'Horrendously bumpy': Wild winds force Qantas flight to Adelaide to divert to Defence Force base

A Qantas flight bound for South Australia was forced to touch down at a Defence Force base last night after extreme winds forced pilots to abandon their landing at Adelaide Airport.

Gusts of up to 72km/h near the airport forced the commercial flight to divert to the Edinburgh Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base, 25 kilometres north of Adelaide.

An Adelaide Airport spokesperson said it was the first time in recent history a commercial flight had been diverted to the RAAF base.

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The strong winds meant passengers endured a turbulent flight to the South Australian capital.

"It was horrendously bumpy, very bumpy," passenger Shayne Middleton said.

Once the flight was on the tarmac, there was another unexpected issue.

A passenger in her 30s suffered a medical episode and was taken to Lyell McEwin Hospital in a stable condition.

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Others remained on board until the flight was back in the air just before 8pm.

After another 15 minutes in the air and a turbulent descent to Adelaide Airport the trip was finally over.

Several other domestic arrivals were delayed due to strong winds, and the diverted aircraft's return flight to Melbourne was cancelled.

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The airline apologised to passengers for any inconvenience.

When asked if the plane had issues with its fuel reserves, Qantas said the flight had sufficient fuel to travel between Melbourne and Adelaide.

"Instead of circling for an extended time over Adelaide due to weather, the pilot made the decision to refuel at Edinburgh," the spokesperson said.

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