Ben Holland, the head of Qantas's operations centre, stated, "Over the past few weeks we've had to delay several flights between Johannesburg and Sydney due to advice received from the US Government regarding the re-entry of SpaceX rockets over an extensive area of the Southern Indian Ocean." This highlights how governmental and operational challenges can intersect, affecting airline schedules unexpectedly.
Holland noted, "While we try to make any changes to our schedule in advance, the timing of recent launches have moved around at late notice which has meant we've had to delay some flights just prior to departure." This demonstrates the unpredictability airlines face with space operations.
He added, "Our teams notify customers of changes to their flight as soon as we know it will be impacted. Customers generally understand this is outside of airlines' control and that we can't fly in the area when the rocket re-entry is taking place." This points to the importance of communication and customer understanding in managing flight disruptions.
In addressing future disruptions, Holland mentioned, "We're in contact with SpaceX to see if they can refine the areas and time windows for the rocket re-entries to minimise future disruption to our passengers on the route." This indicates a proactive effort in maintaining flight schedules amid space operation challenges.
Collection
[
|
...
]