Qantas pilot declares mayday emergency after ‘fire’ during Sydney to Auckland flight

Passengers on board a Qantas flight out of Sydney have been caught up in a frightening mid-air emergency after the pilot was forced to make a mayday call.

QFA141 was on its way to Auckland when the pilot requested a full emergency be declared after being alerted to a potential fire in the cargo hold.

The Qantas Boeing 737 is understood to have had 156 passengers on board at the time.

The flight took off at 7.07am and landed at Auckland International Airport about 11.50am surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Kerry Radmall who was on the far side of the runway when the plane landed told Stuff he saw the plane land but could not see any smoke.

One passenger praised the actions of the crew.

“They just said there was a smoke alarm that had gone off in the cargo bay and we’re just taking precautions and things... they were very good about it all, kept us informed and we landed all safely,” the told the New Zealand Herald.

A Qantas spokesperson said during a flight the pilots were receiving intermittent indications about the possible fire.

It is understood the alerts began about one hour out of Auckland but there was no smoke in the cabin.

“The pilots followed standard procedures and notified authorities through a mayday call,” the spokesperson said.

“The aircraft landed safely at Auckland Airport and passengers have disembarked.

“Preliminary investigations report that there was no fire in the front cargo hold. Our engineers will inspect the aircraft to determine the cause.”

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said it was alerted to an emergency at Auckland Airport at 11.05am.

“We have received reports a Qantas flight from Sydney had a fire on board. The plane has landed.

“Sixteen fire trucks from the Auckland area are responding to the incident.”