Now, Qantas 747 forced to return back to Sydney following electrical system problem

SYDNEY - A Qantas Boeing 747, en route to Argentina has been reportedly forced to return to Sydney after experiencing a problem with the aircraft’s electrical system.

News.com.au quoted a Qantas spokesman as saying that the Boeing 747, which departed Sydney International Airport at 11.11am (AEDT) today with 199 passengers and 21 crew on board, turned around about one hour into the flight to Buenos Aires.

QF17 reportedly landed safely at Sydney Airport at 1:22pm and engineers are inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the issue.

One of the female passengers have said that within half an hour into the trip, they hit some turbulence but “thought it was normal,” but the captain advised passengers that there was an electrical failure on the main control panel.

She further said that the main control panel was expelling smoke into the cabin pit.

The airline however said that reports that the plane had lost pressure in the main cabin are incorrect, adding that oxygen supply to the cabin was not affected.

Qantas said it regrets the inconvenience to passengers and would seek to make alternative arrangements for those affected. The incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Air Transport Safety Bureau, the report said.

Earlier this month, Qantas Airways was plagued with more engine troubles after one of its planes, QF768, carrying 234 passengers to Melbourne was forced to return to Perth.

In the first week of November, Qantas had grounded its entire Airbus A380 fleet following the emergency landing of QF32 at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

The double-decker plane, bound for Sydney from Singapore, was carrying 433 passengers and 26 crewmembers when it ran into trouble shortly after take-off. According to reports, the engine of the A380 had dramatically exploded mid-air over the Indonesian island of Batam, near Singapore, and had to return to Changi Airport . (ANI)