Originally Posted by
dojetdriver
Why do people think that ETOPS means over water? Aircraft that operate from the middle east to west Africa are ALSO dispacted under ETOPs. Has NOTHING to do with being over water, just that aircraft may be on a route where a suitable field is outside the normal criteria and ETOPs dispatch is required.
What exactly is "pacific long haul"? Would you consider 12 hours "long haul"?
Both QA (A330) and AZ (777) operate non stop from LAX to AKL.
It has more to do with distance to an alternate (207 minutes) A 767ER cannot do that much, but the 777 is certified for that range. I know nothing about the 330. There are not a lot of divert fields in the south Pacific which is why the 747 is a good candidate for those routes (assuming the economics work) The 787 will probably be a big player in this arena assuming it ever goes into production. Anyway, the point is, the total length of the flight is not the issue here, it is the distance to alternates.