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Quoting Gazdon121 (Reply 2): I think it is the GZZZ birds |
Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Would a 777 or 787 or A380 be in the planning stage perhaps? |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 15): |
Quoting readytotaxi (Reply 17): Very many thanks for the detailed answer, very good work, thanks. Perhaps this link is what confused me. |
Quoting Auchmithie (Reply 1): The fabulous VV701 will be along shortly with the oracle on this....... |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 15): The BA Royal Suite has only been used for official flights made by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and once by Prime Minister and Mrs Blair. At the ages of almost 90 and 95 respectively I am not expecting either Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip will be flying long haul again. However I believe that BA currently have two 772s that have an altered floor in the F Class cabin so that the Royal Suite can be fitted in it where an overnight flight is involved. I understand they are G-YMMO and 'MP. Note here that the Royal Suite includes two single beds, one installed on each side of the F Class cabin. So other 772s have been used on flights that can be operated without an overnight flight such as those to the UAE and USA. As far as I am aware the last two occasions Her Majesty and His Royal Highness flew long distance in any BA aircraft other than in a 772 was in a 763. For their State Visit to South Korea from 18 to 22 April 1999 they flew in a 763. The aircraft used back then was the trend-setting G-BNWR. Trend setting? It was rolled out on the departure day after being repainted from the BA Chelsea Rose (World Images) livery into the now ubiquitous BA Union Flag livery. As much as the British media derided the World Images liveries it lauded the appearance of the Union Flag livery on this the first BA subsonic aircraft to carry it. As a result within three months BA had announced it would adopt this livery for its entire fleet. Later in November 1999 another 763, G-BNWH, flew the two Royals on a State Visit to Ghana and later South Africa as well as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban before the State Visit to Mozambique. Prior to the South Korea visit I only have a three records of the BA aircraft used by the Royal Couple on long haul flights. However my best guess is that they never flew in a BA 744. Why is a BA 747 an unlikely choice? It was too large (and therefore expensive) for the size of any Royal Party. The three earlier flights / trips were: 1. In November 1977 Concorde G-BOAE flew Queen Elizabeth home from BGI at the end of a Royal Tour of the Caribbean 2. In 1983 the Queen and Prince Philip were flown on a State Visit to Kenya, Bangladesh and India and to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in New Delhi on a BA L-1011 TriStar 500 (G-BFCD). (This was notable as the homeward DEL-LHR flight was the last BA revenue earning flight by any L-1011 500. Indeed the aircraft was leased by BA from the RAF after the airline had sold it to them in the preceeding March.) 3. L-1011-200 G-BHBO flew Her Majesty and her Consort to AKL via BNE (and where else?) to open the XIV Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1990. So my best assessment is that the Royal Couple's use of BA long haul aircraft has been the L-1011, then the B 763 and most recently the B 772 but never the 747. |
Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): wondering when was the last time that was used? |
Quoting readytotaxi (Thread starter): Would a 777 or 787 or A380 be in the planning stage perhaps? |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 11): However my best guess is that they never flew in a BA 744. |
Quoting RRTrent (Reply 19): I know its not the Queen, but British delegates who were traveling to Hong Kong for the handover in 99 traveled on a BA 744. I don't know if the Queen was in this flight, or even in Hong Kong for the handover, but I taught id throw it out there. |
Quoting readytotaxi (Reply 24): Curious, are there any pictures or drawings of the "Royal Suite"? |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 25): |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 25): One thing that has always beguiled me over all of this is the flight crew. Their only access from the 772 flight deck to any other part of the aircraft is effectively through the Queen's bedroom! |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 13): When Queen Elizabeth flies long-haul as Queen of the United Kingdom or Head of the Commonwealth she has to provide (pay for) her flight costs but will likely be reimbursed by the British Government if she is travelling on a formal State Visit. When she is travelling as Queen of the likes of Australia, Canada or New Zealand at the invitation of the government of the relevant Commonwealth country, that government provides the transport. So in the video Queen Elizabeth is departing from LHR on a visit to Australia in her role as Queen of Australia. My guess - and it is only a guess - is that she and her party occupied the whole of the F Class cabin and part of the J Class cabin. As her departure is from the LHR VIP Terminal there must be some doubt as to whether the flight was a scheduled flight with individual fare paying passengers in the other cabins. |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 25): Quoting readytotaxi (Reply 24): Curious, are there any pictures or drawings of the "Royal Suite"? I have never seen any. |
Quoting UAEflyer (Reply 27): Is there a bedroom setup for HM ? any one have floor plan of the Royal Suite. |
Quoting cpd (Reply 25): Picture 13 of 18. "Queen reading newspapers during her flight home from Bridgetown, Barbados, in the supersonic Concorde" |
Quoting TravelsUK (Reply 26): How are flight deck and cabin crew chosen to operate the BA Royal flights? Is there a select group of crew specially 'trained'...? |
Quoting pnwtraveler (Reply 22): When the Queen comes to Canada in her role as Queen of Canada (not connected to Queen of England) she flies on one of the Polaris aircraft that have the ability to have a VIP set up in the forward cabin. |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 6): However I believe that BA currently have two 772s that have an altered floor in the F Class cabin so that the Royal Suite can be fitted in it where an overnight flight is involved. I understand they are G-YMMO and 'MP. |
Quoting VV701 (Reply 28): Thanks for providing this link. I had never seen this photo before. As an aside the Concorde the Queen is travelling from BGI to LHR in the photo is G-BOAE. When it collected her on 2 November 1977 at the culmination of her Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean it had been in service with BA for less than four months. This was the first ever visit of any Concorde to BGI that was to become a regular seasonal scheduled BA Concorde destination. The same aircraft's last flight almost exactly twenty-six years later on 17 November 2003 was, appropriately, LHR-BGI (BA9095P). Today, over 39 years after its first flight, the same frame is on display at BGI as the 'Barbados Concorde Experience'. |
Quoting BoeingVista (Reply 31): Seems that famous Wellington 777 landing for QEII's visit starting 22/2/02 was made with G-YMMO, reports say it flew KIN-WLG which at 12,831km seems like an awful long way for a 777-236 but I believe that the royal party flew PER-LHR direct after a CHOGAM which would be 14,499km. So I'm thinking that G-YMMO and / or MP possibly hold records for the longest ever 777-200 flights |