Qantas flight bound for Perth is forced to make a dramatic landing after passengers and crew notice a strange smell

A Qantas plane was forced to turn around and land unexpectedly in Adelaide after passengers and crew noticed a strange smell on board.

Qantas flight QF857 set off from Canberra on Friday evening, bound for Perth.

However, during the journey, passengers and crew reported a metallic taste in their mouths as the aircraft flew over the Great Australian Bight.

The incident prompted the plane to make a U-turn and land at Adelaide Airport around 1am on Saturday.

The priority landing broke the city airport’s curfew of midnight.

A group of paramedics waited at the terminal to treat passengers and crew as they disembarked. 

‘We know that this would have been a frustrating experience for our customers and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,’ a Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail.

‘Passengers were re-accommodated on flights this morning from Adelaide to continue their journey to Perth.’

A woman who had been on the flight said she noticed something strange while on the plane, telling 9News: ‘I wouldn’t say it was hazy (on the plane). It was just the smell.’

‘They turned everything off to try and find out where it was coming from, but they could not,’ she said.

Passengers were on the first flight out of Adelaide on Saturday morning and all reached their final destination.

Some chose to stay in the lounge for a few hours overnight, while others accepted hotel accommodation offered by the airline.

Approximately 15 travellers sought the treatment of ambulance workers who inspected them in the Qantas lounge, 9News reported, but none of them were injured. 

The aircraft was inspected by the engineering team and re-entered service on Saturday.