Passengers stranded after Emirates plane diverts with engine failure

EMIRATES is scrambling to rebook passengers on other flights after a 777 was forced to divert to Adelaide last night with engine failure.

Engine trouble. The Emirates plane at Adelaide Airport. Picture: Roger Wyman.

HUNDREDS of Emirates passengers have been left stranded around the country after a flight from Dubai to Brisbane was forced to divert to Adelaide with engine trouble.

Ambulances and fire trucks were assembled for the landing about 8.45pm but the Boeing 777-300ER touched down safely.

Emirates was making arrangements to fly the 328 people on board to their intended destination.

As a result of the diversion the scheduled Brisbane-Dubai flight this morning was cancelled, leaving hundreds more passengers wondering when they might get to travel.

An Emirates spokesman said passengers would be rebooked on other flights where possible.

“Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused,” she said.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance.”

Out of action. The Emirates’ Boeing 777 at Adelaide Airport after being diverted en route from Dubai to Brisbane. Picture: Roger Wyman.

One passenger only learned of the cancelled flight from Brisbane on his way to the airport this morning, and said it was near impossible to get information.

“I rang Qantas and they said call Emirates, so I call Emirates and they say it’s Qantas’s problem,” said the passenger who did not want to be named.

“This codeshare thing is a disaster in this situation.”

He said he was now booked to fly to Dubai via Singapore this afternoon, eight hours after the original flight time.

Last month an Emirates’ Boeing 777 was involved in a crash-landing at Dubai Airport that resulted in the death of a firefighter.

Disaster. An Emirates 777 went up in flames after crash landing on the runway at Dubai Airport last month. Picture: Al Arabiya.

A preliminary report released this week indicated it was pilot error rather than any technical fault that caused the aircraft to crash and burst into flames.

A 28-page report published by the United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation Authority said the pilots of flight 521 seemed to add engine power too late in their attempt to climb after touching down too far along the runway.

“Three seconds before impact with the runway, both thrust levers were moved from the idle position to full forward,” read the report.

Harrowing. The burnt out hull of an Emirates’ Boeing 777 at Dubai airport, after crash landing on the runway. Picture: AFP/Gulf News/Ahmed Ramzan.

The engines responded about two seconds later but that was not fast enough to avoid the plane impacting the runway a second later.

“This was followed by the impact of the engines on the runway,” the report said. One of the engines detached, sparking flames.

Australian co-pilot Jeremy Webb was among those on board, and helped passengers escape the aircraft before running for his own life.

Emirates has refused to reveal whether the pilots have returned to work since the incident.