A Qantas flight travelling from Auckland to Sydney has landed safely after issuing a mayday call.
Qantas said in a statement that the flight "experienced an issue with one of its engines about an hour from its destination".
The plane was met by emergency services in line with standard procedure, the airline said.
"The aircraft landed safely at around 3.30pm and is now being inspected by our engineers, the statement said.
"The 145 passengers onboard disembarked the aircraft normally.
"While inflight engine shutdowns are rare, and would naturally be concerning for passengers, our pilots are trained to manage them safely and aircraft are designed to fly for an extended period on one engine."
Passengers told the ABC they weren't aware of the drama.
QF144 passenger Sandika McAuley said she heard a “bang” in the cabin, before a mayday call was issued on their Auckland to Sydney flight. She said passengers weren’t aware of the incident until they landed. @abcnews pic.twitter.com/tbqfhvUupF
— Harriet Tatham (@HarrietTatham) January 18, 2023
Emergency services were on stand-by as a precaution for the Boeing 737 twin-engined jet.
Sydney Airport said these included firefighters, ambulance and police.
Passenger reports from #QF144: Layla Kasem says the flight crew and captain acted professionally and handled the situation well. "The landing was like a kiss on the ground." pic.twitter.com/aBukCqGYVG
— Ruby Cornish (@rubycornish) January 18, 2023
QF144 left Auckland at 2.11pm but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed its departure was delayed by about an hour.
Fight QF144 from Auckland to Sydney has landed safely. Photo: Screenshot / ABC News Australia
- ABC / RNZ
