QF2 Returns to LHR due to Disruptive Passenger
 

Source - Herald Sun 10/12

Article


AN unruly passenger's threatening behavior has forced a Qantas flight to turn back to London about an hour into its journey to Dubai.

The crew restrained the passenger on board the Qantas A380 and the flight was being met by local authorities on its return to Heathrow.

"This type of disruption inconveniences our customers and comes at significant cost to Qantas, but we take a zero tolerance approach to aggressive behaviour on board," the airline said in a statement.

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The flight, which was originally scheduled to depart London at 9.15pm local time, landed back in London just before midnight (11am AEDT).

One passenger on the flight has told News Corp that at 12.45am local time (11.45am AEDT) passengers were still on board the plane, waiting to take off again.

She praised the staff's response, saying: "Qantas staff are handling it well, giving us regular updates."

Qantas said it was working to ensure the aircraft departed London again as soon as possible.

The delayed flight is now expected to arrive in Dubai at 11.30am local time, before it continues to Sydney.

Flight tracking site Flight Radar 24 showed the plane take a U-turn near Frankfurt, Germany. (NB Flight Tracker on the artical web page)

The mid-flight drama comes just days after the embattled airline announced it would be cutting 1000 staff in a bid to save $2 billion over three years.

Qantas last week announced plans to cut at least 1000 staff as it revealed a before-tax loss of $300 million for the first half of the 2013-14 financial year.