The airplane is a magnificent beast.
Most airlines weigh over 41,000 kilograms but can take off gracefully into the sky like a giant eagle.
We’re used to taking these planes to fly off to distant lands for our holidays, but now such adventures seem like distant dreams due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Singaporeans have been told to defer all travel abroad, and Changi Airport has seen its lowest number of visitors in March since the SARS outbreak.
But it’s not just Singaporeans who are suffering. These planes are hurting, too.
SIA Planes Parked Neatly in Australia Desert ‘Coz S’pore Weather Doesn’t Allow Season Parking
Due to global travel bans, airlines all over the world have halted most of their flights and grounded their airplanes.
Our national carrier Singapore Airlines, for example, cut 96% of its scheduled capacity by grounding most of its aircraft.
And even though Singaporeans are used to the weather, Singapore’s climate is too humid for long-term storage of these aircraft, according to Mothership.
So, they’ve parked their long white asses abroad.
Specifically, in Alice Springs, Northern Australia.
Facebook user Steve Strike uploaded these beautiful photos of the aircraft lined up sadly in the dessert, like dogs in a pound waiting for an owner to take it away.
Over 20 airplanes, probably worth billions of dollars, were seen parked in a remote desert in the town of Alice Springs, somewhere in between Darwin & Adelaide.
A couple of Scoot planes were also spotted in the giant parking lot.
But why Alice Springs?
Alice Springs Airport is home to the region’s only long-term aircraft storage facility, and a dry desert climate is essential for preserving aircraft in long-term storage.
These aircraft were so depressed about their situation that they completely forgot about safe distancing while abroad.
This lonely desert will likely be the resting grounds of these aircraft until the Covid-19 pandemic dies down and people are allowed to travel again.
These pictures beg the question though: when will we see these magnificent beasts return to the skies?
Essential Business Travel To Resume First
Preparations are underway to ensure essential business travel can begin to resume, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Sunday (3 May).
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This will require countries to coordinate standards of health checks as well as a system of tracking infected people.
Reader: That’s great and everything, but when can I go to Thailand again?
Well, once the authorities figure out how to carry out essential business travel, they can focus on market cross-border travel, which will take a longer time to resume, Mr Chan said.
So, we don’t know when exactly we’ll be able to travel again, but the fact that they’re working on resuming essential business travel is certainly a good sign.
For now, these aircraft will have to remain in the desert, and we in our homes.
But it’ll be a special day indeed when we can once again fly off to foreign lands in the bellies of these majestic beasts.
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