Qantas A380 diverts to Azerbaijan following mid-flight medical emergency

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Qantas A380 diverts to Azerbaijan following mid-flight medical emergency

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Qantas Airbus A380 | Qantas

By Sky Industry News

Jun 12, 2025

On June 9, a Qantas Airbus A380 operating flight QF2 from London Heathrow to Singapore made an unscheduled landing at Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport due to a medical emergency on board. The decision was made after a passenger's health worsened during the flight. Medical teams were ready upon arrival in Azerbaijan.

The passenger, who required immediate medical attention, was taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment. Meanwhile, the aircraft remained grounded in Baku. Qantas arranged accommodation and visa assistance for passengers affected by the delay, with plans to continue the journey to Singapore scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Flight QF2 typically operates between London Heathrow and Singapore before continuing to Sydney. Data from Flightradar24 shows that the flight departed Heathrow at 21:12 local time on June 8 and diverted approximately eight hours into its journey while flying over Turkmenistan.

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Dr. Urquhart, an Australian ophthalmologist on board, described assisting a woman in her 60s who suffered a cardiac episode. "The lady was really quite unwell and needed intravenous access while we were trying to land," he stated.

Qantas issued an apology for the disruption: “We apologize to customers for the disruption and are working to get them on their way to Singapore as soon as possible.”

The diversion resulted in crew members reaching their maximum duty limits, necessitating an overnight delay before resuming travel. Approximately 400 passengers were impacted by this change of plans.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the few airports equipped to handle an Airbus A380 in such scenarios despite not being a regular stop for this aircraft model. In 2022, another Qantas A380 diverted there due to a false cargo smoke alarm caused by a faulty sensor.

In related news, another recent Qantas flight faced similar issues when Flight QF9 from Perth to London had to divert after eight hours due to another medical emergency onboard.