‘Crypto or cash’: Passengers confronted by dodgy airport request after Qantas flight diverted to Azerbaijan

A diverted Qantas flight has left hundreds of Aussies stuck overnight in Azerbaijan where local airport staff allegedly made a very dodgy request.

Hundreds of Qantas passengers will have to spend the night in Azerbaijan after their flight from London to Singapore was diverted to the capital Baku after an in-flight medical emergency on Monday.

The QF2 service landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport between Russia and Iran with the pilot making a “dramatic” 180-degree-turn after a woman in her 60s suffered a cardiac episode.

Complications arising from the fact that Qantas does not have a base in Azerbaijan has meant that the passengers will have to wait until Tuesday Australian time before they are able to continue onto Singapore.

Among the Aussies stuck in Baku is Nine’s Europe correspondent Hannah Sinclair who was travelling to Australia ahead of her wedding in Bali in just a few days time.

With little time to spare, Ms Sinclair and a number of other time-pressed passengers attempted to book an alternative flight home but were allegedly met with a very dodgy request from local airport staff.

A Qantas flight to Singapore has been diverted after a medical emergency. Picture: NewsWire/David Geraghty

Nine's Europe correspondent Hannah Sinclair was caught in the chaos of the diversion and was given a very dodgy alternative when she tried to ask Baku airport staff for help arranging an alternative flight home. Picture: Instagram

“Currently stranded in Azerbaijan with almost 500 other passengers after a medical emergency,” Ms Sinclair wrote on X.

“There’s been no help getting a different flight and airport staff are asking for us to pay for new flights in crypto or cash only? Not ok.”

Alarmed at being asked by the airport staff - who were not associated with Qantas in any way - to use an untraceable payment method to purchase her flight, Ms Sinclair did not continue with the booking.

Instead, she told news.com.au that she went online herself and booked the next flight home. She decided to make her own way back to Australia rather than wait for Qantas’ rebooked flight because in the chaos of the emergency diversion it was unclear how long the flight would be delayed and her already tight pre-wedding schedule wouldn’t allow her to be more than a 24 hours late.

Qantas has since organised a flight to Singapore for all passengers, but the need to perform scheduled maintenance checks and the cabin crew’s maximum continuous working hours have meant that the flight was not immediately able to depart.

There had been some confusion among passengers that the reason for the diversion and subsequent delay was related to a malfunction on the aircraft, but a Qantas spokesperson told news.com.au this was not the case.

Qantas planes aren't normally seen landing in Azerbaijan. Picture: X

They said as the plane was due for scheduled maintenance checks upon arrival in Singapore, it will now need to undergo those routine checks in Azerbaijan before it can depart again.

A Qantas engineer from London will be flown in to conduct those checks.

“Our QF2 London to Singapore service diverted to Baku in Azerbaijan earlier today due to a medical incident on-board,” they said. “We apologise to customers for the disruption and are working to get them on their way to Singapore as soon as possible.”

Hundreds of hotel rooms needed to be booked to accommodate the stranded passengers as they await the arrival of another Qantas plane.

Australian doctor Hamish Urquhart, was a passenger on the flight and assisted during the medical emergency.

The pilot had to make a 180 degree turn to stop in Baku. Picture: FlightAware

“The lady was really quite unwell and needed intravenous access while we were trying to land, which was a bit challenging,” Dr Urquhart told the ABC, adding he was required to stabilise the woman alongside other medical professionals on the flight.

“In the air it was a bit stressful as we were flying towards Afghanistan,” he said, noting that the pilot then had to make a “dramatic” 180-degree turn to land in Azerbaijan.

The passenger was taken to a local hospital for treatment.