Two Qantas Flights Forced To Turn Back

Two international Qantas flights have been forced to turn back to Sydney after getting into mid-air trouble.

QF63 to Johannesburg safely landed back in Sydney just before 3:30pm, the 747-700 turned back a few hours in due to a cracked cockpit windscreen.

QF7 left Sydney for Dallas but the plane spent nearly an hour dumping fuel off the NSW coast.

The A380 was due to land back at Kingsford Smith Airport at 4pm.

In a statement, the airline said the plane suffered an issue with the wingflaps.

"The flaps on the aircraft (attached to the wing) are unable to retract which means the aircraft can't fly efficiently."

"As the Dallas flight is our longest on the network, the captain made the decision to return to Sydney."

QANTAS STATEMENT:

“Qantas flight QF7 from Sydney to Dallas is returning to Sydney due to a mechanical issue.”

“The flaps on the aircraft (which are attached to the wing) are unable to retract which means the aircraft can’t fly efficiently.

“As the Dallas flight is our longest on the network, the captain made the decision to return to Sydney.

“The aircraft – an Airbus A380 – is expected to land at around 4pm Sydney time where it will be inspected by engineers.

“A second flight, Qantas flight QF63 from Johannesburg to Sydney also needed to return to Sydney due to an engineering issue.

“This aircraft has landed safely. It is a Boeing 747-400 and has an unrelated issue to the QF7.

“Our operational teams are working through accommodating passengers or offering them transport home before replacement services are organised.”