Travel
Rocket debris from Elon Musk’s SpaceX is delaying flights in this part of the world
One airline said it often gets little notice of when or where it can expect rockets to fall from the sky so flights have been delayed to ensure safety.
Delayed flights are nothing new, but Australian airline Qantas has come up with a rather novel excuse for late departures. It says its services between Sydney and Johannesburg are being delayed because of falling space junk.
The flights cross a portion of the southern Indian Ocean that US launch company SpaceX has earmarked for the splashdown of re-entering rockets.
Qantas says it often gets little notice of when or where it can expect rockets to fall from the sky, and as such, has regularly delayed flights to ensure safety.
“Over the past few weeks we‘ve had to delay several flights between Johannesburg and Sydney due to advice received from the US Government regarding the re-entry of SpaceX rockets over an extensive area of the Southern Indian Ocean,” Qantas told Euronews Travel.
“While we try to make any changes to our schedule in advance, the timing of recent launches have moved around at late notice which has meant we’ve had to delay some flights just prior to departure. Our teams notify customers of changes to their flight as soon as we know it will be impacted.”
How long are the space junk delays?
“In the past few weeks, many flights have departed late in both directions, some more than five hours late, with the obvious knock-on impacts of this,” commented Dr James Pearson, a flight route analyst.
“It is unclear whether all or only some of the delays relate to the SpaceX debris. Nonetheless, like all airlines, Qantas revolves around safety, and it took precautionary action.”
Comparing notes between flight tracking service Flightradar 24 and SpaceX’s calendar of launches, there does seem to be a correlation between delayed flights and Falcon 9 launches.
For example, a flight on January 10, set to depart Johannesburg at 5:15 pm was delayed by five and a half hours, eventually taking off at 10:41pm. That same day, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with 21 Starlink satellites onboard from Cape Canaveral at 2:11 pm local time, just a couple of hours after the flight was due to take off.
How much space junk does a SpaceX rocket produce?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has famously developed a reusable rocket it calls the Falcon 9. The first stages return to Earth to be used again, but a huge 3.5-tonne upper section remains in orbit, joining the swarms of space debris that circle the planet.
Eventually, it falls back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere in the process. But these aluminium rocket parts aren’t always destroyed on re-entry. Numerous reports have been made of pieces of Falcon 9 rockets turning up on beaches and even in people’s homes.
In November 2015, a piece of a Falcon 9 measuring 10 metres by four metres washed up on the shores of the Scilly Isles in the UK.
A piece of debris from a Falcon 9 launch crashed into a private farm in central Washington in 2021. The piece was described as being 1.5 metres long and cylindrical, and it made a crater in the ground around 13 cm deep.
Just last year, multiple pieces of debris were discovered throughout the mountains of North Carolina, which were subsequently confirmed to be from a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
And in 2022, junk found in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, was confirmed to be of SpaceX origin.
The company has set up a hotline for anyone discovering debris from SpaceX spacecraft, explaining that, “If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly. Instead, please either email or leave a voicemail here with your name, number and a brief description of what you have discovered and where.”
Is space junk affecting other flights and is it dangerous?
Very few airlines connect Australia and South Africa. Just two carriers have direct flights – Qantas and South African Airways (SAA). But Qantas flies to Sydney, in the southeast of Australia, while SAA connects to Perth on the west coast.
Because of the differences in destinations, only Qantas takes a route that puts it in the path of falling debris.
“Qantas’ Sydney-Johannesburg Airbus A380 service follows a very southerly route,” Dr Pearson explained. “As South African Airways’ Johannesburg-Perth service follows a much more northerly route, it seems that only Qantas has primarily been impacted.”
But is space junk really dangerous for commercial air travel? While there may not have been an immediate danger to Qantas flights, airlines tend to operate out of an abundance of caution, so would always rather delay a flight than take unnecessary risks.
“Customers generally understand this is outside of airlines’ control and that we can’t fly in the area when the rocket re-entry is taking place,” a Qantas spokesperson told Euronews Travel. “We’re in contact with SpaceX to see if they can refine the areas and time windows for the rocket re-entries to minimise future disruption to our passengers on the route.”
It would be very unlucky for a piece of space junk, even one several metres across, to hit an aircraft flying at hundreds of kilometres an hour. But it could happen, and should that piece of junk puncture the fuselage or enter the engine, it could be disastrous.
For Qantas, the situation is somewhat controlled as it receives warnings specifying geographical locations and timings of re-entry. But not all re-entries go to plan, which creates a risk for other airlines that might not be so well informed.
The Aerospace Corporation states that some 200 – 400 pieces of space debris fall to Earth each year – and those are just the ones that are big enough to track. That problem is only going to get worse as more nations look to send satellites into space.
As well as rocket bodies, dead satellites are also a problem the world will soon have to face. SpaceX alone has already put more than 7,000 satellites into orbit and plans to grow this fleet to 34,000. As these spacecraft come to the end of their service life, they too will be deorbited and fall to Earth.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on legislation around space debris, but it’s a tricky situation that likely won’t be resolved soon.
Author
A week on from the outbreak of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, it might be tempting to think it must be all over by now. But almost daily warnings of high winds show the worst is not over for LA’s residents.
For visitors, there has been no official message from Californian authorities requesting to stay away. The UK foreign office simply says, “‘Fast-spreading wildfires are currently active within Los Angeles County. You should monitor local media and follow the advice of the local authorities.”
So if you’ve got to travel to, through or from Los Angeles soon, is it safe to go?
Are flights cancelled at LAX?
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) typically sees around 700 flights a day. It’s around 17 km from the blaze at the Palisades but has remained open throughout the crisis.
A statement on the airport’s website reads, “LAX is open and operating normally. Passengers should check their flight status directly with their airline.”
No unusual delays have been noted at LAX, with all services operating normally, although some passengers have had a birds-eye view of the devastation.
Several airlines are not charging passengers to change their flights. These include major US carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Southwest and JetBlue are not charging fees either.
Aside from LAX, nearby airports at Hollywood Burbank, Ontario and Santa Ana John Wayne also remain open and are also covered by the airlines’ fee waivers. Similarly, flights have not been delayed because of the fires, although the high winds caused some disruption last week.
If there were any danger related to flying from LAX, the FAA and airport authority would stop the flights. As such, it is safe to fly to and from Los Angeles right now, but whether you want to is another matter.
Is it safe to visit Los Angeles?
Depending on where you plan to go, some areas are not at all safe to visit. The wildfires are concentrated in the north of the city, with the largest fire in the Palisades consuming more than 97,000 square metres.
Other areas of LA County have also been affected, including near tourist hotspot Sunset Boulevard.
A health emergency was declared on 11 January over the smoke. Some water supplies have been contaminated, and people have been warned not to swim in the sea. Wildfire smoke is incredibly hazardous to health, with even brief exposure leading to long-term, serious conditions.
In terms of amenities, DoorDash has suspended services to affected areas and many businesses are closed. Emergency services are overrun with trying to manage the crisis and many local events have been cancelled or moved.
Is Disneyland in LA closed?
As of 15 January, some of the major attractions that remain closed include:
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Warner Bros. Studio
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The Getty Center
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The Hammer Museum
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The Natural History Museum
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The Museum of Contemporary Art
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The Hollywood sign and hiking trails
Disneyland and Universal Studios remain open. Disney issued a statement last week explaining, “If you’re planning a Disneyland vacation, there’s no need to cancel unless you intend to spend a significant portion of your trip in the LA area.”
Airbnb is offering free short-term accommodation for displaced residents, but demand has been high. Losing money on non-refundable accommodation stings, but as someone probably needs that room, the best advice is to call your hotel and explain the situation.
More details on help being offered by the travel industry.
Is it safe to drive in Los Angeles?
Traffic in the city has alleviated a great deal since the first evacuation jams last week. However, many roads are closed, and closures are often happening at very short notice.
Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, is regularly updating drivers via social media regarding which roads are closed. It has advised car drivers to “limit your non-essential travel and stay away” from the affected areas.
While there hasn’t been an official order not to drive in LA County, KQED reports that councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson said in a press conference on Wednesday, “If there is not a good reason for you to be on the roads, we ask that you leave the roads open as possibly as you can to the public safety professionals that have to do their work and will lead us out of the crisis that we face.”
Tens of thousands of people are currently displaced from their homes, and will be using the roads to return home at some point. Similarly, if another fire breaks out or spreads, the roads will quickly jam up with evacuating residents.
Is public transport running in LA?
The LA Metro and Amtrack are running, but are targeting their services at those affected by the wildfires.
LA Metro is providing free fares systemwide until the wildfires are under control. Its website states, “We are running with a few service impacts to some bus lines due to wildfires. All rail lines are running regular service. We’re also continuing to provide free fares systemwide while fire conditions exist.”
Amtrak is also supporting the evacuation effort, offering $10 (€11) fares for travel anywhere between San Diego and San Luis Obispo until 24 January.
Over 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders in Los Angeles County, and a further 89,000 are under evacuation warnings. Many will be relying on the buses and trains to get in and out of the city.
As well as being busy, the situation with public transport can change rapidly. Cancellations and closures will be enacted with little notice to keep travellers safe, so bear this in mind if you plan to travel by bus or train.
How to find out the current status of the Los Angeles wildfires
If your trip isn’t for a few days or even weeks, you may want to check in on the current situation nearer the time. The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection hosts a live, real-time dashboard showing where the fires are, and how well contained they are.
It also shows which areas are covered by the red flag warning. This is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service in the US to inform when conditions are ripe for wildfire combustion.
While an area is under a red flag warning, residents, firefighters and land management agencies will be on high alert. That’s not to say you shouldn’t visit, but if you do, it’s important to be aware that the authorities and local people will be incredibly busy and stressed.
Author
It seems we heard more about turbulence in 2024 than ever before.
Multiple reports of injuries on turbulent flights hit the headlines, including one Singapore Airlines flight where a passenger sadly died. This was the first time a person had been killed on a flight due to turbulence since 1997.
Data from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggests that from 2009 to 2023, 37 passengers and 146 crew members were seriously injured due to turbulence, and it remains the single biggest cause of injuries on a commercial flight.
Turbulence can happen anywhere, but certain characteristics can make it more prevalent. So where in Europe are the most turbulent routes, and how do they compare with the rest of the world?
Europe’s most turbulent flight routes
New research from turbulence tracking website Turbli has highlighted which routes in Europe are the most likely to experience bumps. Eight of the top 10 most turbulent routes begin or end in Switzerland, with other routes passing over or around the Alps.
To quantify the likelihood of turbulence, Turbli uses eddy dissipation rate (EDR). This is a measurement of atmospheric turbulence that’s independent of the aircraft’s characteristics. It’s the standard metric for aviation turbulence used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In full, the most turbulent routes in Europe in 2024 were:
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Nice – Geneva: EDR 16.07
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Nice – Zurich: 15.49
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Milan – Zurich: 15.41
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Milan – Lyon: 15.37
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Nice – Basel: 15.33
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Geneva – Zurich: 15.05
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Nice – Lyon: 14.99
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Geneva – Venice: 14.78
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Lyon – Zurich: 14.74
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Venice – Zurich: 14.67
According to Turbli, anything under an EDR of 20 is considered ‘light,’ with those between 20 and 40 being moderate. No routes in the world ranked as strong (40-60) or extreme (80-100) on a yearly average basis, although some individual incidents may well have crossed these thresholds.
Nevertheless, extreme turbulence is uncommon in Europe, so even these most turbulent routes are unlikely to see some of the devastating incidents of recent months.
In comparison, the most turbulent routes in the world were all in South America, crisscrossing the Andes mountain range. The most turbulent route, with an EDR of 24.68, was Mendoza to Santiago, with Cordoba to Santiago in second, and Mendoza to Salta in third.
Why is turbulence more common near mountains?
In general, flying over or near mountains can cause turbulence, largely due to the way the wind interacts with the terrain.
When winds hit a mountainous area, they can be forced to rise upwards over the peaks, causing updraughts. These upwardly mobile currents may then hit a stable air barrier at altitude, forcing them back towards the ground again and creating a downdraught.
High peaks can also create something known as ‘mountain waves,’ caused by disturbance to horizontal airflow. These oscillations on the downwind side of high ground can cause vertical currents as strong as 2,000 ft/min, making the skies above rather bumpy.
These disruptions in air currents can effectively disrupt an aircraft’s flight path, causing the plane to rise, drop, or bounce up and down as it passes through.
Also playing a part in the severity of turbulence is temperature and humidity. The warmer and more humid the air, the more extreme the turbulence will be, explaining why routes over the Andes tend to be worse.
Should you be worried about turbulence and is climate change making it worse?
Modern aircraft are designed to handle even the most extreme turbulence events without becoming damaged. The same cannot be said for passengers, however.
In all the turbulence events we saw in 2024, passengers who were safely strapped into their seats were able to walk away from the aircraft unscathed. It was the passengers and crew members who were not secured who suffered the most serious injuries.
Experts agree that turbulence is getting worse as a result of climate change. Specifically, the greater extremes in temperature and stronger, more unpredictable storms mean extreme turbulence events are likely to become more common. The University of Reading in the UK projects that by 2050 turbulence events will be twice as common.
The aviation industry is working hard to keep passengers safe. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched its Turbulence Aware Platform in 2018 and now has over 25 airlines contributing and consuming data through more than 2,600 aircraft. Data from the platform is used in cockpit instruments and flight planning software to better predict and avoid turbulence.
As well as data like this, pilots rely on sophisticated weather radar systems onboard aircraft to detect and avoid areas of turbulence. They also report in real-time to each other if turbulence is encountered on a route.
As much as airlines and aviation bodies are playing their part to help flights avoid turbulence, it can still be incredibly difficult to identify and avoid turbulent air. In particular, clear air turbulence, which has no visual clues to its presence, is almost impossible to identify and avoid.
According to the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) in 28 per cent of turbulence-related incidents, the flight crew received no warning that they were about to hit trouble.
As such, the advice for passengers concerned about turbulence is to always keep their seatbelt securely fastened when on an aircraft.
Author
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved a draft bill that seeks to legalise casinos in a bid to boost tourism and the economy.
In a bid to boost tourism and a sluggish economy, Thailand is mulling the legalisation of casinos. A draft bill, that was approved on Monday, is the first step in bringing gambling clubs to the country.
Some forms of gambling, such as betting on boxing and horse racing, are allowed in Thailand. However, casinos remain illegal.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters following the cabinet meeting that the bill would also help attract more investments and solve issues of illegal gambling
“It will benefit society as a whole in the future,” Paetongtarn said. “This is part of the government’s policy to support sustainable tourism, or man-made destinations, which was addressed in Parliament.”
She said the Finance Ministry, which sponsored the bill, would later provide more details about the plans, which are being promoted as “entertainment complexes.”
Thailand casinos could provide a welcome economic boost
The current government, which took office in September, has pledged to make Thailand’s economic woes their top agenda.
The draft of the law says a casino would be allowed to operate within a complex that also houses other businesses such as a hotel, convention hall, mall or theme park.
Those younger than 20 years old will not be able to access the casinos. Plans are to allow foreigners access for free but Thai citizens must pay a 5,000 baht (€140) entrance fee, according to the draft.
The bill will be submitted to the Office of the Council State for review and then to Parliament to be discussed and voted on by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“Isn’t it time for Thailand to acknowledge that there are gambling places, both legal and illegal, in the country and also the neighbouring countries?” said government spokesperson Jirayu Hoangsub. “This project aims to generate revenue for the country’s tourism sector.”
Tourism is the main driver of the Thai economy and has always been the focus of the different administrations to improve the economy.
Author
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