Up to 40 passengers on board a Perth-bound Qantas flight have been removed from the aircraft because it was reportedly too heavy to fly. Passengers on board the Boeing 737-800 Sydney to Perth flight, according to Radio 6PR, had their names called out and were told to disembark the plane.

One passenger commented her row was empty by the time the plane took off.

A Qantas spokeswoman said an issue with the fuel pump had affected the plane’s load readings.

“As a result, a number of customers were reaccommodated onto the next available service, which departed shortly after,” she said.

Keeping the upheavals against various airlines companies worldwide, the Australian company, however, arranged for subsequent flights for the deplaned passengers. Thanking everyone for their co-operation and support the spokesperson added, “We sincerely thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

The flight which was scheduled to arrive in Perth at 7.40pm was delayed by over an hour, due to the “overload” problem.