'Unusual' odor on plane causes diversion, lands flight attendant in the hospital

A flight attendant for an Australian airline was rushed to a hospital after an "unusual smell" led to an unexpected diversion on Wednesday.

Qantas flight QF163 departed Sydney on Wednesday evening and was expected in Wellington, New Zealand, before flying back to the Emerald City.

The Boeing 737 was in the air more than two hours before it landed on the runway of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport shortly after 9 p.m., according to data posted by Flight Aware. 

Qantas, which is the flag carrier of Australia, told FOX Business that the peculiar odor on the plane caused the aircraft to divert. 

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"A flight from Sydney to Wellington returned to Sydney after reports of an unusual smell in the cabin," the spokesperson said. "The aircraft landed safely and will be checked by engineers before returning to service."

The spokesperson noted that a flight attendant was taken to a hospital for a medical examination, but did not disclose the employee's symptoms or health status. No passengers or pilots were affected.

There was reportedly no smoke in the cabin, and the diversion was not considered an emergency landing.

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The representative added that Qantas is working to accommodate passengers who were affected by the diversion.

"Customers will be provided accommodation and reaccommodated onto the next available flight," the statement added.

"We apologise for the disruption to their journey and thank them for their understanding."

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Qantas is actively investigating the incident. There are no additional details at this time.