On Tuesday afternoon, a Qantas aircraft encountered an engine issue while flying over north Queensland, forcing the flight to make an unplanned return to its departure airport.
The incident occurred on the QF703 flight, which departed from Cairns Airport at 2:10pm and was heading to Melbourne. Approximately ninety minutes into the journey, the aircraft made its way back to Cairns Airport.
Qantas released a statement following the incident, confirming that the flight had experienced a “technical issue” and that the aircraft had been able to safely return to Cairns Airport. The statement also indicated that the incident had not affected any other flights and that passengers had been able to disembark safely.
A spokesperson for the airline reported that the pilots had been alerted in the cockpit about a potential problem with one of the engines.
“The pilots adhered to standard protocols and requested a priority landing, however, emergency services were not needed and the aircraft landed safely and as scheduled. Customers will be re-booked promptly,” the spokesperson said.
