Qantas flight diverted: Singapore bound plane forced to emergency land after passenger falls ill; 400 passengers strander

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.

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.