These will likely have to divert elsewhere as LHR is now closed until at least 0100GMT

Was just watching traffic around Amsterdam on the website below and saw BA124 from Bahrain show on the screen. Then checked the BA website and sure enough it is scheduled to land in Brussels at 8pm. It shows leaving Brussels tomorrow morning, but doubt that will happen. Oddly the website below shows it heading to Amsterdam and judging by the path it is taking it looks like it is headed to Amsterdam rather than Brussels.


http://casper.frontier.nl/

All UK Airports open from 2200 Local Tonight. British Airways had 26 long haul flights bound for Heathrow, two had to divert to Shannon, and two to Brussels.The rest will land at Heathrow from 2200 and they are even going to try to get some long hauls out tonight. The curfew at Heathrow will also be lifted tonight to allow operations throughout the night. Wonder if the Qantas birds will head south for home tomorrow??

To days Cairns / Darwin / Singapore service JQ-57 was operated by an A321 rather than the A320 normally on the run , could be part of the extra seats needed to get folks to Europe

Aircraft was VH-VWY

Channel 7 News mentioned the first flight to take off to Europe from Sydney was SQ222.

Ryan, as usual the press have it wrong - or at least inaccurate - for SQ222 only goes as far as Singapore - not just today, but always. Going beyond Singapore involves a change of Aircraft and Flight No - SQ322 (which SQ do have showing as departing SIN at 2330) is a common connecting flight for those going to London.

All the SQ flights from Singapore to Europe and VV are usually in the SQ3** Flight number range, the exceptions being those that continue on to the USA.

Things start moving fairly quickly ....

It was a little quieter further north, but also busy down towards Israel and Gibraltar (the Green Circles are A319s)

http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/...urope%2002.jpg

Looks like the first QF flight due out of London (QF32 21Apr) after the Ash shutdown was delayed nearly 10 hours from it's "scheduled" departure.

The expected departure was 12:05 - actual departure 22:00.

Does anyone know the reason for the delayed departure? I presume there would have been a scramble for flights to get out of LHR and it would be interesting to know what delayed these first passengers.

Not sure why the delay of QF32 now re-numbered QF8032. Due now to depart at 2200 local. The other re-positoning flight QF30 renumbered to QF8030 was also due away at 1220 but was then cancelled. I dont think QF30 usually operates on Wednesdays at the moment. Heathrow departure boards now show an extra flight for Thursday. QF8002 is due to depart at 0850 to Singapore and Sydney. Guess this will be operated with the plane left from todays cancelled flight. Maybe there was not enough time to inform enough passengers for two flights today. All 4 Qantas inbounds to Heathrow for Thursday are due more or less on time. Did BA operate out of Sydney on Wednesday afternoon as nothing showing for the BA10 or 16 arriving this end in the morning??

Yes Neil, BA did operate out of Sydney yesterday afternoon. I saw the BA777 & BA747's over at the International Terminal. Not sure when the BA747 left but the 777 departed about 6pm last night