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Qantas flight from Singapore to Heathrow diverted to BAKU, Azerbaijan before it was due to arrive on Christmas Day – 48 hours delayed
- The plane stopped in Baku due to a warning light indicating a possible fire
- Passengers were told that a relief plane would bring them home by Christmas morning
- It comes as border staff and rail workers strike over the Christmas week
Qantas passengers said they showed “a bit of Dunkirk spirit” when their plane took off Singapore He was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Azerbaijan – after it was already 48 hours late.
Flight from Singapore to London Heathrow was due to land shortly after 6am on December 23 but was stopped in Baku due to a warning light indicating a possible fire in the hold.
Passengers said they spent hours at Baku airport waiting for visas and did not know when they would be able to return to London as they did not immediately provide information about a relief flight.
It comes amid travel chaos for those already back home in the UK – with rail strikes forcing commuters to rush to catch trains before services are grounded.

Qantas passengers said they showed “a bit of Dunkirk spirit” when their flight from Singapore to Heathrow had to make an emergency landing in Azerbaijan. In the picture: A fire engine next to the plane

Passengers said they had been waiting for hours at Baku airport and did not know when they would be able to return to London. Pictured: Passengers disembark from a diverted plane
And at major airports, border unit staff are on strike as armed forces are brought in to check passports.
A replacement plane is now expected to land on Christmas morning as passengers mourned the loss of the Christmas Eve events at home with their families.
Clare Kennett, from West Sussex, described the frustration of the long wait she and other passengers had to endure, but said the captain had done the right thing by diverting the plane and landing elsewhere so the plane could be checked.
The 63-year-old IT consultant turned chilli farmer praised the Qantas team, but said the company had received less information in the early stages of the delay.
She said passengers spent hours at Baku airport waiting for visas to go to hotels and wondering how to wait for a relief plane to take them to London.
Ms Kennett, who was enjoying a three-week holiday during which she surprised her sister in Melbourne for her birthday, said they had had “no explanation” about what had been going on at the hotel for some time, adding that were ‘a lot of people very upset’.
She said: “Qantas as a company have just sent out short factual emails which seem very cold at Christmas.
“We were all very disappointed with the 10 or 11 hours that many people spent at the airport.
‘The crew was excellent. They gave us food, talked to us, played with the kids and just tried to make light of the situation. They were really good.
‘And even the captain was out with the crew in the cockpit helping with passports and visa arrangements. So it was really a bit of a Dunkirk spirit.
‘It took so long and everyone was really tired.’
A Qantas representative was eventually sent to the hotel from Sydney to explain that the delay of the relief plane to them was due to flight path clearances in Baku and the delayed departure due to the Heathrow curfew. .
She said: “The reason the rescue flight took so long to get here, and therefore missed the window at Heathrow, was because of the machinations of getting permission to fly the direct route from Sydney to here (Baku).”
Ms Kennett said she sympathized with people expected to get onward connecting flights from London and was grateful she was not too affected.
A replacement plane was due to land at Heathrow early Christmas morning, she said.
‘I’ve missed a few events, the Christmas Eve pub raffle – I’ll do that next year,’ she laughed.
“I’ll just go home – my husband will pick me up – home to my dog.”
She said passengers were not officially told whether the warning light indicating a possible fire was just a malfunctioning indicator, but she heard there was no smoke detected in the luggage compartment.
Qantas has been contacted for comment.
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