Qantas said QF29, scheduled to leave Melbourne at 10.50pm yesterday, was delayed after an access panel on the wing was damaged prior to boarding. The panel had been removed to service a component behind it.
The plane with 308 passengers took off at 6.12am today.
Qantas corporate communications adviser Joe Aston said passengers were not taken to a hotel because it was believed the aircraft would be back in the air promptly.
"Once it became evident the delay would be longer, refreshments were provided and the aircraft departed at 6.12 this morning," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 125 passengers flying from Adelaide to Sydney this morning were moved onto other, later services after a mechancial problem forced the cancellation of their 7.30am flight.
A Qantas spokesman said an overnight check of the aircraft found a problem with the hydraulic pump.
All passengers were accommodated on other flights, which were scheduled to land an hour or just under two hours later than their original QF730 service, the spokesman said.
"This kind of thing happens every day," he said.
AAP and Georgina Robinson
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