A Qantas Airbus A380 flight from Sydney to Johannesburg on Christmas Day was forced to return to Sydney due to a mechanical issue. The aircraft, which had been in the air for four and a half hours, made a U-turn near Antarctica.
The diversion was necessary because of a mechanical problem with the Airbus A380. A Qantas spokesperson told Simple Flying, "A flight from Sydney to Johannesburg returned to Sydney due to a mechanical issue. The pilots followed normal procedures and returned to Sydney for the aircraft to be checked by engineers."
Upon its return, the aircraft was met by emergency services as a precautionary measure. However, it was not an emergency landing; instead, the crew requested priority landing at Sydney Airport.