Qantas flight makes emergency landing on way to London after smoke alarms triggered

Airline believes 'faulty sensor' may have sparked warnings for pilots

Qantas has rescheduled Friday's flight, citing equipment malfunction as the cause of the issue. AFP

A Qantas flight from Singapore to London has made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan after smoke alarms were triggered in the cargo hold.

Flight QF1 landed safely at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku with emergency services waiting on the runway.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane left Singapore’s Changi Airport and had been in the air for about nine hours before it made an abrupt 180-degree turn and issued the emergency code as it was flying over Georgian airspace.

A Qantas representative said initial investigations on the ground had not found evidence of smoke in the cargo hold.

“The aircraft intermittently alerted the pilots to the potential of smoke in the cargo hold. Although it was considered likely to be a sensor fault, the aircraft diverted to Baku as a safety precaution. Initial investigations have found no evidence of smoke in the cargo hold.

“We thank customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”

The representative later suggested the emergency was caused by a faulty sensor.

“Although it was considered likely to be a sensor fault, the aircraft diverted to Baku as a safety precaution. Initial investigations have found no evidence of smoke in the cargo hold.”

Singapore’s The Straits Times has reported the flight to London has been rescheduled to Saturday morning and that all 356 passengers have been put up in hotels for the night.