Qantas passengers commend crew after rare engine issue led to mayday call

“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 said.

Mayday is the word used by aviators to signal a life-threatening emergency. The mayday alert was downgraded to a PAN (possible assistance needed) which alerts the relevant airspace authorities to an abnormal situation so that the aircraft can be prioritised for landing but indicates a significantly less severe situation.

Qantas’ check and safety captain and president of the airline’s pilots union Anthony Lucas said engine failures are “incredibly rare”.

“Engine failures are almost a once-in-career type event, but it’s not something pilots lose sleep over because they are highly skilled and regularly review how to cope with what to do in the event of an issue.”

Lucas said the Qantas crew should be commended for their professionalism and said the airline should prioritise their welfare now the plane had landed safely.

“We will share more information about this incident once the aircraft is on the ground and has been assessed by our engineers,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

Boeing 737s can fly safely with a single engine. The aircraft known as VH-XZB has been in operation for 10 years and seats 174 passengers. The airline’s engineers will now examine the aircraft.

A Sydney Airport spokesperson said the airport notified Fire and Rescue, NSW Police and NSW Ambulance as a precautionary measure. The aircraft was met by emergency services upon landing.

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