Qantas Airways Limited ABN 16 009 661 901
QANTAS RESCUE OF ABBY SUNDERLAND
PERTH, 11 June 2010: The Qantas A330-300 aircraft used in the successful search and rescue mission of American teenage sailor Abby Sunderland has returned to Perth thisevening.
The aircraft departed Perth at approximately 7.40am this morning and took five and a halfhours to reach the assumed location of Ms Sunderland, which was approximately mid-waybetween the South West coast of Western Australia and South Africa.
After reaching the location, the aircraft spent around two hours hovering over the vessel to enable radio contact between the sailor and Australian Maritime Safety Authority spotters andalso Federal Police, who were onboard the aircraft.
Qantas Captain John Carr, who commanded a crew of two First Officers and two cabin-crewon today's flight, said he was extremely pleased to be able to help in the rescue of Ms Sunderland.
I was honoured to be asked to be a part of today's rescue, and to help put the mind at rest of both Abby and her family, he said. It was not a typical day at the office for us, but we are trained in flying techniques and the use of the state-of-the-art technology that this aircraft is equipped with, to undertake operations like this one if we are called upon to do so. Today, we received that opportunity, and it is a wonderful feeling to be a part of hopefully seeing Abby home safely when she completes her journey.
The aircraft is one of the airline's new fleet of A330-300s that is in use on the Perth-Sydney route and Perth based international flights to Asia. It is a next generation advanced aircraftequipped with satellite navigation technology.
Qantas was approached to make the aircraft available because it had the capability to fly the long distance required and still maintain sufficient fuel reserves to enable a search to be conducted for several hours before returning to the Australian mainland.
Issued by Qantas Corporate Communication (Q4083)Media Enquiries: Kristy McSweeney T: +61 418 210 005 E:
[email protected]
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