Qantas flight QF144 lands safely at Sydney Airport after midair mayday call

A Qantas flight safely touched down in Sydney on Wednesday after a mayday call was made mid-flight between Australia New Zealand.

Qantas pilots were praised for a safe landing after issuing a mayday call mid-flight on Wednesday.

Firefighters and paramedics rushed to be on standby at Sydney airport after the emergency alert was issued by flight QF144, which had 145 passengers onboard, about 2.10pm near the end of its flight from Auckland.

The alert was later downgraded to a PAN – possible assistance needed.

The Boeing 737-838 made a safe landing on the tarmac, in Mascot, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs just before 3.30pm.

Passengers were smiling as they came through departures.

One woman, who was visiting from the UK via New Zealand, told NCA NewsWire the pilot communicated with passengers about an “engine problem” but not that they had issued a mayday call.

Emergency crews were on standby in the event of an emergency upon landing, luckily the plane touched down safely. Photo Jeremy Piper/NCA NewsWire

Passenger Nigel Morris said: “We didn’t know anything at the time but we’re here safe.

“When they said we could turn on our phones, I turned on my phone and my wife had called about 18 times.

“It’s a debate about whether it’s better to know or not to know.”

Nigel Morris said his wife in Sydney knew about the mayday call before he did.

A couple said that they heard a bang but weren’t told that the engine had gone until they landed Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar,

Other travellers said after landing they heard a “bang” and a “few gasps”.

One couple told the NewsWire: “We didn’t realise the whole engine had gone, we just heard a bang and that was it.

“There were a few gasps when they told us on the actual runway, but we had already landed.”

Fiona Dunn, another passenger on the flight, said she was made aware of the incident before landing and said she was “pretty panicked”.

“I was just trying to work out the logistics of whether it could fly on one engine alone.”

She praised the actions of the pilot and crew in keeping passengers safe.

“The aircon was gone so it was pretty hot in the plane but besides that the captain stayed cool, calm and collected”

Fiona Dunn said that she was “pretty panicked” during the flight and glad to be on the ground. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

A Qantas flight from Auckland has descended into Sydney after issuing a mayday call. Picture: 7 News

The flight landed safely at 3.26pm. Picture: FlightRadar

Passengers reported hearing a ‘bang’. Picture Jeremy Piper NCA/NewsWire

Passengers were seen talking to a reporter in the departure lounge of Sydney Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Leslie Spring said she wouldn’t have known about the issue if she wasn’t told and described the feeling as “like turbulence”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar,

Another passenger Leslie Spring said: “It was a little bit bumpy but it was just like turbulence, if they hadn’t told us we wouldn’t have known.”

The Boeing 737-838 has twin engines but can fly on just one.

A Qantas spokesman said: “Qantas Flight 144, a 737 flying from Auckland to Sydney, experienced an issue with one of its engines about an hour from its destination.

“While a mayday was initially issued, this has now been downgraded to a PAN (“possible assistance needed”).

The spokesman said more information would be made available once the aircraft had been assessed by engineers.

The Australian and International Pilots Association said this kind of incident is “extremely rare”.

“We are pleased the expertly trained and professional Qantas pilots took all the right steps to deal with the incident and were able to safely land back in Sydney,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The priority of any pilot is the welfare of our passengers and crew.

“It’s too early to speculate on the cause of the engine failure.”