Qantas flight bound for Melbourne is forced to turn back to Christchurch twice after concerning discovery

A Melbourne-bound flight from New Zealand has been forced to turn around twice.

Flight QF168 left Christchurch and was headed for the Victorian capital city on at 6.46am on Monday.

It was forced to turn around while over the Tasman Sea and landed back at Christchurch two hours later.

A Qantas spokesman explained the reason for the first return.

‘Pilots elected to return to Christchurch due to an issue with their radio,’ he said.

‘The aircraft was inspected by engineering and has since taken off as normal.’ 

The plane took off before it was forced to turn around for a second time as it approached the Tasman Sea. 

‘Shortly after taking off again, an unusual smell was reported in the cabin,’ the Qantas spokesman said.

The pilots ‘followed standard procedures’ and returned the plane to Christchurch, where it had a normal landing.

‘Engineers are inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the smell, and passengers will be reaccommodated on flights via Auckland today.

‘We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by these unrelated air returns, and are working hard to get customers on their way as quickly as possible.’

The aircraft is 13-years-old.