Qantas flight forced to turn around over the Pacific after mechanical issue aborts trip

Published: 22:59, 2 August 2026 | Updated: 23:01, 2 August 2026 A Qantas flight bound for South America was forced to turn back halfway through its journey after a mechanical issue, leaving almost 200 passengers stranded overnight. QF27 departed Sydney for Santiago, Chile, on Sunday night but was forced to return after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner developed a mechanical problem about 4.5 hours into the flight, beyond New Zealand. The aircraft landed in Melbourne at about 11pm. It was unable to return to Sydney because of the airport's overnight curfew. Passengers who expected to wake up in Santiago instead found themselves in Melbourne, after the 10 hour journey. Qantas said affected passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight and are scheduled to depart Melbourne for Santiago on a replacement midday flight while engineers inspect the aircraft. A Qantas flight bound for South America was forced to turn back halfway through its journey after a mechanical issue, leaving almost 200 passengers stranded overnight