Qantas A380 Super Jumbo Grounded With Fuel Gauge Problem
January 04, 2010 17:34 PM
MELBOURNE, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- A Qantas A380 has been grounded here, leaving 443 passengers stranded.
The Airbus super jumbo, in service for just days, was due to take off to Los Angeles at midday (AEDT) today, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) said.
Passengers now face a 23-hour delay, with a mechanical fault, forcing the aircraft's departure to be re-scheduled for 11am Tuesday.
Flight QF93 was initially delayed one-and-a-half hours because of a fuel gauge problem. It was taxiing when the problem recurred, forcing the take-off to be aborted.
Passengers remained on board while maintenance crew examined the problem. They were not allowed to disembark because of heightened security procedures for US-bound flights that made re-screening passengers impractical.
At 5.15pm (AEDT) Qantas cancelled the flight altogether when it became apparent the crew would exceed their on-duty time limits, AAP said.
Passengers would be accommodated in hotels tonight or receive free transport home and back to the airport.
The plane involved was the newest in the Qantas fleet, having only arrived at the end of December.
The fuel gauge problem had not been experienced before with the Qantas Airbus.
-- BERNAMA