Air safety investigators said Qantas flight 933, travelling from Brisbane to Perth, was involved in a “low fuel event” on Monday after it joined a mid-air queue with other aircraft near the Western Australian city.
QF933 had reached Perth airspace when air traffic controllers told the pilots that an expected holding period had extended to 16 minutes.
But the crew were concerned about the aircraft’s fuel reserves. Four other planes were also circling the airport due to delays in landing.
QF933 was told the only way for it to skip to the head of the queue was to declare a “fuel mayday”.
The pilots issued the message and the Boeing 737-838 plane eventually landed safely at Perth Airport with at least 40 minutes worth of fuel still left in its tanks.
Qantas chief pilot Dick Tobiano said air traffic controllers had asked the aircraft remain in a holding pattern for longer than the QF933 pilots had previously been advised.
To be given priority to land the pilots needed to make a fuel mayday call.
“The aircraft landed with 40 minutes of fuel in the tank, which is well above the minimum requirements,” Tobiano said.
“Our pilots followed the correct procedures and there was no safety issue with the flight.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has confirmed that it was investigating the incident.
“During descent, the crew declared an emergency due to the amount of fuel on board and proceeded to land at Perth,” the bureau said in a statement.
“The aircraft landed with reserves intact.”
“A final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.
“However, should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken.”
Meanwhile, Qantas flight QF2 from London landed at Sydney this morning after passengers endured an 11-hour delay due to Heathrow Airport’s recently imposed passenger cap.
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