An ‘unusual smell’ has forced a Qantas plane bound for New Zealand to turn back and make a priority landing in Sydney, where a cabin crew member was rushed to hospital.
QF163 left Sydney shortly after 6.40pm on Wednesday evening, but had to turn around about an hour before its scheduled three-hour flight to Wellington.
The Boeing 737 landed at Sydney Airport around 9:30 p.m. and quickly taxied to a terminal, where it was surrounded by several fire trucks and ambulances waiting on site.
Paramedics transported a cabin crew member to hospital as a precaution.
A Qantas spokesperson said it was not an emergency landing but a “priority”.
“A flight from Sydney to Wellington returned to Sydney following reports of an unusual odor in the cabin,” the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
A Qantas flight was forced to turn back about an hour into its journey from Sydney to Wellington after an ‘unusual smell’ filled the cabin (stock image)
Upon landing, a cabin crew member was taken to hospital as a ‘precautionary measure’ (stock image)
“The aircraft landed safely and will be checked by engineers before returning to service.”
Passengers on board spend the night in Sydney.
“Customers will be provided accommodations and re-accommodated on the next available flight,” the spokesperson added.
“We apologize for the disruption to their journey and thank them for their understanding.”
NSW Ambulance confirmed one person had been taken to hospital but provided no further details.