Yet Another Qantas Turnback: Dash 8 Returns To Sydney With Landing Gear Issue
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Qantas Airways has once again had mechanical issues on one of its flights. QF2401 was headed from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) to Coffs Harbour Airport (CFS) when a fault indicator indicated a potential issue with the landing gear, which forced the aircraft to divert back to Sydney. The 11-year-old De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 (registration VH-LQF) is operated by regional subsidiary Sunstate Airlines as QantasLink.
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Pilots followed standard procedure
The QantasLink flight was forced to return to Sydney after the fault indicator suggested there would be an issue with the landing gear; with the pilots following procedure, the aircraft circled over the Tasman Sea to burn fuel before returning to Sydney for further inspection by Qantas mechanics. All customers were then re-accommodated onto other services.
Yet another setback
The saga continues for Qantas, with its first mechanical issue on January 18, when QF144 from Auckland to Sydney declared a mayday for an engine malfunction. The aircraft was an hour away from arrival in Sydney and was met by Ambulance, Fire, and Police. The aircraft landed safely, and passengers were unaware of the mayday until after landing. Further hiccups followed for the airline:
January 19 saw a Qantas 737 to Fiji unexpectedly return to Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) after a fault indicator was illuminated.
January 20, QF430 from Melbourne to Sydney had to turn around following an engine issue. The 20-year-old aircraft VH-VXP was then inspected by the airline.
When they thought the saga was over, QF102 from Nadi to Sydney detected fumes and smoke in the cabin, landing in Fiji 90 minutes after takeoff, and no passengers were harmed.
The latest hiccup was when a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Perth was forced to turn back mid-flight when it was discovered that it had incorrect paperwork onboard. The Airbus A330, operating as QF887, was 45 minutes into its three-hour flight before the error was found.
Can't forget almost having Christmas in Baku
The local drama can't forget the start of the domino effect, with QF1 from Sydney to London via Singapore, diverting to Azerbaijan on December 23, the Airbus A380 discovered smoke in the cargo hold, forcing the superjumbo to divert to the closest capable runway. The Australian airline sent a replacement A380 direct from Sydney to transport its stranded passengers to London. The replacement aircraft
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Coffs Harbour Airport
Coffs Harbour Airport (CFS) is located in regional New South Wales, three hours south of the border to Queensland and Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport (OOL). With QantasLink connecting the airport with the three main centers on the east coast of Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney), Link Airways also connects to Brisbane, with a seasonal service to Canberra. Rex Airlines also takes a slice of the pie connecting to Sydney.
Bonza is set to grace Coffs Harbour, launching direct services to the Sunshine Coast from April 20.
