Australian airline Qantas has cut flights between Sydney and Johannesburg, South Africa, after the airline received a warning that debris from Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket would re-enter Earth's atmosphere. It was announced that flights are being repeatedly delayed with little notice. The delay of up to six hours was caused by a last-minute change in the coordinates of Musk's space technology company's rocket re-entry location and timing.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline had little advance warning about when and where debris would fall, leaving it with little choice but to delay flights until the risk passed. Because the rocket debris is far from land, it is oriented towards falling into the southern Indian Ocean. However, this poses a significant problem for Qantas, as its six A380 flights a week from Sydney International Airport (SYD) to Johannesburg ORT Tambo International Airport pass through this very area on its route. Masu.
Ben Holland said: “Due to advisories we have received from the US government regarding the re-entry of SpaceX rockets over large areas of the southern Indian Ocean, we have had to delay several flights between Johannesburg and Sydney over the past few weeks.” said. The director of Qantas' operations center in Sydney told the Guardian.
“While we strive to reschedule in advance, the timing of recent launches has resulted in late notice and we have had to delay some flights at the last minute before departure. We will notify customers of any changes to their flights as soon as we know they will be affected.
Airlines say they will receive alerts specifying their geographic coordinates and re-entry timing, which can change at short notice, sometimes even right before departure. The westbound flight (QF63) is scheduled to depart Sydney at 09:30 and arrive in Johannesburg at 14:45 the same day. Each flight is expected to take approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes.
“Customers generally understand that this is outside of the airline's control and that they cannot fly in the area while rocket reentry is taking place,” Holland added. “We are in contact with SpaceX to see if the rocket re-entry area and time frame can be adjusted to minimize future disruption to passengers along the route.”
A quick look at recent data from Flightradar24 shows that flight QF63 has faced several significant delays in recent weeks. The flight on January 10, 2025 departed Sydney approximately three hours late, and the flight on January 2, 2025 departed approximately two and a half hours late. A similar delay occurred on December 30, 2024.
The company's 6,902-mile (11,044-kilometer) flights between Sydney and Johannesburg typically take remote routes across the southern Indian Ocean, and it also regularly flies close to the northern tip of the Antarctic ice sheet.
Royal Dutch Airlines is currently in discussions with SpaceX to “consider whether the area and timeframe of rocket re-entry can be adjusted to minimize future disruption to passengers on the route.” He said there was.
The Guardian reports that South African Airways has also experienced similar delays and disruptions on its regular direct flights between Perth, Western Australia, and Johannesburg. These flights will be operated five times a week on an Airbus A340-300 aircraft and will follow a similar flight route to Qantas' Sydney to Johannesburg flight.
So far, SpaceX has not released any public statements or comments regarding these flight disruptions caused by rocket debris.
