Mid-air mechanical issues forced back two Qantas flights after they left Sydney this afternoon, with one forced to dump fuel over the ocean before landing.
Flight QF7 to Dallas turned around after experiencing a mechanical issue, Qantas said.
The flaps on the Airbus A380 were unable to retract, which meant the plane could not fly efficiently, a statement from the airline said.
As the Dallas route is the longest in the Qantas network, the captain made the decision to turn around and return to Sydney.
The plane circled for 35 minutes and had to dump fuel east of Wollongong but has now landed in Sydney and will undergo inspections by engineers.
Another flight, QF63 to Johannesburg, returned to Sydney this afternoon due to a cracked pane of glass on the windscreen.
An aircraft windscreen is made up of three layers of glass, the outer pane had cracked but did not compromise the integrity of the aircraft.
The flight was safe to continue to Johannesburg but the captain made the decision to return to Sydney as the windscreen will be replaced there at Qantas’ engineering base.
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, landed safely.
Qantas said it was working to accommodate affected passengers or offer them transport home before replacement services were organised.
Rebecca Cushway, who was on board flight QF7 to Dallas, said passengers were told the plane could only reach 5,000 feet after take off.
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