False Alarm Sparks Emergency Landing for Qantas Flight

A Qantas Airways flight from Sydney to Auckland made an emergency landing at Auckland airport Friday morning following a fire alert. The pilot of the Boeing 737 issued a mayday call after receiving intermittent warnings of a possible fire in the cargo hold, the airline confirmed in a statement.

Preliminary investigations revealed that there was no fire in the aircraft, and Qantas engineers will conduct further inspections to understand the cause of the alert. A total of 156 passengers were on board, and all disembarked without incident. The airline spokesperson assured that all passengers left the aircraft smoothly.

Auckland airport reported that emergency services were prepared as a precaution for the incoming flight but have since stood down. The airport operations have returned to normal, although slight delays might affect some flights departing and arriving shortly thereafter.

(With inputs from agencies.)