Qantas has apologised to passengers after a flight from Christchurch to Melbourne was forced to return to the airport not once, but twice this morning.
Flight QF168 first took off for the Victorian capital at around 6.46am but turned around after reaching the Tasman Sea.
A Qantas spokesperson said pilots chose to return to Christchurch due to an issue with their radio.
“The issue was fixed by engineers and the aircraft cleared to return to service.”
The Boeing 737 landed back in Christchurch two hours on from its departure.
The plane was then back in the air just after 9.30am, but FlightRadar24.com showed it again returning to Christchurch.
The spokesperson said an “unusual smell” was reported in the cabin shortly after the second takeoff.
“The pilots followed standard procedures and returned to Christchurch where the plane landed normally.
“Engineers are inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the smell, and passengers will be reaccommodated on flights via Auckland today.”
The airline apologised to customers for the inconvenience and said it was “working hard” to get customers on their way as soon as possible.
