Qantas staff under fire for breaching social distancing rules at 747 farewell
Current and former Qantas staff members have come under fire for breaching social distancing guidelines at an emotional goodbye to the Boeing 747 at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday.
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Current and former Qantas staff members have come under fire for breaching social distancing guidelines at an emotional goodbye to the Boeing 747.
A large crowd gathered at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday afternoon to watch the final flight of a 747.
Retired and active staff members wore uniforms from years gone by to celebrate the vessel.
However one passerby, John, who asked to not have his surname published,77, from the Northern Beaches said he was gobsmacked by the lack of social distancing.
“There were an awful lot of people there. We were on the ferry back to Manly, from Circular Quay, and I couldn’t really believe it,” he said.
“People have not gotten the message about social distancing it seems. We have to be very careful with these things.
“My wife and I are at risk if we catch the virus so it was a worry seeing that amount of people gathering in close quarters.”
Active cases of coronavirus in NSW have risen in the last week with outbreaks in parts of southern and south-western Sydney.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian this week urged people to avoid crowds.
The Daily Telegraph understands the gathering was not an official Qantas event and staff were urged to practise social distancing if they attended.
John said the Opera House management should have dispersed the crowds when they started gathering.
“They looked like an older group of people, people who should know better. It was the responsibility of management to make sure that while they’re there they should be safe,” he said.
A Sydney Opera House spokeswoman said the viewing was not an authorised gathering.
“While the Opera House remains closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, thoroughfares surrounding it remain open to the public,” she said.
“Yesterday, a number of people came onto the precinct to watch the final Qantas Boeing 747 CBD flyover. This gathering was not authorised by the Opera House.
“Members of the public are responsible for maintaining physical distancing with others, including in public spaces, in line with the current public health advice.”
The last “Queen of the Skies’’ on Australian soil left Sydney Airport after 50 years of service for the 747 fleet, which was retired six months earlier than planned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bound for Los Angeles with a full load of freight cargo and captained by Qantas’s first female pilot, Sharelle Quinn, the last 747 left at 3.30pm — but not before leaving a final tribute to our national airline on radar.
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The plane’s flight path was tracked online and traced out the shape of the iconic flying kangaroo, marking Qantas into the sky.
The swan song flight for the iconic jumbo jet was watched by aircraft enthusiasts including actor Russell Crowe, who reflected on a pilot friend’s time flying a piece of aviation history at Qantas: “Emotional day for him. I know he has loved and respected the aircraft and always felt it was a privilege.”
The 747 will arrive in California to be parked in a desert graveyard.
