A passenger plane caught fire in New Zealand and made an emergency landing

A passenger plane landed safely at a New Zealand airport on Monday after one of its engines caught fire, according to the New Zealand Fire Service.

He Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 The flight was forced to divert due to a fire in Invercargill, New Zealand en route to Melbourne, Australia.

Fire engines were waiting for the plane when it arrived in Invercargill, about 50 minutes after takeoff from Queenstown, New Zealand Fire and Emergency Service shift supervisor Lynn Crosson said.

The cause of the fire and the number of people on board were initially unknown, said Queenstown Airport spokeswoman Saterin Ning.

Virgin Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Stuart Ochs said to Newsweek It read: “Virgin Australia flight VA148 from Queenstown landed safely after landing at Invercargill Airport. Possible collision with a bird When leaving this afternoon.”

He added that the plane was met by emergency services at Invercargill Airport. “The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority.”

“Currently, We are not aware of any physical ailments. between guests or crew. “Emergency services personnel are on the ground at Invercargill Airport,” he said.

Ox added: “The flight, a Boeing 737-800 registered VH-YIV, took off from Queenstown at 6:00pm local time and landed safely in Invercargill at approximately 6:50pm. There were 67 guests and 6 crew on board”.

We would like to express our gratitude to Invercargill Airport, emergency services, local Air New Zealand crew members and our internal crews for their assistance with the response effort tonight.”

For its part, a spokesperson for Fire Emergency New Zealand told the same media, “Fire and emergency crews responded to Invercargill Airport this afternoon following reports that a plane had diverted from Queenstown Airport late at 6pm. Flames were reportedly coming from the engine.

“Fire engines from Invercargill and Kingswell attended with support from the Invercargill Airport Fire Brigade and the Commando Unit. The plane landed safely and fire and emergency personnel left the scene.”.

With 53,000 residents, Queenstown is a popular tourist destination on New Zealand’s South Island, known for its ski areas, adventure tourism and mountain views.

The rate of bird strikes on flights at New Zealand airports is four per 10,000 flight movements, according to the country’s aviation regulatory agency website. According to the agency, the consequences of these episodes can vary in severity depending on the impact of the aircraft, the size of the bird and the pilot’s reaction.

(With information from AP)