‘Very scary’: Flight from Adelaide to Bali forced to turn back

Dozens of Aussie travellers bound for Bali were left “scared” and frustrated after technical issues forced their plane to circle for hours and turn back mid-flight.

Dozens of Aussie travellers bound for Bali were left “scared” and frustrated after technical issues forced their plane to circle for hours and turn back mid-flight.

Virgin Australia’s VA113 to Denpasar departed as scheduled from Adelaide Airport at 6:50pm on Tuesday, but the plane experienced technical issues just an hour into the journey.

Passengers were told there was an issue with the hydraulics and the plane circled for two hours before finally turning back.

It then landed safely back in Adelaide just after 10:55pm.

The flight circled for two hours before turning back. Picture: Supplied.

“We were all worried about if it was going to be safe to land … it was very scary, really,” one passenger told 7 News.

Passengers say they were told another plane would be waiting to take them to Bali that same night but, by the they arrived back at Adelaide Airport, that information had changed.

Some even decided to cancel their holidays altogether because the airline couldn’t get them on another flight before the weekend. Virgin only flies the Adelaide to Denpasar route three times per week — on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

One such couple was Ricky and Michelle, who swapped out their sunny Bali vacation — their first in two decades — for a road trip to Melbourne.

The couple said the holiday would have been their first overseas trip in 20 years, but Virgin couldn’t get them on a replacement flight before the long weekend.

The plane was turned back due to technical issues. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“At what point do you feel like you have to just give up and that this holiday is not going to happen?” Michelle asked 7 News.

“Because of the long weekend and the short notice, everything was three times the price,” partner Ricky added.

“So we decided to load the car up and head over to Melbourne, watch the footy and catch up with some people over there.”

When flights are cancelled overnight, Virgin offers affected customers reimbursements of up to $200 per hotel room per night, as well as reasonable costs to cover transport, meals and personal items, according to the airline’s website.

Virgin apologised to customers for the inconvenience but said the safety of its passengers and crew was always the highest priority.

“The flight crew made the decision to return the aircraft to Adelaide following a technical issue. This happened shortly after takeoff,” the airline said.

“The aircraft was required to circle to burn off fuel prior to landing.”