Qantas and American Airlines dramas get holiday season off to a bumpy start
Summer holiday travel is off to a rocky start for some airline passengers after a Qantas flight spent four hours taking off and landing due to various technical issues.
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Summer holiday travel is off to a rocky start for some passengers, after a Qantas flight was twice forced to turn back to Christchurch, New Zealand with various issues and an American Airlines flight into Sydney squawked a low fuel emergency after flying from Los Angeles.
The Qantas Boeing 737 first took off about 6.46am on a flight to Melbourne, only to turn back about an hour into the trip due to a radio problem.
Qantas said the issue was fixed by engineers in Christchurch, and the 737 was again cleared for departure, taking off at 9.37am.
But a short time later an unusual smell was detected in the cabin and the pilots decided to return to Christchurch where the plane landed normally.
A Qantas spokeswoman said engineers were inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the smell, and passengers would be re-accommodated on flights via Auckland on Monday.
“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by these unrelated air returns, and are working hard to get customers on their way as quickly as possible,” she said.
It’s a further blow for Qantas after another 737 incurred engine failure on takeoff from Sydney last month, sparking a grassfire along the runway.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident, but is not expected to launch a formal investigation into the double drama at Christchurch.
Separately, Qantas partner American Airlines caused a flurry of excitement among flight radar and air traffic control sites when it “squawked a 7700 emergency” on approach to Sydney Airport.
Flight AA73 from Los Angeles had already been in the air for close to 14 hours, when air traffic control was informed of a “low-fuel situation” which pilots feared would be exacerbated by a 30 minute holding pattern over Kingsford Smith Airport.
It’s understood air traffic controllers were deliberately spacing out landings and takeoffs due to weather conditions in Sydney on Monday morning.
As a result of the squawk, flight AA73 was given priority to land and touched down safely just before 9am.
No other flights were similarly troubled by the holding pattern.
Low-fuel emergencies occur about once or twice a year in Australia. The last known incident was reported at Sydney Airport on December 23, 2023.
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Originally published as Qantas and American Airlines dramas get holiday season off to a bumpy start
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