - they could still fly up there.

- soon you will be telling us that tasmania is international - maybe rotty needs a 'special licence' to fly over too.

That was just what I was told, if you tell me that its wrong I am happy to believe that I am not arguing! There is obviously something that stops VB from flying international routes under its own name though, hence why we have pacific blue and V australia.

Rumoured that Skyairworld will be sending the EMB-190's up. NJS RJ70 is currently being offered for sale / lease

orangepeel wrote:TimS - it has nothing to do with "Licences" - what "Licence" does VB have ??!!??

The AOC that VB have - includes an aera international aoc - but cocos is not international - and even if it was - they could still fly up there.

- soon you will be telling us that tasmania is international - maybe rotty needs a 'special licence' to fly over too.

Not True, VB cant fly INTL under the VB brand, they have to use a PB aircraft and a PB call sign, how ever it may still be VH rego, the aircraft that flys out of Perth to Bali is Pacific Blue.

VB are not allowed to use the VIRGIN call sign out side of Domestic Australia

What is what i wrote not true ??

Yes - i know that VB canut use the Virging title internationally - When VB started up - there was an agreement with VB and another international airline - that prohibited the use of the Virgin callsign internationally - i am very aware of that ...

What i was saying is that Virging Blue do have an international area AOC - so yes - they can legally operate internationally (they woudl just use the Blue Bird callsign or simply use the rego as their callsign - however due to the agreement - they use the PB callsign - however 99% of the flying that Virgin are doing to/from perth are VB aircraft (VH rego) with VB crew. They are normally infact VB aircraft (VH rego) - they tend to keep the ZK rego passing thru ZK

There is nothing stopping Virgin from flying internationally - they have been doing it for years - they just use the Pac Blue livery and their callsign... hence how 'virgin' are flying to/from bali - simply using the pac blue callsign - but the crews are vb and the aircraft are the vb aircraft - with the pb livery - with vh rego

I can understand how this may cause confusion for some

on PPRUNE forum, the VB guys say it us a VH aircraft in PB livery flying under the PBN call sign with PB crews, the aircraft that arrives in Perth from bali started its day in Brisbane, went to Bali, then Perth, goes back to bali and back to Brisbane in the same sector.

one of the reasons is much the same reason Toll use a ZK aircraft to operate the 737 freighter run Perth to Melbourne, is because its cheaper, for aircraft licenses, and crew wages, due to the difference in the dollar.

AO11912 wrote:on PPRUNE forum, the VB guys say it us a VH aircraft in PB livery flying under the PBN call sign with PB crews....

I can tell you right now - it is a VB aircraft (PH livery) with VB Crew but using the Blue bird Call sign - this is happening on 99.99% of the flights to/from Bali

The company has decided to wet lease VB crew, (on paper) to crew the aircraft, to Pac Blue instead of PB using crew - after all PB are desperate for crew - another reason why using VB crew on these fligths

I cant beleive where some of the rumours come from on PPRUNE - after all it is a rumour network ...

timS wrote:the q400 comment was just the fact that its a nicer plane, not that it would be economical on a cocos run. I'm not sure of exact figures of the top of my head, but the front hold of a e190 is rated to hold just over 1600kg, the rear just over 1100kg. 1200kg of bags (working on 1 bag for every passenger minus 20, the route I am referring to many people go hand luggage only) and the entire plane was full. All the lockers packed out. The cabins are also very small, meaning that the air hosties have to be way more vigilante with making sure there is no oversize hand luggage, as it simply doesn't fit. This is a very short route with minimal luggage and minimal fuel, and there are problems already.

A question for anyone that knows (numloxx??) what is the largest aircraft cocos can handle?

Hi,

I believe that there has been the occassional An-124 there but don't quote me on it.
Are the Q400's ETOPS rated? Thats why the RJ70/146's are suited for the Cocos/Christmas Island run, they don't need ETOPS since they have 4 engines

DJ with their Em170/190's... I doubt they'll be able to carry as much as NJS does.
Same with anybody else, such as Skywest and Alliance with their F100's, Ozjet with their ageing B737-200.

Time will tell.