SINGAPORE: Passengers on a Qantas flight from Singapore to Sydney have had to put up with several days of delay in the Republic after it was repeatedly pushed back due to mechanical issues.
Australian news outlet The Brisbane Times reported that passengers on Flight QF82, which was set to depart on Monday (July 14) at 8.45pm, were instructed to get off the plane at about midnight.
They were then told at about 2.30am the next day that the plane, an Airbus A380, would not take off, and that they would be taken to hotels.
The Brisbane Times reported that passengers were given a note that read: “While our engineers are highly trained to resolve such situations, the problem requires extended maintenance and unfortunately, the aircraft will not be able to operate at the revised departure time of 9am on July 16.
“While our engineers continue to work on the original aircraft in Singapore, your flight will now be operated by a replacement aircraft.”
Affected passengers were also offered accommodation and reimbursement for “reasonable out-of-pocket expenses” such as meals.
The double-decker aircraft is capable of carrying more than 800 passengers in an all-economy class configuration, according to its manufacturer. It can carry over 500 passengers in a three-class configuration.
One passenger told the news outlet that they were told that a rescheduled flight would leave on the morning of July 16.
However, the flight was later cancelled, and passengers were informed that they would have to wait until July 17 to fly.
Qantas, in response to queries from The Straits Times on July 16, said the customers are expected to depart Singapore on the evening of July 16, and arrive in Sydney the next morning.
“We have ferried an A330 aircraft from Australia to Singapore today to help get these customers on their way as quickly as possible,” an airline spokesperson said. “In addition, tonight’s scheduled A380 services will help clear the delayed customers.
“We sincerely apologise to our customers for the significant delay in departing Singapore.”
According to the Changi Airport website, Sydney-bound Flight QF82 is scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 at 8.45pm on July 16. Another flight, QF2, originally scheduled for 7.30pm on the same day, has been pushed back to 11.20am on July 17. - The Straits Times/ANN
