Etihad flight makes emergency landing in Australia
ABU DHABI, October 14, 2017
An Etihad Airways flight, travelling from its hub Abu Dhabi, UAE, to Sydney was forced to make an emergency landing at Australia's Adelaide Airport early on Saturday due to a technical fault on board, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
The UAE national carrier EY450 had 349 passengers and crew members on board and was due to have arrived at Sydney Airport at 6.30am.
Following the activation of a smoke alarm, the flight was diverted to Adelaide in the state of South Australia and it landed safely at 5am (1830 GMT), stated the report.
Initially it was believed a smoke alarm was the cause of the incident but a spokesman for Etihad clarified that an air recirculation fan in the cargo hold was to blame, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
Etihad also issued a statement apologising for the diversion which will affect an Etihad flight due to leave Sydney this afternoon.
"Etihad Airways flight EY450, from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, diverted to Adelaide Airport following a technical fault with a cargo hold air recirculation fan," the statement said.
"The aircraft landed at 5am (local time) and was inspected by engineers as guests were taken to the terminal and provided refreshments and regular updates, it added.
