Qantas Flight Lands Safely on Single Engine After Issuing Mayday Call Over Tasman Sea

A Qantas passenger jet issued a mayday alert after over the Tasman Sea on Wednesday, January 18, according to flight tracking technology.

Images provided to Storyful by FlightRadar24 shows a Boeing 737-838 began issuing what is known as a “squawk 7700” alert as it neared its destination in Sydney.

The aircraft experienced an issue with one of its engines roughly three hours and 50 minutes into its flight from Auckland, New Zealand, and issued the mayday alert shortly afterwards, according to local media reports citing a Qantas spokesperson.

“While in flight, 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,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

The plane landed safely in Sydney roughly 30 minutes after issuing the mayday call, tracking by FlightRadar24 shows.

Passengers described feeling a “slight shudder” as the engine stopped, before crew told them about a “slight malfunction”. The passengers are reported not to have known about the mayday call until the plane landed safely. Credit: FlightRadar24 via Storyful

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