By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 4 hours ago, updated 3 hours ago
The plane sent out a distress signal as it flew over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Various photographs / stock.adobe.com
Ambulances were urgently called in at Sydney Airport on Wednesday January 18 following the arrival of a Qantas aircraft which had sent out an in-flight distress signal. Flight QF144 from Auckland, New Zealand, had more than 100 passengers on board, according to a spokeswoman for paramedics. The plane, a Boeing 737-800, eventually landed safely on a runway at Sydney Airport, according to footage from public broadcaster ABC.
New South Wales state paramedics were previously called in as part of an emergency response plan after the plane sent a distress signal as it flew over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Several Australian media reported that the plane had problems with one of its engines. The Boeing 737-800 model has two and can land safely with just one.
According to the Australian Government’s Aviation Inspectorate, a distress signal indicates that “an aircraft is in immediate serious danger and requires immediate assistance”.
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