Qantas flight forced to turn around mid-air after mechanical fault after horror week for the airline

Yet another Qantas plane has been forced to turn around mid-air in a horror week of turnbacks and emergency landings for the flagship Australian airline. 

Flight QF1608 from Perth to Kalgoorie in Western Australia was forced to do circles over the capital city due to a 'mechanical fault'. 

The Fokker 100 aircraft took off at 3:50pm on Tuesday and was in the air for just 50 minutes before it made a safe landing at Perth Airport. 

A Qantas spokeswoman said the one hour journey was cut short due to a 'minor mechanical issue' which delayed the flight by over three hours.

She said the plane could have continued to Kalgoorie but that a lack of engineering support in the city meant it was inspected in Perth instead. 

The latest turnback comes in a string of incidents for the embattled airline with one Qantas pilot forced to issue a mayday call mid-flight on Wednesday. 

Qantas flight QF144 from Auckland to Sydney was forced to issue a mid-air mayday call halfway through the three-hour journey. 

Then on Thursday, flight QF101 was forced to turn back to Sydney airport after it suffered a 'potential mechanical issue' on its way to Fiji.

On Friday, two Qantas planes were forced to turn around shortly after take-off due to mechanical issues - marking the airline's fourth diversion in three days. 

Flight QF1516 from Melbourne to Canberra was forced to turn-back on Friday morning after pilots noticed an issue with the flaps of the Boeing 717 aircraft.

The plane took off from Melbourne Airport at 10.10am and was in the sky for just 17 minutes before it circled back and landed at 10.27am. 

It came just minutes after after pilots on flight QF430 from Melbourne to Sydney were alerted to a 'minor engine issue' and turned the plane around. 

The Boeing 737 aircraft took off from Tullamarine Airport at 9.28am before completing a large loop and returning just 50 minutes later at 10.18am. 

A Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that customers on both of the diverted planes were booked on other flights. 

'The aircraft landed normally – this was not an emergency or priority landing. Both engines remained operational throughout the flight,' they said of the first flight from Melbourne to Canberra.

On Monday, a Qantas plane travelling from Adelaide to Perth was forced to turn around due to incomplete paperwork. 

Flight QF887 departed at 3:35pm and almost made it to the West Australian border before it circled over the Great Australian Bight and landed back in Adelaide Airport at 6:50pm. 

A Qantas spokesperson said there had been no technical issues with the plane and that it departed again at 7:30pm. 

'Once paperwork was finalised after engineering sign-off in Adelaide, the flight departed for Perth and landed four hours after the scheduled arrival time,' the spokesperson told the ABC.  

Passengers on the flight from Auckland to Sydney last Wednesday have since revealed they heard a loud bang as the left engine failed mid-air. 

However, the majority onboard were blissfully unaware of the issue until they landed at Sydney airport and were met by a flurry of reporters.   

The first travellers to alight the plane said they were not told the 747-800 had suffered engine failure, simply that there was an issue after the loud bang. 

Passenger Simone Schmidt told the waiting media: 'We were told nothing had happened, they were totally professional and we only found out when we got back on land. 

'I heard just a bang and maybe a slight shudder but that was it. We had no idea at the time, we didn't realise the whole engine had gone, we just heard a bang.' 

Her husband Colin added: 'There were a few gasps when they told us when we were back on the runway but by then we had already landed. 

'Even then they told us that it had been a slight malfunction.'

Another woman named Georgia said: 'You wouldn't have known anything was going on really. We had no clue of anything that had happened, it was good.'