p30 Air Sept18 15/9/09 17:33 Page 30
news air
ttglive.com
Cathay Pacific
Qantas risks environmental
adds Fiji route row over Antarctica flights
CATHAY Pacific is launching a route between
Chris Gray.
A second A380 sightseeing service is planned
Heathrow and the South Pacific island of Fiji, via QANTAS is courting controversy with plans for for January 24 direct from Sydney, while a third
Hong Kong. a series of sightseeing flights over Antarctica, flight will operate on a Boeing 747-400, from
The service from London will link with a code- including two on the world’s largest aircraft. Melbourne, on Valentine’s Day.
share flight with Fiji’s national carrier, Air Pacific, On New Year’s Eve, a chartered A380 will fly Melbourne-based organiser Antarctica
from Hong Kong to Nadi International airport. from Sydney, via Melbourne, to the South Pole, Sightseeing Flights is promoting the trips,
The twice-weekly service will operate on where it will carry out figure-of-eight patterns which will be the first commercial flights over
Thursdays and Saturdays from December 3. for up to four hours either side of midnight. Antarctica onboard an A380, as the most
It will depart London at 18.08, arriving in Hong comfortable way to see the continent.
Kong at 13.55 the next day. The connecting Air The company’s founder, Phil Asker, said
Pacific service will depart at 17.05 and arrive in viewing the region from the air “maximises
Nadi at 07.05 the following day. viewing but leaves not a single footprint”.
Flying time is 22 hours, with a total journey However, the trips are likely to attract criti-
time of 25 hours including transfers. cism because of the flights’ carbon footprints
The Air Pacific flight will be operated by a and the symbolism of flying the world’s largest
two-cabin Boeing 767 with 229 economy seats aircraft over polar ice caps in danger from global
and 18 business-class seats. warming, purely for sightseeing.
Cathay Pacific’s UK sales and marketing man- The company said the A380 was 10% more
ager, Eric Odone, said the airline was anticipating fuel-efficient than other large aircraft.
strong demand from the UK for the flights and Prices for the New Year’s Eve flight range from
the service would reinforce Hong Kong’s status about £510 for an economy-class centre seat to
as an international hub. Qantas says its sightseeing flights will “not leave any footprints” £3,270 in first class.
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30 14.09.2009
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