04/02/2022
JA06RK Japan Transocean Air Boeing 737NG
★Airport Class Vol.40: The story behind the charter flight! ★
Hidetaka Tanaka, a former air traffic controller reveals Centrair's secrets!
This time, I have talekd with Transocean Air about charter flights.
Charter flights are flights that have the same departure and arrival points, such as scenic flights and sunrise flights on New Year's Day, or irregular flights that are operated to meet the needs of customers on routes not served by scheduled flights.
There are also standard charters such as those flying to resort areas during summer and winter vacations. The flight number is decided each time after coordinating with the relevant authorities. For the first sunrise flight, the year of the new year is sometimes used.
In case of a regular charter flight, they start preparing about two and a half months in advance, but in the case of the first sunrise flight, the travel agency approached them in April and they started preparing around September.
To see the first sunrise from Mt. Fuji, the route must be in time for the sunrise, and the turning point must not interfere with the operation of other aircraft.
The flight speed is adjusted so that the aircraft does not have its back to the sun and waits for the moment of the first sunrise by turning at a fixed location above Mt. Fuji, and adjusting the direction of the plane so as not to miss the moment of the first sunrise.
If you have a chance, please take a flight from Centrair to see the first sunrise on New Year's Day from above the clouds, regardless of the weather.