Engine problems force passenger plane to make emergency landing at ... - ABC Online

Updated January 09, 2014 22:27:24

An outbound Air New Zealand flight has been forced to make an emergency landing at Melbourne airport shortly after it took off.

The A320 plane landed safely after initial reports of engine troubles and a fuel leak, but an Air New Zealand spokesman later said the reports of a leak were incorrect.

"Flight NZ726 from Melbourne to Auckland returned to Melbourne this evening after experiencing an engine fault," the spokesman said.

"The aircraft, which had 145 passengers and six crew on board, landed in Melbourne without incident shortly before 8:00pm local time and passengers will now be accommodated on alternative services tomorrow."

Earlier reports also suggested the plane issued a mayday call. Eight fire trucks were dispatched to the airport.

Air New Zealand says engineers are still investigating the nature of the fault.

Topics: air-and-space, air-transport, melbourne-airport-3045

First posted January 09, 2014 20:33:18