SINGAPORE - The pilots of the troubled Qantas aircraft spent at least an hour-and-a-half circling and discharging fuel before the emergency landing at Changi Airport but there was no panic or confusion on board, according to some passengers.
The pilots were in control of the situation, said those interviewed by MediaCorp yesterday.
Passenger Meg Graham said: "Five minutes into the flight, there was a bang and then there was another bang, and that was it."
"We cruised, and then the pilot said we got some issues and they were working through the process and we (would be kept) informed. We went round and round and round, and then after about an hour-and-a-half, we landed," she added.
Qantas says 'too early' to speculate over A380 drama
SYDNEY: Qantas said Friday it was too early to speculate what caused an engine explosion on a flagship A380 superjumbo as investigations got under way into the dramatic mid-air emergency.
The Australian flag-carrier said it had "liaised closely" with manufacturers Airbus and Rolls Royce over Thursday's incident, when one of the plane's four engines blew up minutes after taking off from Singapore with 466 people on board.
The drama has thrown the A380 -- the double-decker giant touted as the future of long-haul travel -- into the safety spotlight three years after it took to the skies.
Qantas, which enjoys a peerless safety record, has grounded its fleet of six A380s pending investigations, while Singapore Airlines said Friday it would resume using the mammoth craft after carrying out safety checks.
Qantas said the plane had 440 passengers and 26 crew on board but no injuries were reported.
After 18 months of production delays, the A380's first commercial flight, operated by SIA, was on the same Singapore-Sydney route in October 2007.
Since the launch, fuel and computer glitches have grounded several A380s and one Air France flight was forced back to New York after problems with its navigation system in November 2009.
In April, a Qantas A380 damaged tyres on landing from Singapore in Sydney, causing a shower of sparks.
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