Fuel pump fault sees Qantas A380 flight diverted

A Qantas passenger jet bound for Sydney was diverted to the west Australian city of Perth on Monday after the pilots detected an issue with a fuel pump, the airline said.

The Airbus A380 was travelling from Dubai when the problem was detected, forcing an unscheduled landing in Perth shortly before 3:00am (1900 GMT Sunday).

"While travelling to Sydney from Dubai, the pilots received an indication that there was a technical issue with the aircraft so they diverted to Perth to have the issue repaired," the airline said in a statement.

Engineers were examining the plane, which landed safely, and it was scheduled to leave Perth for Sydney later Monday, added Qantas.

Earlier this month the Australian carrier roared back into the black in a stunning turnaround of fortunes driven by aggressive cost-cutting, posting a US$409 million annual net profit in the year to June 30.