Two Qantas planes heading for Dallas and Johannesburg respectively were forced to return to Sydney airport after separate problems.
Airbus A380 QF7 took off from Kingsford Smith Airport just before 2pm, bound for Dallas Fort Worth in the United States but flight radars detected the plane circling and dumping fuel following a “technical issue”.
The flaps on the wings were unable to retract, making it difficult for the aircraft to fly efficiently.
“As the Dallas flight is our longest on the network, the captain made the decision to return to Sydney,” Qantas said in a statement.
The plane landed at Sydney airport safely on Friday afternoon, after dumping fuel off the coast of Wollongong. It was met by three airport firefighting crews.
Qantas A380 QF7 dumping fuel off Wollongong, returning to Sydney with "engineering issue" @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/lXT9lLFzRY
— Jason Morrison (@JasonMorrisonAU) August 4, 2017
.@Qantas flight QF7 from Sydney to Dallas has safely landed at @SydneyAirport after dumping fuel. @PaulKadak #7News pic.twitter.com/iAOl13mZPq
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) August 4, 2017
QF63 Sydney to Johannesburg was a few hours into its flight when an issue was discovered, a Qantas spokeswoman said.
A pane of glass on the aircraft’s windscreen was cracked, Qantas said.
Only the outer of three layers of glass was affected, and the crack “did not compromise the integrity of the aircraft”, the airline said.
“The aircraft was safe to continue to Johannesburg but the captain made the decision to return as the windscreen will be replaced at Qantas’ engineering base in Sydney.”
The plane has landed safely in Sydney.
QF63 did not dump fuel.
“Our operational teams are working through accommodating passengers or offering them transport home before replacement services are organised,” Qantas said.
Breaking: A 2nd Qantas flight is returning to Sydney after an engineering issue was discovered a few hours into its flight to Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/N7L2yzNPmo
— Shannon Carr (@ShannonCarr_10) August 4, 2017
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority said he expected Qantas would provide it with reports on both incidents. Casa would then decide whether to launch an investigation.
“As a matter of course Qantas would give us a report on what happened, and it really depends on what it is,” the spokesman told Guardian Australia.
“It could be as benign as a computer indication that a system wasn’t working properly, and the pilot didn’t know what was going on so said ‘we’ll go back and get it checked’.”
He said dumping fuel was standard for long-haul flights that were forced to land earlier than expected. It was necessary to reduce weight so the plane could safely land.
Passengers from Sydney will be given cab vouchers and advised of the next available flight.
Others from from outside the city will be put up in a hotel by Qantas.
In May, Qantas experienced engine problems in a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne about two hours into the journey. The flight was forced to turn back just two hours after departure.
Pilots were forced to shut down one of the engines.
