15 Hours Flight From Perth, But Passengers Go Nowhere. Full Story

New Delhi : A Qantas flight from Australia to Paris had to return to Perth after spending more than 15 hours in the air, as airspace over the Middle East was suddenly closed following an Iranian missile strike.

The flight, QF33, took off from Perth at 7:35 PM (local time) on June 23, heading for Paris. However, while it was flying over the south-west part of Indian airspace, the airline received alerts about a missile attack in the Middle East. This led to an urgent decision to turn the plane back.

The Boeing 787 aircraft safely landed in Perth at around 11 AM on June 24.

Qantas confirmed that another flight from Perth to London also had to change its route and was diverted to Singapore due to the same issue. Passengers from both flights will be given overnight accommodation.

Qantas has said that the return flights from London and Paris will also be affected and the airline is currently working on alternative arrangements for the affected travellers.

The airline added that it will continue to monitor the situation in the region and may use different flight paths for upcoming flights to Europe, depending on airspace availability and weather conditions.