A Qantas Airbus A380. Source: Supplied

A Qantas Airbus A380.
Source: Supplied

QANTAS passengers have been left stranded in Dubai for more than two days after the airline’s Airbus was again dubbed unsafe to fly.

About 450 people had to find last-minute accommodation in the City of Gold after the connecting flight from London to Melbourne was plagued by mechanical troubles before takeoff.

Crew reportedly told customers the plane’s airconditioner and engine were faulty.

Fuming passengers, and Melburnians expecting to pick up their friends from the airport early Monday morning, have taken to social media to slam the airline for its handling of the issue.

“Do you expect these people to live in Dubai airport forever?” Lauren Jackson tweeted.

“Your customer service response is disgusting why no other plane or paid another airline to collect them,” Mandy Chesterton asked.

The Airbus, the world’s largest passenger plane, is the same type of aircraft that experienced a massive midair engine explosion during a Qantas flight from Singapore to Sydney in 2010.

Just last week, a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne was forced to turn back midair because of a fuel pump fault.

Weary travellers have claimed they were bussed to two different hotels but were turned away because there were no rooms.

Others said they had to organise their own accommodation.

Passengers and crew were aboard the A380 Airbus for flight QF10 on the tarmac early Sunday morning when they were asked to return to the airport.

They boarded the plane multiple times throughout the day and each time were told to return to the boarding gate, according to a friend of one of the stranded passengers.

The airline then changed the flight to Monday morning — more than 24 hours after it was originally scheduled for takeoff.

But the plans changed again and passengers again returned to the gate to continue their wait.

“Everybody got up early. They were actually on the bus being taken to the plane out on the tarmac when the bus driver stopped and said he got a message that the plane wouldn’t be taking off,” said one man who was expecting his British friend Sarah to arrive yesterday.

“They (passengers) were treated appallingly.”

Sarah had been communicating with her friend and his wife throughout the ordeal and was very distressed.

“She’s so miserable,” he said.

“She just wants to turn around and go home.”

The flight left Dubai at 1:15am local time and is expected to arrive at Tullamarine by 8pm.

Qantas spokeswoman Courtney Treak said there had been a “technical issue with an air duct”.

The plane was assessed by engineers, Ms Treak said.

“Passengers were provided with overnight accommodation, meals and transport,” she said.

“Qantas apologises for the inconvenience, but safety is always our highest priority.”

andrea.hamblin@news.com.au

A Qantas Airbus A380. Source: Supplied