United Airlines mayday call prompts closure of Sydney Airport
A mayday call from the pilot of a United Airlines aircraft caused the closure of Sydney Airport yesterday.
The Captain issued the call due to low fuel levels, prompting a ‘full emergency response’ on the ground.
The Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner, carrying 194 passengers from Los Angeles, landed safely and nobody was injured.
United Airlines called it a ‘mechanical issue’ and said all customers disembarked as normal.
New South Wales police said the incident forced the brief closure of the airport and surrounding roads.
Fuel mayday calls are an automatic requirement when aircraft eat into reserves.
A shortage can be caused by a number of factors, including weather conditions or changes in route and altitude.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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