Qantas flight returns to Australia with electrical problem

November 15, 2010 | 14:51

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A Qantas Boeing 747 en route to Argentina was forced to return to Sydney on Monday after an electrical problem, the Australian airline said, in the latest in a string of similar incidents.

The carrier, which has grounded its A380 superjumbos after a mid-air engine blast earlier this month, said the flight carrying 199 passengers spent about two hours in the air before landing without incident at Sydney airport.

"We're not entirely sure what the issue is at this stage," a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP. "It's a minor technical issue at this stage, that's all we know."

The captain of the flight, which had been destined for Buenos Aires, had requested priority to land after turning around and dumping fuel, she said.

A statement from the airline said the plane developed an "issue... with the electrical system", without giving details. It added there was no loss of pressure or oxygen on board.

Qantas has faced safety fears in recent weeks after a double-decker A380 carrying 466 passengers and crew was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore shortly after takeoff following an engine failure.

That explosion on November 4, which sent engine components raining down on an Indonesian island, is being investigated by engine maker Rolls-Royce and has forced the grounding of Qantas' six A380s.

The following day, a Sydney-bound Boeing 747 turned back to Singapore shortly after take-off after reporting engine trouble, with one passenger saying she saw the affected engine sparking like fireworks.

On Friday, a Melbourne-bound Boeing 767 with 234 passengers returned to Perth, Western Australia because of engine vibrations.

Dow Jones Newswires, quoting an unnamed source, said Monday Qantas may have to replace up to 14 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 jets on its fleet of A380s, which each have four of the turbines, before the fleet can return to service.

>>Qantas committed to A380s, despite damaging engine blast

AFP

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