A Qantas Airways QAN.AX flight from New Zealand landed safely at Sydney airport on Wednesday after it had issued a distress signal.
The Boeing 737 experienced an issue with one of its two engines about an hour from Sydney, Qantas told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in a statement.
A Qantas spokesperson, prior to the aircraft's landing said the Boeing BA.N 737-800 jet from Auckland had issued a "mayday" call while flying over water an hour from its destination of Sydney.
Qantas said the mayday alert was downgraded to a PAN -- or "possible assistance needed" -- before the flight touched down.
It is reported that the airline did not identify the problem precisely but said one of the aircraft's engines had "experienced an issue" about two hours after take off.
"While inflight engine shutdowns are rare, and would naturally be concerning for our passengers, our pilots are trained to manage them safely and aircraft are designed to fly for an extended period on one engine," it said.
Airservices Australia, the government's aviation regulator, said a PAN indicated a situation that "requires attention from air traffic control".
Qantas is consistently ranked among the world's safest airlines and has not been involved in a fatal accident for more than 70 years.
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