A Qantas Boeing 737 bound for Sydney made a priority landing in Christchurch after passengers reported flames from the aircraft's left engine, forcing an unscheduled diversion and an overnight delay for travellers.
FlightAware data show the aircraft touched down in Christchurch about 52 minutes after departing Queenstown, arriving shortly before 5pm local time. Passenger footage shared with AAP captured a series of rapid bursts of flame coming from the left engine as the jet climbed over the South Island.
Passenger Liza-Jayne Loch, returning to Sydney from a business trip, said a fellow traveller shouted “the engine’s on fire” and cabin lights began to flicker. She described visible flames from seats on the left side and “a lot of screaming at the time.” Loch said she tried to remember that jets can fly on a single engine, adding “That’s what I kept in my head, that we could actually fly on one engine,” and “But the flames kept coming and the noise kept coming.”
The situation stabilised as the crew worked to calm passengers. “The crew were all terribly, terribly calming,” Loch said. Emergency services awaited the plane on the tarmac and passengers disembarked after a short wait, prompting “massive cheers” on landing, she added.
Qantas described the incident as a suspected engine issue and said its pilots managed the situation and landed the aircraft safely. “Our pilots are highly trained to manage situations like this and the aircraft landed safely,” the airline said. It added it would contact customers to provide support, and sent two engineers to Christchurch on Sunday to inspect the plane.
Qantas accommodated affected passengers in a hotel near Christchurch’s international airport and rebooked them on a complimentary flight to Sydney the following day. Loch said passengers were relieved on the reflight’s arrival in Sydney but that the experience had been upsetting, saying “I cried getting off the plane when we landed in Sydney,” and “It was quite traumatic.”
Investigations are under way in Christchurch to establish the cause of the engine problem and to confirm the aircraft is safe to return to service.
