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Qantas Buenos Aires-Bound Flight Turned Back Due To Electrical Problem
NOVEMBER 14, 2010, 10:33 P.M. ET
UPDATE:
By Cynthia Koons
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--A Buenos Aires-bound Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) flight has had to turn back after takeoff Monday due to a problem with the plane's electrical system, the latest in a string of midair incidents that have plagued the carrier in recent weeks.
The aircraft, a Boeing (BA) 747, was carrying 199 passengers, three flight crew and 18 cabin crew, and has since landed safely in Sydney. Qantas engineers are currently inspecting the plane to determine the cause of the incident.
Qantas' recent bout of troubles began Nov. 4 when one of its Airbus A380 superjumbo jets was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore after an engine blow-out. The airline grounded its fleet of A380s, but in the interim Qantas has experienced three midair incidents that have forced landings of its 747s as well.
Monday's flight landed within two hours and 10 minutes of take-off, after the flight crew requested priority clearance to land the aircraft back in Sydney airport. The plane dumped fuel as it returned to Sydney, a spokeswoman said.
The plane had GE engines rather than Rolls-Royce (RR.LN) engines used in the A380 and at least one of the 747s that landed with a technical problem within the past two weeks.
Qantas has yet to decide when it will resume flying its A380s. The airline could have to fix up to 14 of the Rolls-Royce engines on those jets before clearing the A380s for flight, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.
Qantas is the world's second largest buyer of the A380, which it has been looking to as a way to modernize its fleet. The average age of a Qantas plane is 8.6 years, compared with 6 years at Singapore Airlines.
NOVEMBER 14, 2010, 10:33 P.M. ET
UPDATE:
By Cynthia Koons
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--A Buenos Aires-bound Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) flight has had to turn back after takeoff Monday due to a problem with the plane's electrical system, the latest in a string of midair incidents that have plagued the carrier in recent weeks.
The aircraft, a Boeing (BA) 747, was carrying 199 passengers, three flight crew and 18 cabin crew, and has since landed safely in Sydney. Qantas engineers are currently inspecting the plane to determine the cause of the incident.
Qantas' recent bout of troubles began Nov. 4 when one of its Airbus A380 superjumbo jets was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore after an engine blow-out. The airline grounded its fleet of A380s, but in the interim Qantas has experienced three midair incidents that have forced landings of its 747s as well.
Monday's flight landed within two hours and 10 minutes of take-off, after the flight crew requested priority clearance to land the aircraft back in Sydney airport. The plane dumped fuel as it returned to Sydney, a spokeswoman said.
The plane had GE engines rather than Rolls-Royce (RR.LN) engines used in the A380 and at least one of the 747s that landed with a technical problem within the past two weeks.
Qantas has yet to decide when it will resume flying its A380s. The airline could have to fix up to 14 of the Rolls-Royce engines on those jets before clearing the A380s for flight, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.
Qantas is the world's second largest buyer of the A380, which it has been looking to as a way to modernize its fleet. The average age of a Qantas plane is 8.6 years, compared with 6 years at Singapore Airlines.
