A Qantas A330 passenger jet bound for Melbourne was forced to return to Hong Kong on Monday night due to an engine vibration, capping off a disruptive few days for the airline’s international operations.
The airline said engineers were inspecting the A330, and passengers on QF30 had been put on alternative flights to Melbourne.
‘‘There was no safety issue at any time,’’ a spokeswoman said.
The engine vibration on QF30 occurred during take off and the plane immediately returned to Hong Kong.
The latest incident comes just days after a Qantas A380 superjumbo bound for Melbourne had to turn back to Los Angeles when it was more than four hours into its flight over the Pacific.
The plane’s captain decided to return to LA last Thursday after a warning light indicated a fault with its fuel pumps.
That plane is now back in service.
Another Qantas A380 bound for Sydney was also delayed for several days in Hong Kong late last week due to a defect in an air-conditioning duct on the superjumbo’s wing.
The superjumbo was taxiing to the runway on Friday night when its pilots were alerted to a fault, and they returned the plane to the terminal gate.
The same occurred a day later when QF128 was attempting to leave for Sydney.
The plane eventually left Hong Kong on Monday.
A Qantas pilot said the incidents over the Easter holidays were just a ‘‘bad roll of the dice’’.
A spokeswoman for Qantas said it apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers, and she emphasised that the incidents were unrelated.
