Bali Jetstar flight forced to turn round as windshield breaks

The Jetstar plane was flying through an area of high ice water content when the windshield cracked. Photo / Supplied

A Jetstar flight en route to Bali from Sydney was forced to turn back and land in Melbourne after pilots reportedly noticed cracks in the windshield.

The plane took off from Sydney International Airport just before 5pm on Wednesday and was flying over the Northern Territory when the incident occurred.

The Daily Mail reported that pilots heard a crack in one of the windows in the cockpit, roughly three hours into the seven-hour trip.

A spokesman reportedly told the outlet that while the plane's structure wasn't compromised, the flight turned back because "safety is a priority".

The plane landed without incident at Tullamarine and passengers were provided with overnight accommodation and alternative flights were organised.

Passengers expressed concern via social media.

"Why wouldn't they go to Darwin if so close — why go back to Melbourne?" one person wrote.

A friend of a passenger added: "We have friends meeting us in Bali tonight and looking on the flight radar the plane has turned over the Northern Territory and now it's heading to Melbourne."

The flight had to be re-routed to Melbourne. Photo / Supplied

The Daily Mail reported that the plane flew back to Melbourne as that was the closest airport where necessary repairs could be carried out.

"Having been on a flight to Denpasar before that was diverted to Darwin just before we landed, I feel for all on board it's the worst feeling ever," another wrote.

The plane also experienced a technical issue in 2015 during a flight from Melbourne to Singapore.

Four hours into the trip, the autopilot disconnected after flying into an area with high ice water content.

After a reported 17 seconds, the airspeed returned to normal but because of the reversion the plane would have needed to be flown manually, so it landed in Darwin.

In April of this year, a Jetstar plane had trouble with both engines before landing at Kansai International Airport in Osaka.

The pilots of the aircraft, which was en-route from Cairns, reportedly received "engine fail" and "engine thrust" warnings during their approach to land.

Japan's Transport Safety Board was later classified as a "serious incident" that could have led to a major accident.