Six-hour delay for passengers after plane turns back to Adelaide twice

A QantasLink flight bound for the South Australian city of Port Lincoln was forced to turn around twice this morning, resulting in a six-hour delay for passengers.

The plane took off from Adelaide Airport at 7.55am but was forced to return to the tarmac almost an hour later after the aircraft hit a bird.

The flight was on the ground for an hour before the plane was given the all-clear to return to the skies, but a technical issue mid-flight forced the aircraft to turn back a second time.

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"It reminded me of a Seinfeld episode," passenger Barry Stribler said.

"The second time the pilot actually came out and as we were all walking out, each individual person he apologised and said he was sorry.

"We got told that they had three other planes here so I don't understand why they wouldn't just change planes."

Eventually passengers did change planes as engineers worked on the first aircraft.

The flight eventually took off just before 2pm after six hours of waiting, two delays and two different planes.

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Imogen Evans was heading to her best friend's wedding when she was caught up in the delay.

"I'm devastated to miss the ceremony, they're two of my best friends," Evans said.

However she said there was a silver lining to the journey.

"The camaraderie on the plane has been so lovely, we've met a girl who's going to drop us straight to the wedding," she said.

A Qantas spokesperson apologised for the delay and acknowledged the frustration.

"However safety is always our first priority," the spokesperson said.

"We appreciate the patience and understanding from our customers."

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