That was our experience when Mike and I went off to the airport to pick up Julian. There was not a single car on Ou Kaapse Weg going or on our return.
But there was a reason.
It was 00-45am when we left for the airport and heading for 2am coming back!
No wonder there were no cars on the road. None the less it was a pleasant experience.
Sooooo, what planes come in at 1am?
Actually, Julian’s plane was due in at 8-15pm. We were there waiting and saw that it was due to be on time. Then while we watched the board changed to say it was 20 minutes late. Other planes were landing so we didn’t think there would be an issue. After waiting another ten minutes, the sign came up to say it was ‘diverted.’ On further investigation we were told it had returned to Johannesburg and would be taking off again at just before 11pm and arriving just after 1am. So, we went home, set the alarm, slept until 00-35am, Mike made coffee and we trundled back to the airport. And it was at that time Ou Kaaps was so quiet. What a treat! Visibility was much better at that time than it had been at 7-30pm last night. We saw a lot of trees and branches had come down in the storm. There was still a bit of rain and wind, but Julian’s plane landed with no problems. This is one flight announcement you don’t often see…
One thing that I did discover is that you can go to a website called Planefinder and watch any and every plane currently flying around the planet. Before we left home at 00-45am, I checked to see if the flight was on track….there it was – a lone airplane flying down South Africa…
It’s a fascinating website and one that is quite fun to visit.
So these were pretty bad circumstances and not a little un-nerving. It was strange that all the other flights landed while this particular Safair flight didn’t. It gave rise to the question if all was well on-board. No one could tell us, but the lady at the information desk at Cape Town international airport was particularly helpful. She made a call and told us the plan for the rest of the night. We also got the phone number of the Safair operations office and were able to confirm that what we had heard was correct. When Julian landed back in Johannesburg and contacted me, I could tell him what was going to happen. That was the first time he and the other passengers had heard the plan. He also spread the news that their flight was the only one diverted! It did sound barking mad that they returned to Johannesburg, but there it is. These things happen and under the circumstances, it was handled well. It ended up that Julian took off from Johannesburg twice, landed in Johannesburg once and landed in Cape Town once, all in a seven hour period. Happy days! He said half the passengers got off in Johannesburg, not wanting to risk returning to Cape Town and not being able to land again. When he asked me, I said “No! No! Keep your seat.” It was the back end of the storm and I expected there to be no problem landing. The crew was changed and a new pilot took over. The new pilot assured the passengers that if it was too windy, he would circle a few times and wait for a break in the weather. It wasn’t necessary.
We were so happy all ended well.
#318 of my 1000 thanks is that Julian landed safely.
#319 of my 1000 thanks is (wait for it) for my pillow! When I put my head on the pillow and went to sleep before and after the second airport trip, it was just so soft and comfortable and sucked me into a wonderful sleep. Love my pillow!
Psalm 139:3
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
These are the days!
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂