Qantas flight turned around, crew member hospitalised after 'unusual smell' detected

Qantas has apologised after a flight from Sydney to Wellington was turned back about an hour into its journey on Wednesday evening after "an unusual smell" was detected in the cabin.

Flight QF163 departed approximately at 6.40pm and was over a quarter of the way into its flight path when the pilot made the decision to turn the aircraft around, requesting a priority landing at Sydney Airport.

Firefighters and paramedics met the plane on the tarmac on its arrival at about 9.30pm. Shortly after, a crew member was assessed by paramedics and taken to hospital.

A Qantas spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the "aircraft landed safety" and it was due to be checked by engineers before returning to service.

Passengers given accomodation, 'rebooked' on next flight

Passengers on board the flight were to be rebooked "onto the next available flight," the airline said.

"We apologise for the disruption to their journey and thank them for their understanding," the Qantas spokesperson told Yahoo. Affected travellers were provided accommodation overnight.

The plane had reportedly flown from Wellington to Sydney, as well as a return trip to Norfolk Island, prior to the incident. There were no reports of smoke in the cabin.

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