Qantas passengers to spend day in Baku as A380 undergoes checks

Qantas has rejected reports passengers were told they would have to pay for a new flight using cryptocurrency or cash after a mid-air medical incident saw the QF2 flight land in Azerbaijan with about 500 passengers on board.

A Qantas Airbus A380 previously diverted to Azerbaijan in December 2022 due to a smoke in the cargo hold.

Qantas passengers and crew are experiencing a unique stopover in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku following a medical emergency, but should be on their way 4.30pm local time, or 10.30pm AEST.

A “relatively full” Qantas A380 flight from London to Singapore diverted to Baku on Monday due to a medical emergency onboard.

The decision was made to stay put for a day in Baku due to the fact the pilots and crew were “out of hours” with the Qantas team helping to organise visas for as many as 500 people, as well as overnight accommodation.

To make matters worse, it was a public holiday in Baku, adding to the logistical challenge and making the process even slower.

It’s understood the passenger who took ill during flight QF2 is okay, after experiencing a major cardiac event en route.

Doctor Hamish Urquhart was on board, and provided assistance to the woman alongside two other medical professionals on the flight who assessed her condition together.

He told the ABC “the lady was really quite unwell and needed intravenous access as the plane was trying to land which was a bit challenging”.

“In the air it was a bit stressful because we were flying towards Afghanistan,” Dr Urquhart said.

Adding to the situation was the fact the A380 was scheduled for routine maintenance checks in Singapore, which were now taking place in Baku.

Qantas said there was no issue with the aircraft, but an engineer had been flown from London to inspect the superjumbo and certify it before departure.

A Qantas spokeswoman said, as always, safety remained their first priority.

“We apologise to customers for the disruption and are working to get them on their way to Singapore as soon as possible,” she said.

Qantas has firmly rejected reports passengers were told they would have to pay for a new flight using cryptocurrency or cash.

It’s believed some passengers approached airport staff at Heydar Aliyev International in the hope of getting an earlier flight, and it was suggested they could use crypto or cash to secure a seat on another airline.

Flight radar images showed the A380 was about eight hours into its journey when the on-board medical drama occurred.

Qantas flight QF2 diverted to Baku. Picture: Flightradar24

Qantas A380s have capacity for 484 passengers, and it was believed the flight was “relatively full”.

The second leg of flight QF2 from Singapore to Sydney was also impacted by the diversion, with Qantas confirming Monday’s service would be cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday.

It’s not the first time Qantas has landed at Heydar Aliyev International, after cockpit alerts indicating smoke in the cargo hold forced an A380 to touch down in Baku in December 2022.

On that occasion, the flight was en route from Singapore to London, with Qantas faced with a major logistical challenge to get passengers to their destination in time for Christmas.

In the case of emergencies, airlines typically seek out the most suitable airport with sufficient runway length and appropriate facilities for landing.

A runway of 3km in length is required for an A380 to land and takeoff.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport has two runways, both of which are suitable for a superjumbo, with the longest 4km in length, and the second runway 3.2km long.

Originally published as Qantas passengers to spend day in Baku as A380 undergoes checks