Fumes in the cabin! Another Qantas plane makes a turnaround

Sydney, Australia May 19, 2014, Boeing 737 -800 in Qantas colour scheme has just taking off from Kingsford Smith Airport on a clear day with very blue skies. The plane is bound for Perth, Western Australia

A Qantas plane heading to Sydney from Fiji has had to turn back mid-flight after pilots got report of fumes in the cabin.

The turnaround marks Qantas’ fifth in the past week.

The plane made its turnaround 45 minutes into the journey. Investigations so far have revealed that the fumes were related to an oven in the aircraft gallery, but engineers will continue to assess the plane.

The aircraft landed in Nadi on Sunday evening about 90 minutes after it took off and the pilots on the Boeing 737 requested a priority landing – not an emergency landing.

A Qantas spokesperson told the Today Show that turnarounds are common – occurring about once a week.

The airline said it was working to accommodate its passengers and was thankful for their patience.

This turnaround follows several other Qantas incidents’ over the past week, including a flight to Fiji that returned to Sydney Airport on Thursday amid safety concerns and a plane that was heading to Sydney from Auckland suffering engine failure on Wednesday, prompting a mayday call.

Qantas’ domestic and international CEO, Andrew David, released a statement on Friday defending the airline and how its crews dealt with the emergencies.

“Across aviation, there are diversions and air turn backs happening every day for a range of reasons,” David said.

“They usually reflect an abundance of caution and that’s why flying is such a safe way to travel.

“When they happen at Qantas, we’re proud of how well our people deal with them, and that comes back to our safety record and our commitment to training.”

Amid the serious of turnarounds by Qantas, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) released a statement regarding the airline.

“The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is confident Qantas is operating safely and has confidence in its safety management systems,” it said.

“CASA actively reviews and monitors the aviation industry, using regular surveillance, frequent engagement with airlines to review incidents and trends and works closely with the ATSB to scrutinise safety reports, findings and data.”

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