In the last few hours, Air Calédonie has sent its entire fleet to Brisbane, Australia. The airline is protecting its fleet from the arrival of Cyclone Niran, which has a maximum sustained wind of 204 km / h, according to local reports.
Moving planes from cyclone path
Currently, tropical cyclone Niran is moving southeast over the Coral Sea towards New Caledonia. Earlier today, the center of the cyclone was located approximately 980 kilometers northwest of the Belep Islands of New Caledonia. It had a maximum sustained wind of 204 km / h.
According to local sources, Niran is expected to pass along the west coast of western New Caledonia on March 6. The maximum sustained wind can reach speeds of 210 km / h.
Because of this, the French community has issued a Level Two Cyclone Alert and expects heavy rain, strong winds and high waves.
Air Calédonie, the local carrier, wasted no time. According to RadarBox.com statistics, the airline moved its four ATR aircraft to Brisbane, Australia, on March 5.
The four aircraft landed between 6:43 pm and 8:43 pm, Eastern Australia time, at Brisbane International Airport.
We contacted Air Calédonie for more information. So far, we have not received an answer. We’ll keep you updated if that changes.
What should an airline do to cope with a hurricane?
Hurricanes and cyclones could hamper airline operations. Most of the time, we hear about airlines issuing travel exemptions and canceling flights due to weather forecasts.
But they also protect their aircraft by sending them to safe locations. But not all aircraft. Flying all planes out of the storm is not very economical, considering that commercial operations cease at the last minute.
However, Air Calédonie was able to do this because it had a minimal operation in the last few months. According to RadarBox.com, Air Caledónie’s ATR fleet averages 1.2 flight hours a day over the past year.
How do airlines prepare against hurricanes and cyclones?
Fortunately, forecasts can now predict the overall trajectory of a cyclone several days in advance. This allows airlines to make critical decisions and keep everyone safe.
The first step that an airline usually takes when a tropical cyclone is forecast is to issue a travel exemption, WorldAware said. This allows passengers to protect themselves against unexpected cancellations.
As the storm approaches, airlines begin to make massive flight cancellations, eliminating all airport operations that are expected to be hit by cyclones or hurricanes.
Meanwhile, airlines are trying to rebook passengers on previous flights and make them safe.
When flying, pilots generally avoid hurricanes. They do this by flying above storms or around.
However, planes rarely fly over hurricanes because they also pose an incredible risk and limit pilots’ options in an emergency.
A brief history of Air Calédonie
Air Calédonie is a small but historic airline in Oceania. It was founded in 1954 and uses Nouméa Magenta Airport as its main hub.
In its first 60 years of history, Air Calédonie carried a total of 10 million passengers, the carrier said.
It currently has a fleet of four ATR aircraft, with an average age of 3.8 years. According to its website, it has three destinations: the island of Pines, the Loyalty Islands and the Northern Province.
Have you ever traveled with Air Calédonie? How was it? Let us know in the comments.