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Qantas passengers stunned by pilot's 'sneaky detour': 'Nice surprise'

Passengers on board a recent Qantas flight were awestruck by their pilot pulling off a cheeky manoeuvre over the Northern Territory.

Captured on a flight tracker, the Melbourne-bound plane can be seen making a drastic detour over one of Australia’s most sacred spaces.

One enthralled passenger took to social media to share his experience.

“Qantas made a sneaky detour over Uluru on our flight back from Broome on Sunday!” he gushed.

“[It] was a really nice surprise given service cutbacks in other areas.”

The flight tracker (left) showing the Qantas flight and the Red Centre with Uluru in the background (right)
One of the lucky Qantas passengers captured the pilot's 'sneaky detour' on a flight tracker. Source: Facebook

In a series of images over the Red Centre, one of the world’s largest rock formations can be seen rising from the ground.

A closer shot out of the plane’s window captures the World Heritage-listed site in all its glory from almost 37,000 feet.

In the post, which has since received almost 200 likes, fellow frequent flyers shared their amazement.

“You scored!” one woman wrote.

“I love this,” another said.

“Awesome,” someone else added. “But then the whole of that trip over our fragile land is amazing.”

At almost 37,000 feet, Uluru can be seen rising out of the red centre. Source: Facebook
At almost 37,000 feet, Uluru can be seen rising out of the Red Centre. Source: Facebook

While others were quick to share that they had also been treated to the same experience.

“A Qantas pilot did the same on a Broome-Alice Springs-Cairns flight a few years ago,” one woman wrote.

“I was on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumper, the pilot dropped the wings to one side and made an announcement,” another passenger said. “Cool stuff.”

More favourable conditions

While one Aussie pilot joked that the Melbourne-bound flight could have ”picked up another airway’s route for more ‘favourable conditions’,” he said pilots are allowed to go off track.

“Flights can amend their preferred route with air traffic control and as long as it doesn’t create a conflict, they are usually happy to oblige,” he told Yahoo News Australia.

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