Latest news with #QantasA380
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Qantas flight diverted: Singapore bound plane forced to emergency land after passenger falls ill; 400 passengers strander
File photo A Qantas flight from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday after a passenger suffered a medical emergency mid-flight. The Airbus A380 was operating as flight QF2 and had departed London Heathrow at 9:12 pm local time on June 8 with nearly 400 passengers onboard. After flying for about eight hours, the aircraft turned around while over Turkmenistan and diverted to Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. According to Qantas, the crew made the emergency landing request due to a medical issue involving a woman in her 60s who was travelling with her husband. The aircraft landed safely at 8:10 am local time on June 9, and local medical teams promptly assisted the passenger and transported her to a nearby hospital for further care. 'Our London to Singapore service diverted to Baku in Azerbaijan yesterday due to a medical incident onboard,' a Qantas spokesperson was quoted as saying to Colitco. 'We apologise to customers for the disruption and are working to get them on their way to Singapore as soon as possible.' The incident resulted in an unexpected stopover for all other passengers. The airline said the flight could not continue the journey immediately due to the crew reaching their legal duty time limits. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Qantas arranged hotel accommodation and temporary visas for the stranded travellers, with a continuation flight scheduled for June 10 from Baku to Singapore. Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the few airports in the region equipped to handle large aircraft like the Airbus A380. Its long runways, technical facilities and advanced ground handling systems allowed for a smooth diversion. The A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft and requires specific infrastructure that only a limited number of airports worldwide can provide. The aircraft was originally due for routine maintenance in Singapore. However, Qantas confirmed those checks would now take place in Baku. An engineer specialising in the A380 has been flown in from London to carry out inspections. Once completed, the aircraft will resume its route from Singapore to Sydney. This is not the first time Qantas has had to divert due to a medical issue. On June 5, another Qantas flight, QF9 from Perth to London, made an unscheduled landing in Malé, Maldives, following a similar incident onboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Passengers on that flight also faced delays as the airline managed the diversion and recovery process. Baku has served as a diversion point for Qantas in the past. In 2022, a Qantas A380 landed there after a cargo smoke alert that was later traced to a faulty sensor.
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
These are the seats passengers will use for the world's longest flight
There's long-haul – then there's flying non-stop from New York and London to Sydney, a 10,000-mile (16,000km) journey that Qantas will offer from 2027 and is calling "the final frontier of aviation". The Australian carrier has dubbed the new service Project Sunrise and ordered modified Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to operate it. What's more, these planes – following extensive scientific research by Qantas into ultra-long-haul flights which included several test runs of the route – will have unique interiors with fewer seats (238 vs over 300 on a regular A350) that are designed to offer maximum comfort levels, from hotel-suite-style first-class berths to "wellness zones". Here's a tour of the cabins that passengers will be seated in for the 19-and-a-half-hour flights… First class The Project Sunrise A350 will feature six first-class cabins in a 1-1-1 configuration that will be veritable airborne hotel suites, judging by the renderings. They will offer 50 percent more space than the Qantas A380 first berths, the carrier claims, and feature a 6ft 5in flat bed (one inch longer than the A380 first-class bed), separate reclining armchair, a work and dining space for one or two people, and a full-length wardrobe. Movies will be enjoyed on a 32-inch screen with Bluetooth connectivity and privacy is guaranteed, thanks to 4ft 6in-high walls and a sliding door. Business class On paper, the 1-2-1-configured business-class cabin for the epic flight approaches the luxuriousness of the Qantas A380 first-class suite, with a 25-inch-wide seat (one inch wider than the A380 business-class seat) that transforms into a 6ft 5in bed. Privacy, meanwhile, comes courtesy of 3ft 9in-high walls and a sliding door. Within the cocoon, passengers will watch movies and shows on an 18-inch screen (that's two inches bigger than the Qantas A380 and Dreamliner's), store belongings in an upholstered glovebox and inside a leather ottoman – and park cocktails on a shelf to the side of the seat. Premium economy Upgrade to premium economy for the globe-crossing flight and you'll enjoy a "generous" 40-inch seat pitch, winged headrests and a calf rest, along with a 13.3-inch entertainment screen. On the storage front, will be three pockets for personal items, while devices can be charged using USB-C ports. Qantas says that in the brand-new premium cabin, "every detail has been carefully considered". Economy This is the class that could well make or break Project Sunrise, as it will be the least roomy, of course, and the one that the majority of flyers will use. So, what's in store at the back of the plane? "A cabin with your utmost comfort in mind," claims Qantas, which points out that the seats, arranged in a 3-3-3 pattern, have a 33-inch pitch and a six-way adjustable headrest, and that the screen is the same size as the one in premium economy – 13.3 inches. Beneath this screen is a nifty-looking folddown shelf for personal devices that passengers will surely appreciate. The wellness zone All passengers will be able to access an onboard "Wellbeing Zone", located between the economy and premium economy cabins. Qantas describes it as "a dedicated space to optimise wellbeing throughout the flight". Within is a "movement space" with padded walls for "comfort leaning" and a self-serve bar stocked with "premium refreshments".
