Flight aborted twice after bird strike, technical issue leaves passengers delayed for hours

A QantasLink flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln in South Australia was forced to abort its journey twice on January 18 after first striking a bird shortly after takeoff and later encountering a separate technical problem that grounded the aircraft again, leaving passengers stranded for more than six hours before they could continue their trip.

Flight QF2581 departed Adelaide at around 8:00 a.m., but soon after crossing Spencer Gulf the Dash 8 aircraft hit a bird, prompting the pilot to return to Adelaide Airport as a precaution.

After engineers inspected the plane and cleared it to fly again, passengers prepared for a fresh departure, only to have the flight turn back a second time due to a cockpit warning light and an issue involving a generator.

Passengers shared their disbelief at the unusual sequence of events. “It reminded me of a Seinfeld episode,” passenger Barry Stribling said, recalling the surreal delays. He added that during the second return, “the pilot actually came out and as we were all walking out, each individual person he apologized and said he was sorry.”

Another traveler, Imogen Evans, expressed frustration over the disruption to her plans. She was en route to emcee a friend’s wedding and said, “So sorry Mads, sorry Jordan, I’ll be there as soon as I can. … I think I’ll be there in time for my stuff, but I’m devastated to miss the ceremony, it’s two of my best friends.”

After the double delay, passengers were eventually moved to a different plane, which departed around 2:00 p.m. and landed in Port Lincoln at approximately 2:50 p.m., well after the original expected arrival time.

Qantas confirmed that the technical issue that caused the second return was unrelated to the initial bird strike, and the airline issued an apology to customers. “We appreciate the patience and understanding from our customers and apologize for the delay,” the carrier said in a statement, emphasizing that safety remained its top priority throughout the ordeal.