Passengers spend night on tarmac after Sydney storm

Qantas passengers travelling to Sydney from Santiago, Chile, were forced to spend half the night on the tarmac after storms diverted their flight to Williamtown-Newcastle Airport. The packed Dreamliner attempted to land in Sydney on Saturday evening, but was among several flights unable to do so due to the storms circling the city. However, it was the only international Qantas flight that was diverted. Passenger John Myers said it was the bumpiest flight he had ever encountered and that a crew member had described it as “extreme”. A few people vomited. Meanwhile at Newcastle Airport, which is not set up for Boeing Dreamliner 787 operations, the plane was unable to immediately refuel and return to Sydney. There was no accommodation in Newcastle and no immigration facilities. Passengers sat on the tarmac for nearly seven hours, until they were finally allowed to disembark for a night at the airport. Flight crew came around with McDonald’s hamburgers and drinks in the early hours of the morning. The flight reloaded and landed in Sydney just before 10am on Sunday morning. Qantas said in a statement that storms had impacted several airlines and required some flights to be diverted to other airports. “This included our flight from Santiago to Sydney which diverted to Newcastle. Qantas customer support team members travelled from Sydney to Newcastle to assist customers in the terminal through the night,” the statement said. “We understand that this would have been a frustrating experience for our customers and an uncomfortable night, and we thank them for their patience and understanding of the impact the storms had on flights into Sydney.”<br/>