Qantas passengers endure 15-hour flight to nowhere as aircraft returns to Perth

The recent turmoil affecting the airspace over the Middle East has had ramifications for airline passengers across the globe. Delays, diversions, and cancellations have been widespread, with Qatar Airways grounding all flights (albeit temporarily) and in doing so, marking the first time the airline has done so since the COVID-10 pandemic.

Spare a thought, though, for a group of Qantas passengers which was forced to endure around 15 hours in the air before arriving back at the airport from where they had departed many hours earlier. The affected flight in question was Qantas flight QF33 that departed from Perth International Airport (PER) in Western Australia bound for Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris on June 23, 2025.

The flight, operated by one of the carrier’s 14-strong fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners registered as VH-ZNM, took off from Perth at 20:02 local time for the routine 17-hour flight to the French capital, where it was due to land at 06:45 local time on June 24, 2025. The aircraft headed out over the Indian Ocean as planned and climbed to an initial cruising altitude of 38,000ft (11,400m). The flight plan called for QF33 to pass to the west of Sri Lanka and head along the west coast of India close to Kerala.

QantasHowever, with almost eight hours of flying already behind it, Middle Eastern airspace was placed on lockdown as Iran launched a missile attack on a US air base in Qatar. As a result, many aircraft were either rerouted or forced to return to their point of departure, including QF33. At approximately 19:24 UTC, almost eight hours into its journey, the crew of the Qantas flight received notification that the airspace ahead of them had closed indefinitely and that they were instructed to head back to Perth.

With ample fuel onboard to allow a return to its point of departure, the aircraft made an about-turn and headed back towards Western Australia. Following an almost reciprocal track to its outbound leg, flight QF33 headed back southwards over the Indian Ocean, heading for Perth. After another seven hours and 30 minutes, and assisted by headwinds, the plane touched down on Perth’s runway 21 at 11:03 local time, almost exactly 15 hours after its original departure.

Flightradar24As reported by The Straits Times, another Qantas flight from Perth bound for London Heathrow (LHR) was also affected and diverted to Singapore, Qantas said in a statement. Passengers on both flights were accommodated overnight at the diversion airports while the airport made alternative travel arrangements.

While it remains unclear how many passengers were onboard the 15-hour flight to nowhere, each member of the Qantas Dreamliner fleet can accommodate 236 passengers in a three-class configuration – 42 in business class, 28 in premium economy, and 166 in economy. The aircraft involved, VH-ZNM, is 4.8 years old, having first been delivered to Qantas after the pandemic in June 2023.    

RELATED

Israel-Iran ceasefire agreed after missiles fired at US base, violation claims

The post Qantas passengers endure 15-hour flight to nowhere as aircraft returns to Perth appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source