Seven injured on QantasLink flight

Qantas’s run of bad luck has continued with seven people being injured when turbulence struck a flight from Brisbane to Hervey Bay on Wednesday afternoon.

A QantasLink plane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Qantas’s run of bad luck has ­continued with seven people injured when turbulence struck a flight from Brisbane to Hervey Bay on Wednesday afternoon.

One passenger and one flight attendant were taken to hospital for treatment after the QantasLink service returned to Brisbane just after 1pm.

It’s understood the flight struck turbulence a short distance from Hervey Bay and the pilots opted to turn back.

Five people including passengers and crew were assessed for minor injuries after landing while two were transported to St Andrew’s Hospital.

Qantas said QF2376 struck sudden turbulence during the 50-minute ­service. Flight radar images showed the Dash 8-400 turning around over Rainbow Beach, 120km from Hervey Bay.

The passengers hurt were not wearing seatbelts at the time and the crew were believed to be serving drinks. Several passengers told Nine News those hurt “hit the roof” when turbulence struck and “drinks were sent flying all over the place”.

Emergency services met the flight in Brisbane but there was not an emergency landing.

Passengers were re-­accommodated on a later flight.

The incident is the latest in a string of incidents to hit Qantas in recent weeks, ranging from an engine failure on a flight from New Zealand to a series of turn backs due to technical or mechanical issues.

On Wednesday, January 18, a Qantas 737 issued a mayday call en route from Auckland to ­Sydney when an engine failed two hours into the flight.

Sydney Airport prepared for an emergency landing with ­dozens of police, ambulance and fire vehicles on standby. The flight landed safely. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.

In the following days another five Qantas flights turned back for various reasons which the airline attributed to its “safety-first” policy.