SYDNEY: An Etihad Airways flight traveling from Abu Dhabi to Sydney made an emergency landing at Australia’s Adelaide Airport early on Saturday after a warning indicator activated in the cockpit.
Crew on board Etihad flight EY450 landed the plane at 5 a.m. (1830 GMT) at Adelaide Airport, in the state of South Australia.
The Boeing 777 passenger jet had 349 passengers on board who disembarked via emergency exits, according to online news service Adelaide Advertiser.
A technical fault with a cargo hold air recirculation fan had been found, Etihad Airways told Reuters in an email.
“Etihad Airways apologizes for the inconvenience. The safety of our guests and crew is of paramount importance,” it said.
Australia’s ABC News had reported that a smoke alarm had activated.
Passengers would make their onward journeys via other airlines due to crew rest requirements, the airline said.
Saturday’s Etihad flight EY451, from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, had been canceled and passengers would be rescheduled on later Etihad services out of Sydney, the airline said.
It was the second incident this year for the Etihad flight that connects Australia’s biggest city with the hub of Abu Dhabi, where passengers transit for worldwide destinations.
In July, four men were arrested in Sydney over an Islamist plot to attack the flight.
One of the men sent his unsuspecting brother to catch the July 15 Sydney to Abu Dhabi flight carrying a bomb hidden in a meat-mincer.
Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi makes emergency landing in Australia
Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi makes emergency landing in Australia
Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war
- Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US
- Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.
Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.
Few days’ worth of supplies
Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel’s two-year war with Hamas militants.
“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.
Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut.
Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates.
Israel’s COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population.
“(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined to comment on potential fuel shortages.
The truce was part of broader US-backed plan to end the war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid into the enclave, and rebuilding it.
Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
“Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” Abu Laila said.
