A Virgin Australia flight, reportedly diverted to Invercargill Airport in New Zealand, landed safely after a fire was spotted in an engine.
The flight, which left Queenstown for Melbourne at 6 p.m. on Monday, was seen circling off the coast of Bluff. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing loud noises from the plane and seeing flames shooting out of an engine.
Virgin Australia chief operations officer Stuart Aggs confirmed that all passengers had disembarked VA148, which landed safely at New Zealand’s Invercargill Airport following a possible bird strike after departing from Queenstown Airport.
At the time of the incident, 67 guests and six crew members were on board. The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand knows the incident and is working to understand the situation and the next steps.
An Invercargill resident near the airport said the incident brought back memories of the Mount Erebus disaster, as half of the area awaited the plane to arrive at the closest airport and land.
