Qantas flight forced into unscheduled landing in Mildura

A Qantas flight with 63 passengers on board has been forced into a sudden change of course and landing in rural Victoria.

A Qantas flight with 63 passengers on board has been forced into a “priority landing” in rural Victoria, following reports the aircraft “lost hydraulics on its wing flaps”.

A Qantas flight, not pictured, was forced into an emergency landing in Mildura.

Flight QLK79D, which was a Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, took off from Mildura in Victoria’s northwest at 10.40am on a journey towards Melbourne before needing to turn back around for the unscheduled landing.

Looking at FlightRadar, the aircraft was forced into a series of circuits above the airport before making the landing around 12pm.

In a statement sent to news.com.au, a spokesperson said the aircraft was forced to return to Mildura shortly after takeoff due to a technicall issue.

“One of our aircraft had to return to Mildura shortly after takeoff on Tuesday due to a technical issue,” the statement read.

“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this, and the flight has since landed safely in Mildura.

“We appreciate this would have been an unsettling experience for customers and thank them for their understanding.”

The Qantas flight, bound for Melbourne, had to be diverted to Mildura in regional Victoria.

In a statement sent to news.com.au, emergency personnel were on the ground ready and waiting however it is understood the landing was not considered an “emergency”.

“Police along with other emergency services were called to an airport in Mildura following reports of an aircraft incident just after 11am, where it appears there was an issue with the aircraft,” police said in a statement.

“The plane landed safely, the pilot and passengers weren’t injured.”

It is understood passengers on board have disembarked awaiting new flights, and Qantas engineers will inspect the aircraft before it returns to service.