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Qantas has been forced to delay flights between Australia and South Africa after the US government warned the airline about the risk of SpaceX rocket parts re-entering the atmosphere in the southern Indian Ocean.
Australia's flag carrier said on Tuesday it had canceled several flights between Sydney and Johannesburg over the past few weeks, with delays lasting between one and six hours.
Ben Holland, head of operations at Qantas, said re-entry times are part of Elon Musk's rockets. SpaceX “go around after late notice”, forcing the airline to delay other flights before departure.
He added: “We are in contact with SpaceX to see if they can clear the areas and time windows for the re-entry of the rocket to minimize future disruption to our passengers on the way.”
Fewer airlines fly across the southern Indian Ocean, however Qantas has operated a service from South Africa to Australia – known as the Wallaby route – since the early 1950s.
It is a route frequently used by tourists, South Africans living in Australia and mining industry executives.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the US regulator, licenses all rocket sales and re-entry within the US, as well as those operated by American companies abroad.
Rocket launches are usually carefully measured to ensure unreusable spray points in remote areas of the ocean. The exact location will depend on the airline, with planes and ships told to avoid the re-entry area.
Qantas' warning comes as the launch rate is expected to increase significantly with more new rockets entering the market.
Last year, there were a record 259 rocket launch attempts worldwide, with 256 proving successful.
SpaceX has accounted for more than half that number and is expected to increase the launch rate this year as it brings its massive Starship rocket into service. This week, it is expected to make the seventh test flight although the date has been pushed back.
Rival rocket company Blue Origin, backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is also set to fly its new Glenn rocket in the coming days after grounding its first flight on Monday due to an icing issue.
There are times when parts have fallen to the ground outside of controlled areas. Last year, SpaceX's Falcon 9 was grounded after three incidents involving parts re-entering out of control.
Qantas shares fell 2 percent in Australia after it revealed flight delays.
SpaceX has been contacted for comment.