Qantas flight from Sydney to Manila, Philippines, makes a U-turn amid airport chaos after Jetstar Bali chaos

Passengers on a Qantas plane from Sydney to the Philippines endured a nightmarish eight-hour flight to nowhere after a power outage at Manila Airport forced the plane to turn around.

The Airbus 330 was forced to return to Sydney in mid-flight after making a U-turn on Sunday night as it passed west of the tip of Cape York in far north Queensland.

It was forced to migrate down Australia’s east coast after the Philippine capital’s airport was hit by a power outage that blacked out air traffic control and closed airspace.

Passengers on a Qantas plane from Sydney to the Philippines experienced an eight-hour nightmare flight to nowhere after Manila Airport closed in mid-air

The Philippine capital’s airport was hit by a power outage that paralyzed air traffic control and closed airspace

The QF19 flight to Ninoy Aquino International Airport had left Sydney at 12.30pm on New Year’s Day but landed directly at the departure point at 7.50pm.

Qantas chiefs feared the plane might have run out of fuel had it continued to Manila and been forced to circle for hours while technicians struggled to restore power.

It was one of nearly 300 rerouted flights, and by the afternoon of New Year’s Day, the normally busy airspace over the Philippines was completely deserted of any air traffic.

It comes just three days after a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Bali was forced to turn around after airline staff forgot to fill out the correct paperwork for their plane.

Flight JQ35 was packed with Bali holidaymakers as it left Melbourne late Tuesday night after already being five hours late.

But four hours into the journey – on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner somewhere over Broome, Western Australia – she had to turn around and fly back to Melbourne.

A Jetstar spokesman said the airline used a larger Boeing 787 plane to carry more customers over the holidays – but forgot to seek approval from Indonesian regulators.

Qantas QF19 flight was one of nearly 300 rerouted flights and by the afternoon of New Year’s Day the normally busy airspace over the Philippines was completely deserted of all air traffic

Electrical problems were first noticed at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center at 9am local time, just before the Qantas flight left Sydney for the first time.

It was initially reported that the “technical issues” were limiting the use of some radio channels, but quickly escalated to trigger the full closure of local airspace.

Power was successfully restored about eight hours later and flights eventually resumed after the chaotic series of diversions and U-turns.

A Philippines Airlines PR222 flight from Brisbane to Manila was among the first to land at the reopened airport at around 5 p.m. local time, which was soon followed by a separate Philippines Airlines flight from Sydney to Manila.

The daily Sydney QF19 flight – which normally takes around 7 hours and 30 minutes – was scheduled to land in Manila at 5:30 p.m. local time.

Qantas chiefs feared the Airbus 330 (like the one pictured) could run out of fuel if they continued to Manila and be forced to circle for hours while technicians struggled to restore power

The Qantas flight later departed Sydney at 11:37 p.m. and successfully reached Manila at 3:53 a.m. local time.

The delay in getting back airborne after landing in Sydney is believed to have been caused by the long queue for landing pads at Manila Airport when it reopened.

A Qantas spokesman added: “All airlines were blocked from arriving in Manila on Sunday afternoon as local authorities shut down local airspace.

“That meant our flight from Sydney had to turn around.”