Qantas Flight Forced to Land in Manila

A Qantas Boeing 747-400 aircraft, flight QF30 from Hong Kong to Melbourne, was forced to divert to Manila on Friday following a sudden loss of cabin pressure which caused the plane to drop thousands of feet, and activated the oxygen mask system.

All 346 passengers and 19 crew managed to disembark normally and there are no reports of any serious injuries to passengers or crew.

The flight, which originated in London, landed in Manila at approximately 11.15 am local time.

Initial inspections of the aircraft revealed a large hole in the fuselage near the wing on the right side of the plane. The cause of the hole is now being investigated.

Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, said the flight crew had performed emergency procedures after the oxygen masks were deployed.

"The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have been notified of the incident and Qantas is sending its own engineers to Manila," Mr Dixon said.

Qantas provided all passengers with accommodation in Manila and a replacement aircraft was sent.

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