Passengers have been left stranded in the Maldives after a mid-air emergency on a Qantas flight to London. Flight QF9 departed Perth in Western Australia on Monday evening, but was forced to make the diversion just eight hours into the 18-hour flight.
It is understood that the airline has now sent crew from its London base to assist stranded passengers, who were due to arrive at London Heathrow Airport after flying across the Middle East and Europe.
The Boeing 787 plane was forced to land in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, shortly before mignight after someone on board sufferred a medical emergency. The flight could not continue afterwards as the crew had reached their duty limit.
Flight QF9, a non-stop service from Perth to London, departed just after 6:30pm local time, but approximately eight hours into the journey, the crew made the decision to divert the Boeing 787 Dreamliner due to a medical emergency.
The aircraft landed in Malé, the capital of the Maldives, around 11:30pm.
Stranded passengers, many of whom were expecting to arrive at London Heathrow the following morning, were left waiting in the Maldives overnight.
Qantas has since dispatched a replacement crew from its London base to assist with the situation and resume the disrupted service.
In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson confirmed the incident, they said: “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 is one of Qantas’ flagship ultra-long-haul services, typically covering nearly 14,500 kilometres in just under 18 hours without stopping.