As I have posted previously, I was fortunate to be at Wellington International with Planefil and Lanzi, just 3 weeks ago, when the Air New Zealand Dreamliner ZK-NZN3 was there providing extra seats to Auckland following the cancellation of many flights the previous day due to awful weather, and we waited in anticipation for its departure. What a change in the Wellington weather a day makes!
The day was made more interesting by the concurrent arrival of the Boeing 777-200 9V-SRM of Singapore Airlines. In a comment on my previous post Thomarse queried why Air New Zealand was taxying for Runway 16 while Singapore Airlines was landing on Runway 34. It was a good question and one that I now explain as follows.
Wellington Airport was opened in 1959 (and I was watching the opening pageant through binoculars from our house in Melrose, also very interesting!). So it is a 1950s design that now has limitations on the heavy aircraft which use the airport. These limitations resulted in the pas-de-deux that we were privileged to witness! In particular the taxyways off the single runway are not big enough for the heavies to use, so they must turn off the runway at each end and they can also use the second taxyway from the Northern end which is wider and stronger. This limitation provided us with magnificent views of a Dreamliner from many different angles that we would not have otherwise had, so a big thanks to all involved!
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The day was made more interesting by the concurrent arrival of the Boeing 777-200 9V-SRM of Singapore Airlines. In a comment on my previous post Thomarse queried why Air New Zealand was taxying for Runway 16 while Singapore Airlines was landing on Runway 34. It was a good question and one that I now explain as follows.
Wellington Airport was opened in 1959 (and I was watching the opening pageant through binoculars from our house in Melrose, also very interesting!). So it is a 1950s design that now has limitations on the heavy aircraft which use the airport. These limitations resulted in the pas-de-deux that we were privileged to witness! In particular the taxyways off the single runway are not big enough for the heavies to use, so they must turn off the runway at each end and they can also use the second taxyway from the Northern end which is wider and stronger. This limitation provided us with magnificent views of a Dreamliner from many different angles that we would not have otherwise had, so a big thanks to all involved!
ZK-NZN3 is pushed back...
And 9V-SRM lands...
The Dreamliner taxies North while SIA waits...
and makes a 180 degree turn around the North end of the runway...
to taxy back South...
Followed by SIA exiting stage right!
The Dreamliner then lined up for Runway 34...
and it was away!
Climbing out with the new leaning control tower in the background...
and off to Auckland. Very nice indeed!