Qantas flights face engine fire and smoke evacuation incidents

A Qantas Boeing 737 flight from Queenstown, New Zealand, to Sydney, Australia, was forced to make an emergency landing in Christchurch following reports of engine issues. Passengers reported hearing loud bangs and seeing flames emitting from the left engine in rapid bursts. A bird strike is believed to have caused the incident. Both engines remained operational, and the aircraft landed safely approximately 52 minutes after takeoff.

In a separate incident, a Qantas Airbus A220 flight from Sydney to Melbourne was evacuated after smoke entered the cabin. Investigations revealed the smoke was caused by exhaust from an aircraft tug vehicle on the ground rather than a mechanical failure of the aircraft. Passengers from the Sydney-Melbourne flight were rebooked on subsequent flights.