A Qantas flight that issued a 'Mayday' call while flying over the Pacific ocean on Wednesday landed safely at the Sydney airport in Australia on Wednesday. As soon as Qantas Flight 144 carrying over 100 passengers arrived from Auckland, New Zealand, emergency services rushed to the plane, reported news agency the Associated Press. The aircraft had an engine failure over the Pacific Ocean.
About an hour away from Sydney airport, Boeing 737 experienced an issue with one of its two engines, Qantas told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in a statement, reported the news agency.
Flight QF144 was due to land at 3:10 pm and made a delayed but safe landing at 3:25 pm. The flight landed at Sydney Airport from Auckland, New Zealand, after a 3.5-hour flight between the most populous cities of the neighboring nations.
The mayday has now been downgraded to possible assistance needed (PAN).
The airline also said that no dangerous goods were onboard and a team of engineers will now assess the plane after all the 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," said Qantas spokesperson while talking to 7NEWS.
What Is A 'Mayday' Call?
A mayday call is given after "an aircraft is in a grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance," according to Airservices Australia, a government-owned organisation managing Australia's airspace. The local emergency services will then be informed about the event via controllers.
Despite being less urgent, potential assistance needed or a PAN call still requires a controller's response and pilot aid. A medical emergency or a malfunctioning device are two examples of PAN scenarios.
(With agency inputs)