Qantas flight to Philippines forced to turn back to Sydney as authorities close airspace

QF19 was three hours into New Year’s Day journey when pilots learned they could not land at Manila

A Manila-bound Qantas plane was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to Sydney after an air traffic control malfunction forced Philippine authorities to shut down the country’s airspace.

Flight QF19 departed Sydney shortly before 1pm local time on New Year’s Day and was about three hours into its eight-hour journey when pilots learned they would not be able to land at the plane’s destination.