Qantas A380 Makes Emergency Landing In Athens

Qantas flight QF1 this morning made an emergency landing in Athens.

The aircraft was rerouted towards Athens International Airport, and the cause of the diversion was determined after landing being a medical emergency.

Unfortunately, no further updates have emerged on the health of the passenger taken off the aircraft.

The Airbus A380, after a long layover took to the skies once more. Where a few hours later, it touched down in London.

This is the second incident in a week now involving the Airbus A380 and Qantas. However, it also occurred on this specific flight, QF1, from Singapore Changi to London Heathrow.

In this instance, the diversion was a medical emergency. However, the incident that took place last week involved a technical issue with the aircraft itself that caused it to be an unscheduled landing in Azerbaijan.

The diversion came after the pilots of the aircraft noticed indicators that there was potentially smoke in the cargo hold. From the incident, two Qantas Airbus A380s were uniquely parked in Azerbaijan simultaneously. This came following the airline sending a spare A380 to rescue passengers.

Qantas was eventually able to send their damaged Airbus A380 back home to Sydney, Australia. Now, it has undergone extensive tests to remove it to fly once more with passengers.  

Qantas also welcomed the news that it is the world’s safest airline for 2023, according to airlineratings.com.

The Australian carrier narrowly nudged out close neighbours Air New Zealand. Etihad Airways rounded out in the third position.

The publication considers several contributing factors such as serious incidents, fatal incidents, fleet age, safety inactive, profitability, governing bodies audits and more.

For QF1, though, it’s been quite the holiday season, from an emergency with the aircraft itself to a medical emergency. While both are primarily out of the airline’s control, they will throw a spanner in the works.

In the latter case, the importance of getting the plane down on the ground and giving the passenger the best possible care is paramount.