A jumbo jet of the Australian national carrier Qantas was forced to land on a Pacific island to fill up after it ran low on fuel while trying to make the non-stop leg to Brisbane.

Pilots landed the Boeing 747-400ER in Noumea for an unscheduled stop after battling stronger than expected headwinds. The plane had left from USA yesterday, media reports quoted a Qantas spokesman today.

"The pilots made a decision that it was better, as a precaution, to divert to Noumea and take more fuel on board, rather than continuing," spokesman Thomas Woodward said adding "As a result, they had to divert to Noumea to refuel, which led to a two-hour delay getting into Brisbane.

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