Qantas flight makes Istanbul stop after medical emergency

Passengers were stranded for hours on a Turkish runway after a medical emergency onboard a long haul flight to Sydney.

Qantas passengers have been stranded for hours on a Turkish runway after a flight on the airline’s flagship Sydney to London route was grounded for a medical emergency.

The QF2 flight departed the UK capital earlier on Tuesday and was diverted to Istanbul from its intended stopover in Singapore.

Text messages sent to those on board stated the unexpected stop was needed “to provide essential care to a passenger who became unwell during the flight”.

Passengers waited on board patiently.

A text sent by Qantas. Pictures: Supplied

According to one passenger on board, it took more than three hours before the plane departed Istanbul for its Singapore layover, with the flight set to continue on to Sydney.

The passenger shared conditions in the family-packed cabins, reporting that the toilets only had hand sanitiser and no running water.

Qantas says the Airbus380 was on the ground for two and a half hours before leaving for Singapore.

The airline said Qantas staff and passengers provided first aid onboard and the plane was diverted on the advice of medical experts.

The flight departed Istanbul about 2.20pm on Tuesday AEST. Picture: FlightAware.com

According to the passenger who spoke to news.com.au, staff initially “didn’t tell us what was happening” when the plan suddenly changed.

“They turned the lights back on after two minutes of being off, and the flight estimate time changed on the screens from 11 hours to 44 minutes.”

The passenger said one person who was seated on the plane’s top level was taken off the flight “seriously ill” but alive.

Qantas told passengers in text messages and emails that it thanked them for their patience, and said it was monitoring any impacts to onward travel arrangements.

“We are working to get you on your way as soon as we can, but given Istanbul is an airport we do not usually operate to, that will take a little time.

“We will keep you updated, but we are going to stay onboard the aircraft so that we are ready to depart as soon as we get clearance.”

Qantas told passengers it did not usually stop in Istanbul. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

The passenger reported that the captain made an announcement saying: “Imagine if this was you; you’d want us to do this for you in this situation.”

They said it was “getting warm” on board: “AC is very weak, only water available.”

“Obviously, everyone has snacks, milk, bottles, etc., but an extra 2.5+ (and counting) hours none of us planned for.”

However, they said staff were “lovely” throughout the disruption.