Passengers from Qantas Airbus A380, the same carrier where Oprah Winfrey next month was to have flown hundreds of US audience members in a John Travolta-piloted down under trip, have left for Australia on relief flights.

Qantas Airways (ASX: QAN) suspended flights of its Airbus A380s on Thursday after one of the aircraft was forced to land in Singapore with engine trouble, one of the most serious incidents for the world's largest passenger plane in its three years of commercial flight.

Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the safety checks on the airline's six Airbus A380 airplanes will take 24 hours to 48 hours to complete.

"We believe over the next 24 to 48 hours these checks will be complete on all of the A380s," Joyce told a news conference.

"If we don't find any adverse findings in those checks, the aircraft will resume operations," he said.

Meanwhile, Oprah's Harpo Productions has held urgent talks with Qantas over the future of her December trip.

The US production team said it is reviewing travel options but did not say whether it would switch airlines for the visit.

Oprah is to hold two episodes of her show at the Sydney Opera House and a third in an undisclosed Outback location.

With Reuters