Qantas plane, Australian passengers stuck in Azerbaijan after medical emergency
A Qantas Airbus A380 flying from London to Singapore has been forced to make an urgent landing in Azerbaijan, after a passenger suffered a life-threatening cardiac emergency mid-flight, disrupting the journey for hundreds onboard.
The aircraft touched down safely at 7:55am local time at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, between Russia and Iran.
Australian doctor Hamish Urquhart said the passenger, a woman in her 60s, experienced a major cardiac event during the flight.
Dr Urquhart, along with an ophthalmologist and a retired surgeon from Melbourne, helped stabilise the woman while the plane was preparing to land.
"The lady was really quite unwell and needed intravenous access while we were trying to land, which was a bit challenging," Dr Urquhart said.
He said the pilot had to make a "dramatic 180 degree turn" to reach Baku, the closest airport capable of accommodating a large plane.
"In the air it was a bit stressful as we were flying towards Afghanistan," he said.
He said the woman, who was travelling from the United Kingdom with her husband, has since been transported to a nearby hospital.
"They're currently trying to find 400 hotel rooms in Azerbaijan while they fly a new plane from London," Dr Urquhart said Monday morning local time.
"Apparently we'll be here on the tarmac for several hours as Qantas has to sort visas for everyone for Azerbaijan and all the hotel rooms in Baku."
Dr Urquhart said passengers were told the airport rarely saw an Airbus A380.
"Everyone seems to be taking it in their stride which is nice to see. People realised the lady was very unwell," he said.
In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson said QF2 diverted to Baku "due to a medical incident onboard".
"We apologise to customers for the disruption and are working to get them on their way to Singapore as soon as possible," they said.
The spokesperson said the "diversion caused the operating crew to reach their duty limits, meaning the flight could not continue onwards the same day".
They said all customers would be provided with overnight accommodation and passengers were expected to depart for Singapore on Tuesday.
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