Plane passengers stranded in Maldives after 'mid-air emergency' on Aussie flight
Passengers travelling from Australia to London have been left stranded on the paradise islands of the Maldives after a mid-air emergency saw their plane diverted. The Qantas ultra-long haul flight from Perth to Heathrow normally takes around 18 hours non-stop, but eight hours in the pilot decided to land the flagship QF9 flight in the archipelago after a medical issue on board.
No details of who needed help or what the nature of the medical emergency have yet been released. The Dreamliner can carry 236 passengers as well as a full crew, but it is not clear how many people were in board when the plane left Western Australia on Monday evening.
Those on board are now waiting in the Maldives for a new crew. It is understood Qantas has already dispatched staff from London to fly out to the Maldives and help assist the stranded passengers, Mirror UK reports. There are no details of when those currently in Malé in the Maldives will be repatriated to the UK.
A Qantas spokeswoman confirmed the incident in a statement to the press. It read: '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 flies on the UK to Perth route in just under 18 hours without stopping and is one of the only airlines that makes this extremely long journey. It covers more than 14,500 kilometres on the way around the globe.
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