The plane was forced to redirect and make an emergency landing
Plane passengers heading for the UK have been left stranded after a mid-air emergency on a flight to London. Qantas Flight QF9 left Perth in Western Australia on Monday evening and was forced to divert eight hours into the 18-hour flight.
The airline has now sent crew from its London base to assist stranded passengers, who were due to arrive at London Heathrow Airport. The Boeing 787 plane was forced to land in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, shortly before midnight after a person on board sufferred a medical emergency. The flight could not continue afterwards as the crew had reached their duty limit.
Flight QF9, a non-stop service from Perth to London, left just after 6:30pm local time, but the crew made the decision to divert the Dreamliner due to a medical emergency, reports The Express. The aircraft landed in Malé at around 11:30pm.
A Qantas spokesperson said: “Earlier this morning our Perth to London service diverted to Malé in the Maldives due to a medical incident on-board. We’re working with customers to rebook them on alternate flights out of Malé.”
QF9 is one of Qantas’ flagship ultra-long-haul services, typically covering nearly 14,500 kilometres in just under 18 hours without stopping.
